Answer:

Y

ou saw in Chapters 2, 3 and 4 how kingdoms

rose and fell. Even as this was happening, new

arts, crafts and production activities FLOURISHED in

towns and villages. Over the centuries important

political, social and economic developments had

taken place. But social change was not

the same everywhere, because different

kinds of societies evolved differently. It is

important to understand how, and why,

this happened.

In large parts of the subcontinent, society

was already divided according to the rules

of varna. These rules, as prescribed by the

BRAHMANAS, were accepted by the rulers of

large kingdoms. The difference between the

high and low, and between the rich and poor,

increased. Under the Delhi Sultans and the

Mughals, this hierarchy between social

classes grew further.

Beyond Big Cities: Tribal

Societies

There were, however, other kinds of societies

as WELL. Many societies in the subcontinent

did not follow the social rules and rituals

prescribed by the Brahmanas. Nor were

they divided into NUMEROUS unequal

classes. Such societies are often called

tribes.

7

TRIBES, NOMADS AND

SETTLED COMMUNITIES

Fig. 1

Tribal dance,

Santal painted scroll.

TRIBES, NOMADS AND

SETTLED COMMUNITIES

2020-2