With reference to Indian history, which of the following is/are the essential element/elements of th

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UPSC Prelims is a competitive examination conducted in India. This question is from the 2015 UPSC Prelims History paper.

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Question

With reference to Indian history, which of the following is/are the essential element/elements of the feudal system?A very strong centralized political authority and a very weak provincial or local political authorityEmergence of administrative structure based on control and possession of landCreation of lord-vassal relationship between the feudal lord and his overlordSelect the correct answer using the code given below:

Accepted Answer

Correct Answer: B — 2 and 3 onlyStep-by-step Solution:Statement 1 — Feudalism involves strong central authority and weak provincial authority: This is incorrect. This is actually the opposite of what characterises feudalism. Feudalism is defined by the weakness or fragmentation of central political authority and the corresponding rise of local/regional powers (feudal lords, zamindars, samanthas). When a strong central government breaks down, power devolves to local chieftains who control land and extract revenue from the peasantry — this is the essence of feudalism. Strong centralism is antithetical to feudalism — it is precisely the weakening of central control that allows feudal structures to emerge. ✗Statement 2 — Feudalism involves administrative structure based on land control: This is correct. Land ownership/control is the defining economic basis of feudalism. Administrative authority, political power, military capacity, and social status all derive from control over land. In Indian feudalism, the samantas (subordinate chiefs), in exchange for military service and loyalty, received land grants (bhukti, agrahara, brahmadeya) from the overlord. Administrative hierarchies were organised around who controlled which land — making land possession the cornerstone of the entire political-administrative structure. ✓Statement 3 — Feudalism involves lord-vassal relationships: This is correct. The lord-vassal relationship (lord grants land → vassal provides military service, loyalty, tribute) is the defining social/political relationship of feudalism. In Indian history, this manifested as the samantas relationship with overlords — chiefs who received land grants in exchange for serving in the overlord's army during wars and paying tribute. This hierarchical chain of obligation (feudal obligation), based on land grants, is universally recognised as the defining characteristic of feudal social organisation. ✓Key Concept: Indian feudalism debate: D.D. Kosambi and R.S. Sharma argued that early medieval India (post-Gupta period, 6th-12th centuries) was feudal — characterised by: breakdown of trade and urban life; land grants (brahma-deya, agrahara) increasing; peasant serfdom; decentralisation of power; rise of samanta class. Characteristics: land grants to subordinate chiefs (samantas) who owed military service; peasants attached to land; political fragmentation; little monetisation; local self-sufficiency. Not all historians accept the European feudalism model for India — B.N.S. Yadava, Harbans Mukhia critiqued Sharma's model. Features: land = basis of power; lord-vassal hierarchy; political decentralisation; decline of the state's direct control. Statement 1 is directly contrary to feudalism's defining characteristic of decentralisation.

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