A History of Agriculture in India v1.c29.s2.4

v1.c29.s2.4

The seclusion of the villages belonging to the Shudra families was a Mauryan innovation. It gave a distinct stamp to the farmers as a whole. Megasthenes was thus led to believe that husbandmen formed a distinct caste. He says, ‘The second caste consists of the husbandmen, who appear to be far more numerous than the others. As they were exempted from fighting and other public services, they devoted the whole of their time to tillage. Nor would an enemy, coming upon a husbandman at work on his land, do him any harm, for, farmers were regarded as public benefactors and were protected. The land thus remaining unravaged, and producing heavy crops, supplies the inhabitants with all that is requisite to make life enjoyable. The husbandmen themselves, with their wives and children, live in the country and avoid going into town.’