Indian feudalism
Feudalism was a social system of medieval European origin, according to which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants (villeins or serfs) were obliged to live on their lord's land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection. The term Indian feudalism is an attempt to classify Indian history according to a European model.
Historians have become very reluctant to classify other societies into European models and today it is rare for Indian history to be described as feudal by academics; it still done in popular usage, however, but only for pejorative reasons to express disfavour, typically by critics. These include zamindar, jagir, desmukh, chowdhury and samanta. Most of these "systems" were abolished after the independence of India and the rest of the Subcontinent, but most still exist, officially or in its remnants. D. D. Kosambi and R.S. Sharma, together with Daniel Thorner, brought peasants into the study of Indian history for the first time.[1]
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[edit] Telangana
The rebellion against feudal lords from 1946 to 1951 in Telangana region called as Telangana rebellion illustrates the feudal society in the region. A famous line which is repeated by the oppressed was “Banchen Dora nee Kalmoktha (will touch your feet my lord). A major Telugu blockbuster, Maa Bhoomi, showed the society under feudal lords.
The Srikrishna committee on Telangana says in its findings that, there is still gross injustice to the land tillers of the region, the villains in this case were landlords of Telangana and not those of other regions.[2][dead link]
[edit] Jharkhand
The Jharkhand region (now a state) of India was a hotbed for feudalism. Feudal lords ruled the region for decades; semi-feudal conditions still exist. Child malnourishment is common and is counted among the poorest states in India.[3]
[edit] Vidarbha
The feudal lords in Vidarbha region are notorious for their oppressive rule.
[edit] Kerala
There were a number of feudal states in Kerala in the Middle Ages between the end of Chera dynasty and the British rule. The rulers of these city states were called Naaduvaazhi, usually from a Nair Dynasty.
[edit] Madras Presidency
Several zamindaris were established in the Madras Presidency (present-day Tamil Nadu and adjoining areas) from 1799 onwards. The largest of these were Ramnad, Ganapur and Sivaganga. The zamindari settlement was based on an a similar settlement established in Bengal. The Zamindari settlement of Madras was largely unsuccessful and was wrapped up in 1852. However, a few Zamindaris remained till India's independence in 1947.
[edit] Books
[edit] References
- ^ Habib, Irfan (Seventh reprint 2007). Essays in Indian History. Tulika. p. 381 (at p 109). ISBN 978-8185229003.
- ^ Panel finds no data to prove T backwardness, Deccan Chronicle
- ^ B Vijay Murty (2010-12-16). "Food that’s not fit for humans". Hindustan Times. http://www.hindustantimes.com/special-news-report/trackinghunger/Food-that-s-not-fit-for-humans/Article3-638905.aspx. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- R.S. Sharma, Perspectives in Social and Economic History of Early India, paperback edn., (Munshiram Manoharlal, Delhi, 2003). Translated into Hindi, Russian and Bengali. Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu translations projected.
- R.S. Sharma, Material Culture and Social Formations in Ancient India, (Macmillan Publishers, Delhi, 1985). Translated into Hindi, Russian and Bengali. Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu translations projected.
- R.S. Sharma, Urban Decay in India (c.300-1000), (Munshiram Manoharlal, Delhi, 1987). Translated into Hindi and Bengali.
- R.S. Sharma, Early Medieval Indian Society: A Study in Feudalisation (Orient Longman Publishers Pvt. Ltd., Delhi, 2003)
- R.S. Sharma, India's Ancient Past, (Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0195687859).
- R.S. Sharma, Indian Feudalism (Macmillan Publishers India Ltd., 3rd Revised Edition, Delhi, 2005).
- R.S. Sharma, The State and Varna Formations in the Mid-Ganga Plains: An Ethnoarchaeological View (New Delhi, Manohar, 1996).
- R.S. Sharma, Origin of the State in India (Dept. of History, University of Bombay, 1989)
- R.S. Sharma, Land Revenue in India: Historical Studies, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1971.
- Historiography of Indian Feudalism Towards a Model of Early Medieval Indian Economy, C. A.D. 600-1000, by Vijay Kumar Thakur. Commonwealth Publishers, 1989. ISBN 8171690327.
- Origin and Growth of Feudalism in Early India: From the Mauryas to AD 650, by Gian Chand Chauhan. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 2004. ISBN 8121510287.
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