Indian Feudalism C A D 300 1200

This book analyses the practice of land grants, which became considerable in the Gupta period and widespread in the post-Gupta period. It shows how this led to the emergence of a class of landlords, endowed with fiscal and administrative rights superimpos

This Study Is An Attempt To Focus Attention On That Aspect Of Society Which Arises Out Of Disobedience Of Established Norms And Rules Invoking Widespread Moral Indignation, Strain, Stress And Tension That Calls For Deterrents. Geographically The Study Is Chiefly Confined To Northern India While The Main Emphasis Is On A Specified Time Period Of History. The Work Is Divided Into Six Chapters. The First Chapter Deals With Source Materials And Their Respective Values. The Chapter On Crime Offers A Glimpse Of Various Crimes Prevalent During The Period From Petty Breaches Of Laws To Grave Offences Against Society And State. The Chapter On Punishment Notes The Nature And Modes Of Punishment And Remissions Of Punishment Under Prescribed Conditions. The Chapter On Police Organisation Deals With The Various Measures Employed By Police Administration To Detect Control And Prevent Crimes And The Role Of Different Officials In The Hierarchy. The Chapter On Judicial Administration Is A Survey Of The Factors Involved In The Intellectual Procedure By Which Judges Could Arrive At Decisions And Various Procedures Adopted Therefor. The Concluding Chapter Discusses Sources Of Hindu Law And Notes That Application And Interpretation Of Law Is Subject To Adjustment With Cycles Of Time And Political Changes, Which Determine The Social Attitude To Crime-Punishment Forms And Relations, Though Law Remains, Unchanged In Essence.

The book analyses the transition from the ancient to the medieval period in polity, economy, the caste system and culture. It examines the form of peasant protest and the reasons for their failure and infrequency. The author also examines the development of tantrism and the mentality that feudalism created.