MCQ: Agrarian Structure In The Post Gupta Period - 1 - UPSC MCQ

Maurya

Sixth century B.C.

 Reign of Samudragupta

Late Gupta and post-Gupta

I, II

I, IV

III, IV

II, III

Saffron

Camphor

Pepper

Sandal wood

Ranakas

Brahma Ksatras

Kayasthas

Gahapatis

Sub-infeudation and sub-leasing of land.

Increase tenancy rights of the peasantry.

Imposition of forced labour.

Temple also collected additional dues.

Increase in the mobility of artisans and peasants. 

Most of the feudatories and land grantees were given the authority to maintain law and order and dispense justice.

The feudatories were expected to maintain feudal levies.

The feudatories were expected to supply levies to the king, whenever it was required as a matter of moral obligation. 

Some of the feudatories were permitted to grant land without first obtaining permission of the king.

Ist Century A.D.

3rd Century A.D.

4th Century A.D.

5th Century A.D.

On occasions the peasants were made to provide free labour.

The feudatories even appropriated the common lands of the villages.

There was a proliferation of intermediaries between the king and the peasants.

The peasants paid various taxes like temple tax, and tax on goods produced besides land revenue.

Later Vedic period

Mauryan period

Kushan period

Satavahana period

The right of collecting revenue became proprietory and hereditary lending to the feudatories disposing of both revenue and land.

A large number of sub-feudatories came into existence.

Although the feudatories were supposed to get revenue from land for life, they gradually appropriated proprietory rights.

Neither the king nor the feudatories invested money in crafts or trade.

To punish the recalcitrant peasants.

To weaken the power of the big landlords.

To meet the deep social crisis that affected the ancient social order in the 3rd-4th centuries A.D.

To ensure the regular flow of land revenue.

The donees paid only a fixed share of the revenue to the donor and kept the rest.

The donees were given the rights to collect the revenue as well as the right to maintain law and order in the donated land.

The donees could only collect land revenue.

The donees were only given the right to maintain law and order in the donated villages and the revenue was collected by officials.

Village headman

The tribal chief

Royal officials

The religious beneficiaries

The whole land was held by feudatories.

The relationship between the land owner and the village authorities varied.

For making assessment easy, village were grouped into units of 10 in the Deccan kingdoms and into 12 or 16 or multiples thereof in the Northern region.

The powers and duties of the royal officers vis-a-vis the feudatories were clearly defined and observed.

Guptas

Palas

Rastrakutas

Pratiharas

The actual cultivation was entrusted to peasants or sharecorppers who were attached to the land but did not possess it.

The landed beneficiaries did not cultivate land by themselves.

The landed beneficiaries could not collect revenue by themselves.

The Sudras cultivated land mainly as slaves and agricultural labourers.

The legal authorities were not aware of this problem.

In the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D. the Puranas complained of varnas disregarding their functions.

To get over the aforesaid situation kings chose intermediaries including Brahamanas.

None of the above.

The royal successors are asked to maintain the terms and conditions of the grant.

There is no evidence to suggest that the donor directed the donees not to harass the peasants of the donated villages.

The villagers could appeal to the king against the peasants of the donated villages.

The villagers were asked by the donors to pay all dues and carry out the donees.

The owner had a right to collect as much as a third or half of the produce.

The donee acquired complete rights over the land.

In the early stages this grant was less frequent than the agrahara , but in later centuries it became usual.

It was not given for military services which was paid in terms of cash salaries.

Although the land was often inherited by the family grantee, the king had the power to confiscate it.

The king could give it to anyone he pleased.

It underlined the privileged position of the Brahmanas.

It was a village granted tax-free to Brahamanas.