A Study in the Economic Condition of Ancient India c2: Contents
A Study in the Economic Condition of Ancient India c2
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- English
Contents
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--- | --- INTRODUCTION | 1–10
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I. TERRITORIAL DIVISIONS IN ANCIENT INDIA | 13–41 I. Regions and Countries | 13–23 Northern India | 14 Western India | 14 Eastern India | 15 Southern India | 15 Central India | 15 Ancient India | 16 Persia and Ceylon | 17 Table No. I (Countries and areas) | 19 Table No. II (ditto) | 20 The *yojana* and the *li*: a suggestion that Hiuan Tsang's figures of "circuit" really represent areas | 21–22 Modern India: its area compared with the figures given in ancient texts | 22 II. Smaller Territorial Divisions: their Names and Meanings | 23–33 Southern Indian Inscriptions | 24 Numerical components of appellations of countries | 24 The term *grāma*: its real meaning | 26–33 III. Smaller Territorial Divisions: their Number and Size | 33–41 Distribution of land for revenue purposes | 35 Designations of territorial rulers | 37 Size of a *grāma* | 39–41
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II. ADMINISTRATION | 45–68 I. *Janapada* defined | 45–52 Size of a *janapada* | 48 Figures relating to the extent of a *janapada*: their authenticity or exaggeration discussed | 50–52 II. The Administration of a *Janapada* | 52–68
1. Military Department | 52
(1) *Gulma* | 52
(2) *Gaṇa* | 53
2. Revenue Department | 56
(1) *Gaṇa* and *Varga* | 56
(2) Collection of Revenue | 57 3. Police Department . . . . . 58 Account of an ancient police-station . 61 The ancient *sthāna*, the modern *thānā* . 62 The term *cāṭa* discussed . . . 64 Duties of the *cāṭa* . . . . 65 Administration of a town and the extent of its jurisdiction (*pura-rājya*) . 66 Benares, the extent of its jurisdiction in ancient times . . . . . 67
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III. WEIGHTS, MEASURES, COINAGE, AND RATE OF INTEREST . . . . . 71–94
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I. Weights . . . . . 71–78 Origin of ancient Indian weights . . 71 Table No. III (Ancient Indian standard weights) . . . . . 71 The development of ancient Indian weights 73 Table No. IV (Measures of weight, with cost thereof) . . . . . 74 Mediaeval and modern equivalents of ancient Indian weights . . . . 75 Table No. V (exhibiting weight equivalents) 77
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II. Measures of Length and Space . . 78–85
1. Measures of length . . . . 78 Table No. VI (Greek, Roman, and Indian measures of length) . . 78 Babylonian and Indian measures . . 79 Table No. VII (Measures of length according to Kauṭalya and other authors . . . . . 79
2. Measures of space . . . . 82 Table No. VIII (superficial measures) . 85
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III. COINAGE . . . . . 85–93 Table No. IX (Proportion between fines and values of articles stolen) . . . 86 Rates of exchange between the metals . 87–93 Table No. X (Ratio between the gold *dīnāra* and the silver *paṇa*) . . . 89 Table No. XI (showing the value of the *kalañju* of Southern India) . . 91
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IV. The Normal Rate of Interest . . 93–94 Table No. XII (Rate of interest in Tanjore, 10th–11th centuries A.D.) . . . 93
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IV. PRICES . . . . . 97–113
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I. Prices of Articles of Daily Consumption and Use . . . . 97–107 Table No. XIII (Articles of daily consumption with their exchange values at beginning of the eleventh century A.D.) . 97
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| Table No. XIV (Prices of certain commodities from the time of Kauṭalya up to the sixteenth century A.D.) . . . 98
| Table No. XV. (Information regarding grants made in money and kind for maintenance of lamps) . . . 100
| Rise in prices of food-stuffs, cattle, and land 102–107
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II. Miscellaneous Prices . . . 107–113
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| Precious stones . . . 108
| (i) Prices of commodities according to the *Saṃkhyā-parimāṇa* . . . 108
| Table No. XVI (showing these prices) . 109
| (ii) Prices of fragrant woods and spices . 109
| Table No. XVII (showing prices in Rome, according to Pliny) . . . 109
| (iii) Prices of pearls and precious stones . 109–111
| (a) Prices of Pearls . . . 109
| Table No. XVIIIA (Names, weights, and prices of pearls) . . . 110
| (b) Prices of gems . . . 111
| Table No. XVIIIB (Weights and prices of rubies and diamonds) . . . 111
| (iv) Prices of jewellery in the Cola country circa A.D. 1100, with Table No. XIX, thereof . . . 112
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V. POPULATION OF THE COUNTRY . . . 117–123
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| Estimate of population based on the number of *gramas* . . . 117–118
| Estimate based on available data of fighting strength . . . 119–121
| Table No. XX—The War Strength of the eight ancient Indian countries according to the Greek historians . . . 120
| Table No. XXI—The War Strength of the Forty-seven *sarkārs* of the *Āīn-i-Akbarī* . 121
| Estimate of total population . . . 122
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VI. THE LANDOWNING CLASSES . . . 127–138
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| Estate owners—*sāmantas*, *rājans*, etc. . 127–131
| Meaning of the term *sāmanta* . . . 129–133
| Relations of *sāmantas* with the king . 135–137
| Groups called *gaṇa*, *cakra*, *maṇḍala*, etc. . 138
| The *kāya*, *śreṇi*, and *nigama* . . . 138
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VII. THE LABOURING CLASSES . . . 141–165
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I. The Wages of Labour . . . 141–153
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| Wages according to ancient texts . . . 141–144
| Table No. XXII—Nepāl Table . . . 145
| Table No. XXIII—Southern Indian Table . 146
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| | PAGE |
| Table No. XXIV—Mughal Period | 147 |
| The rise in wages corresponds with the rise in prices of food-stuffs | 148 |
| Table No. XXV (Allowances for Āryas and Avaras) | 150 |
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II. The Standard of Living of Labour 153–165
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| Forced labour | 155 |
| Other classes connected with the land, *upavāsas*, *kṣetrikas* and *karṣakas*, *kuṭumbins*, *sīra-vāhakas*, etc. | 156–159 |
| Taxes and impositions | 160–161 |
| Cost of building, and danger of fire | 162 |
| System of drainage | 163 |
| Description of the economic condition of ancient India in the *Si-yu-ki* | 164 |
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APPENDIX A—The *Mulyādhyāya-pariśiṣṭa* MS. 167
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BIBLIOGRAPHY 169–172
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A Study in the Economic Condition of Ancient India