Page 63 - SST Class 06
P. 63
This period has two special points. One, many LIFE IN VILLAGES
occupations came to be recognised as castes, such
as goldsmiths, washermen etc. Two, some people The number of villages had gone up through the
adopted other professions which were not entire length and breadth of India; however, the
quality of life in villages had not changed much.
allowed under the traditional varna system; for
example, many Kshatriyas started to study The villagers sat together to solve their disputes
and differences. They also constructed roads,
religious scriptures and cultivate land; many
public places and other public utilities with
Brahmins started trade and joined army; and many
Vaishyas joined the army. mutual cooperation. A variety of cereals, pulses,
fruits and vegetables were grown. We do not hear
of any forced labour during this period.
F ind Outind Out The better knowledge of agriculture resulted in a
Find out the names of two modern and two ancient larger produce, so many people turned towards
port cities of India. other crafts in the village. Cottage industries
started for such crafts like weaving, carpentry,
An important feature of this period is the basket-making, rope-making etc. Some craftsmen
formation of organisations of the people belonging shifted to towns also, due to which the town
to same trade or occupation. These organisations, population went up.
called sangha (guild), looked after the needs and The village was under the supervision of a
well-being of the concerned people. They also
headman called gram bhojak . He looked after the
helped in the sale of articles and settle any village affairs with the help of a samiti . He was
disputes. In many cases, they also looked after the responsible for collection of land revenue.
financial needs of the members. Each sangha was
guided by a chairman known as Pramukha , Quiz Time
Jyeshthika or Shreshthin . Name the following :
The traders in towns carried on long-distance 1. The second phase of urbanisation is called
trade in different articles. Not only within the
country, they also traded with other countries. The ________
countries with which trade was carried on 2. The organisations of the people belonging to
included Java, Sri Lanka, Burma, Sumatra, central trade and occupation are called ________
Asian countries etc. The trade with other countries 3. Sangha was guided by a chairman known as
was carried on both by sea and land. Like
craftsmen, traders too established their guilds in ________
order to look after their needs. Their chairman was 4. The village was under the supervision of a
known as Sethi or Shreshthi . headman called ________
Trade prospered in this period due to the 5. The workers who worked on fields were called
introduction of coins. Coins of silver and copper
have been found in Magadha and Taxila. These ________
coins were called punch-marked because they
were punched with certain marks. Introduction of AGRICULTURAL INTENSIFICATION
coins ended the barter system. Better knowledge and tools of agriculture made it
possible to reap rich crops of different things. Also,
Just Think! more and more land was brought under cultivation
after clearing grasslands and forests. New varieties
of grains and other things began to be cultivated.
How did the introduction of coinage promote
trade? All family members worked together in fields.
Some families got cultivation of their fields done
Life in Towns and Villages
63
