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The Evolution and Stages of State Formation in Ancient India
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: History
Abstract
Background: The organs which constitute the state according to Engels do not appear in the kernel of the Rg Veda assignable to Punjab and Afghanistan around 1500 B.C. A predominantly cattle herding economy kept the people semi- nomadic. They formed bands for cattle rearing, which eventually became kin-based groups in the male line. This is denoted by the term gotra, usually understood as clan. But originally it meant the place where cattle were kept. .It seems that those who were engaged in cattle rearing entered into kinship relations with one another and eventually formed a group known as the gotra. The represented the state in the sense that they were entitled to receive gifts and taxes. They were not owners of land, as was the case in in Greece and Rome. In India the state eventually grew out of the conflicts that developed in the tribal agricultural society between priestly and fighting classes on the one hand and cultivating classes on the other. Finally we may examine the signification on the word grama, which is used generally in the sense Of village. But in the first instance it meant a body of men. In one context in the Rg Veda it was identical with jana or tribe. We hear of a grama roaming ai d looking for kine. The grama was, therefore, also concer¬ned with cattle rearing and fighting. It later developed a kind of kin-based identity. When members of the grama took to agriculture and sedentary life, the term came to be understood in the sense of village.
Keywords
Rg Veda, Grama, Administrative duties, Community,Society,Janapada, Hunting, Ancient India, Kingship, Organization, State,Sabha & Samiti
How to cite this paper
@article{1722616,
author = {Dr. Nagaraja Talawar},
title = {The Evolution and Stages of State Formation in Ancient India},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {2},
pages = {3206-3210},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1722616.pdf},
abstract = {Background: The organs which constitute the state according to Engels do not appear in the kernel of the Rg Veda assignable to Punjab and Afghanistan around 1500 B.C. A predominantly cattle herding economy kept the people semi- nomadic. They formed bands for cattle rearing, which eventually became kin-based groups in the male line. This is denoted by the term gotra, usually understood as clan. But originally it meant the place where cattle were kept. .It seems that those who were engaged in cattle rearing entered into kinship relations with one another and eventually formed a group known as the gotra. The represented the state in the sense that they were entitled to receive gifts and taxes. They were not owners of land, as was the case in in Greece and Rome. In India the state eventually grew out of the conflicts that developed in the tribal agricultural society between priestly and fighting classes on the one hand and cultivating classes on the other. Finally we may examine the signification on the word grama, which is used generally in the sense Of village. But in the first instance it meant a body of men. In one context in the Rg Veda it was identical with jana or tribe. We hear of a grama roaming ai d looking for kine. The grama was, therefore, also concer¬ned with cattle rearing and fighting. It later developed a kind of kin-based identity. When members of the grama took to agriculture and sedentary life, the term came to be understood in the sense of village.},
keywords = {Rg Veda, Grama, Administrative duties, Community,Society,Janapada, Hunting, Ancient India, Kingship, Organization, State,Sabha & Samiti},
month = {August},
}