1. Kingdom:
2. Republic: The head of the country elected by the people directly or indirectly and where is no kings are queen.
3. Janapada: Different tribes settled down to practice agriculture in the convenient areas of the valley. These tribes were called 'Jana' in Sanskrit. The place where they settled was called janapada.
4. Mahajanapada: Large group of villages and towns were called mahajanapadas are big janapada.
5. Dasas:
6. bhrutakas:
7. Grihapatis: The agriculture was managed by landowners called Grihapatis or Gahapatis who worked along with their family members on the fields.
II. Improve Your Learning:
1. What do you mean by Gana? How were they different from the kingdoms ruled by kings?
A.
1. Gana is used for a group that has many members.
2. The Vajji Mahajanapada was a Gana form of government.
3. In the Gana there is no single ruler but a group of rulers.
4. Sometimes thousands of men ruled together and each of them called themselves a 'Raja'.
5. They performed rituals, met and decided upon issues of common interest in assemblies.
6. However, women, slaves and wage workers could not participate in these assemblies.
7. Buddha and Mahavira belonged to ganas and became famous teachers.
8. Kings tried to conquer the ganas they remained active for more than 1500 years.
2. Compare the ganas with Gond Panch – what similarities and differences do you see between them?
A.
Similarities:
Gond Panch:
1. The village headman derive their authority from the village Panch.
2. This council has the last word in matters.
3. The headmand is no more than its chairman represents the Gond society as a whole.
4. No voice in the council to women.
Gana:
1. Gana is used for a group that has many members.
2. In a Gana there is no single ruler but a group of rulers.
3. sometimes thousands of men ruled together and each of them called themselves a raja.
4. Women, slaves, and wage workers could not participate in assemblies.
Differences
Gond Panch:
1. In Gond Panch headman is no more than its chairman. The village Panch in a sense represents the Gond Society as a whole.
2. The Panch can fix the dates of major festivals, allow marriages or divorces set down norms for marriages are a death rites and settle
disputes.
Gana
1. Here thousands of men ruled together and each of them called themselves a Raja.
2. They performed rituals met and decided issues of a common interest in assemblies through discussions and debate.
3. Can you point out the difference between the way villages are managed today and in the time of mahajanapadas?
A.
Differences between the villages today and the time of Mahajanapadas.
1. Now villages have elected representatives, in the mahajanapadas largest land owner became the headman of the village.
2. Now government servants collect taxes in villages, but in the mahajanapadas headman collected taxes and paid to the king.
3. Farmers in villages now hire labourers to work in their fields, but in the mahajanapadas land owners employed slaves (dasas) and bhrutakas.
4. Find out how the crafts persons are taxed by the government today. Was it the same in the times of mahajanapads?
A.
1. Crafts persons were very low taxed or exempted of the tax by the government.
2. In mahajanapadas crafts persons are to pay tax often by working free of charge for the king for one day every month.
3. If anyone refuses to pay tax at that time they
could be punished by the soldiers of the king.
4. Now government may collect taxes with fine at a later time .
5. King used his officers and army in the collection of taxes.
6. Government servants now collect taxes and remit to the government.
5. Read the para five in page 87 ‘In most villages ....’ and write your comment.
A.
1. The villages had rich mineral resources and were blessed with many crafts persons.
2. The crafts persons worked successfully to meet the needs of the villagers.
3. In return they received grains.
4. This is an example for self sufficiency and Barter system of exchange.
6. Locate the 16 Janapadas on the map of India (Refer to the map 1 given on page 86).
A.
III. Additional and Short Answers:
