class 12 history theme 3

kinship cast and class

1. KINSHIP CASTE AND CLASS EARLY SOCITIES TIMELINE : c.600 BCE- 600 CE THEME-3

2. THIS THEME WILL FOCUS ON SOCIAL CHANGES , SOCIAL DIVISIONS , CATEGORIES AND SITUATIONS THIS CHAPTER REVOLVES AROUND THE ONE OF THE MOST PRECIOUS LITERARY SOURCE OF HISTORY – THE MAHABHARATA TEXTS DURING THIS TIME MENTIONS VARIOUS SOCIAL CHANGES AND PRACTICES WHICH HELP US TO KNOW ABOUT THE SOCIAL CATEGORIES.

3. FEATURES OF MAHABHARTA IT HAS 100,000 VERSES DEPICTS VARIETY OF SOCIAL CATEGORIES RICHEST TEXT STORY ABOUT TWO WARRING COUSINS TOOK THOUSANDS OF YEARS TO COMPLETE HAVE SECTIONS ON BEHAVIOUR CRITICAL EDITION OF MAHABHARATA EDITION DONE UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF : V.S SUKTHANKAR. HE AND HIS TEAM EDITED MAHABHARATA. STEPS WERE TAKEN AS FOLLOWS: COLLECTING COMPARING COMPILING NOTE : REMEMBER THESE 3 C’S

4. COLLECTING - SANSKRIT MANUSCRIPTS WRITTEN IN VARIETY OF SCRIPTS COLLECTED FROM VARIOUS REGIONS COMPARING- COMPARED VERSES FROM EACH MANUSCRIPTS COMPILING- COMPILED VERSES WHICH APPEARED COMMON TO THEM. IT WAS COMPILED IN 13000 PAGES AND TOOK 47 YEARS TO COMPLETE. TWO THINGS BECAME RELEVANT THERE WERE SEVERAL COMMAN ELEMENTS IN THE SANKRIT VERSION OF STORY COLLECTE FROM VARIOUS PARTS . THERE WERE REGIONAL VARIATIONS THE WAYS IN WHICH TEXT HAS BEEN TRASMITTED OVER CENTURIES 1.COMMAN ELEMENTS 2. REGIONAL VARIATIONS

5. KINSHIP AND MARRIAGE FINDING ABOUT FAMILIES FAMILIES – THE TERM KULA WAS USED FOR FAMILIES . KINFOLK – MEANT LARGER NETWORK OF FAMILIES FAMILIES VARIED IN TERMS OF NUMBERS OF MEMBERS. THEY VARIED IN TERMS OF THEIR ACTIVITIES AND RELATIONSHIP. EG SOME CONSIDER COUSINS AS BEING BLOOD RELATION. THE IDEAL OF PATRILINY PATRILINY - DESCENT FROM FATHER TO SON AND SO ON. SONS HAVE RIGHT OVER THE RESOURCES. EXCEPTION – PRABHAVATI GUPTA. MATRILINY - DESCENT FROM MOTHER

6. RULES OF MARRIAGE 1. EXOGAMY MARRIAGE WAS DESIRABLE 2. GETTING DAUGHTER MARRY AT THE RIGHT TIME AND WITH THE RIGHT PERSON WAS CONSIDERED IMPORTANT. TYPES OF MARRIAGE ENDOGAMY EXOGAMY POLYGNY POLYANDRY MARRIAGE WITHIN UNIT,CASTE. MARRIAGE OUTSIDE UNIT,CASTE MAN HAVING SEVERAL WIVES WOMEN HAVING SEVERAL HUSBANDS EMERGENCE OF TOWNS AND SOCIAL LIFE EXCHANGE OF PRODUCTS AND IDEAS AND QUESTIONING OF OLD AGE BELIEFS. LAYING DOWN OF NORMS BY BHRAMANAS – THE DHARAMASHASTRAS AND DHARMASUTRAS WHICH WERE TO BE OBEYED BY EVERYBODY AS THEY HAD UNIVERAL VALIDUTY ACCORDING TO BHRAMANS. THEY WERE COMPILED IN SANSKRIT.

7. GOTRA SYSTEM (1000 BCE) CLASSIFICATION OF PEOPLE ACCORDING TO GOTRA. THOSE WHO BELONGED TO SAME GOTRA WERE DESCENDANTS. 2 RULES OF GOTRA – MEMBERS OF SAME GOTRA COULD NOT MARRY. WOMEN HAD TO ADOPT GOTRA OF HER HUSBAND. WERE MOTHERS IMPORTANT? SATVAHANS IDENTIFIED THROUGH METRONYMICS i.e. NAMES DERIVED FORM MOTHERS. BUT DURYODHAN NOT OBEYING HIS MOTHERS PLEA REFLECTS A DIFFERENT STORY. EACH GOTRA NAMED AFTER VEDIC SEER OR RISHIS. AN UNBROKEN MALE LINE. EG. AGASTYA, GOTAMI,VASHISHT

8. SOCIAL DIFFERENCES BRAHMANS SAID THAT THIS VARNA ORDER WAS OF DIVINE ORIGION. THEIR STATUS WAS DECIDED FROM THEIR BIRTH. ADVISED KING TO FOLLOW IT . JUSTIFIED THEMSELVES THROUGH PURUSHA SUKTA.

9. PURUSHA SUKTA ( A COSMIC BEING) IN RIGVEDIC HYMN

10. NON-KSHATRIYA KINGS ONLY KSHATRIYAS COULD BE THE KING BUT IT TOO HAD LOOPHOLES. FOR EXAMPLE : BHRAMANS SAID THAT MAURYAS WERE OF LOW ORIGION. KANVAS AND SHUNGAS WERE BRAHMANS AND SHAKAS WERE MALECHCHAS. JATI NEW GROUP IN JATI NISHADAS – FOREST PEOPLE. SUVARNAKARA – GOLD SMITH GUILDS OF SILK WEAVER. OF MANDASOR (M.P)

11. THE UNTOUCHABLES - CHANDALAS

12. BEYOND BIRTH – GENDERED ACCESS TO PROPERTY GENDER DIFFRENCES WERE CLEARLY SEEN. 1. RESOURCES WERE DIVIDED EQUALLY AMONG SONS. 2.WOMEN HAD NO ACCESS TO PROPERTY 3.SHE HAD CONTROL OVER THE GIFTS SHE RECEIVED DURING STRIDHAN. 4. EXCEPTION – PRABHAVATI GUPTA

13. HANDLING TEXT LANGUAGE AND CONTENT PLACE DATE TIME AUTHORS AND DATES KINDS OF TEXTS AUDIENCE NARRATIVE - INCLUDES STORIES DIDACTIC – INCLUDES SOCIAL NORMS SUTAS/CHARIOTS BRAHMANAS VED VYASA MANTRAS STORIES HYMNS

14. FINDINGS BY B.B LAL DRAUPADI’S MARRIAGE – AN EXAMPLE OF POLYANDRY DYNAMIC TEXT 1. FOUND FIND OCCUPATIONAL LEVELS.AT HASTINAPUR 2. HOUSES OF SECOND LEVEL HAD NO PLANNED STRUCTURE. 3. THIRD LEVEL SHOWS MUD BRICK AND TERROCOTA RING WELLS 1.PRACTISED AMONG RULING PEOPLE. 2. PREVALENT IN HIMALAYAN REGION 3.MAY DUE TO SHORTAGE OF WOMEN. 4. BRAHAMANS CONSIDERED IT UNAUSPICIOUS. 1. WRITTEN IN VARIETY OF LANGUAGES. 2. INCLUDES STORIES FROM DIFFERENT REGIONS. 3.STORIES DEPICTED IN SCCULPTUR , PAINTINGS , ART , MUSIC , DANCE. 4. 1 LAKH VERSES

15. THANK YOU BY MOHITA KAMRA