Sudras in Ancient India
Sudras in Ancient India

Author: Ram Sharan Sharma

Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass

Published: 2016-01-01

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 8120808738

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The present work has been undertaken not only to provide an adequate treatment of the position of the sudras in ancient times, but also to evaluate their modern characterizations, either based on insufficient data, or inspired by reformist or anti-reformist motives. Here an attempt has been made to present a connected and systematic account of the various developments in the position of the sudras down to circa A.D. 600. Since the sudras were regarded as the laboring class, in this study particular attention has been paid to the investigation of their material conditions has been paid to their economic and social relations with the members of the higher varnas. This has naturally involved the study of the position of slaves, with whom the sudras were considered identical. The untouchables are also theoretically placed in the category of sudras, and hence their origin and position has also been discussed in some detail.

Who Were the Shudras
Who Were the Shudras

Author: B. R. Ambedkar

Publisher:

Published: 2021-09-15

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 9789354991028

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The general proposition that the social organization of the Indo-Aryans was based on the theory of Chaturvarnya and that Chaturvarnya means division of society into four classes-Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (soldiers), Vaishyas (traders) and Shudras (menials) does not convey any idea of the real nature of the problem of the Shudras nor of its magnitude. Chaturvarnya would have been a very innocent principle if it meant no more than mere division of society into four classes. Unfortunately, more than this is involved in the theory of Chaturvarnya. Besides dividing society into four orders, the theory goes further and makes the principle of graded inequality. Under the system of Chaturvarnya, the Shudra is not only placed at the bottom of the gradation but he is subjected to innumerable ignominies and disabilities so as to prevent him from rising above the condition fixed for him by law. Indeed until the fifth Varna of the Untouchables came into being, the Shudras were in the eyes of the Hindus the lowest of the low. This shows the nature of what might be called the problem of the Shudras. If people have no idea of the magnitude of the problem it is because they have not cared to know what the population of the Shudras is.

The Shudra
The Shudra

Author: Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd

Publisher: Penguin Random House India Private Limited

Published: 2021-02-22

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 9390914248

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The Shudras echoes Dr Ambedkar's question in Who Were the Shudras? that he asked in 1946. More than 70 years later, Kancha Ilaiah and his team of authors revisit this issue to give Shudras a voice again' -CHRISTOPHE JAFFRELOT The Shudras: Vision for a New Path weaves together multiple dimensions of the predicament of India's productive castes-in the spiritual, social, political, economic, philosophical and historical spheres. It reformulates their current position as well as future pathways. It strives to provoke Shudras-including regional political party leaders-all over India to realize their unique historical role in fighting unequal caste structures. And it gives a call to resist Hindutva, in which they have no liberated, equal space with the Dwija castes. At a juncture when the Shudra castes are regionalized and the Dwijas have become 'national', the fifth volume of the Rethinking India series, in collaboration with the Samruddha Bharat Foundation, seeks to bring home the real picture of their marginalized status in all key structures of the nation. It posits that the emancipation and progress of the Shudras are vital to sustain Ambedkar's constitutional democracy and move towards socio-spiritual equality.

Aspects of Political Ideas and Institutions in Ancient India
Aspects of Political Ideas and Institutions in Ancient India

Author: Ram Sharan Sharma

Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ.

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 504

ISBN-13: 9788120808270

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The present work Aspects of Political Ideas and Institutions in Ancient Indian discusses different views on the origin and nature of the state in ancient India. It also deals with stages and processes of state formation and examines the relevance of caste and kin-based collectivities to the construction of polity. The Vedic assemblies are studied in some detail, and developments in political organisation are presented in relation to their changing social and economic background. The book also shows how religion and rituals were brought in the service of the ruling class.

Śūdras in Ancient India
Śūdras in Ancient India

Author: Ram Sharan Sharma

Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ.

Published: 1990

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 9788120807068

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The Book Tries To Show How The Labouring Class In Ancient Times Came To Be Known As Sudras And Explores Their Social And Economic Relations With Members Of The Higher Varnas. It Also Tackles Several Other Problems Was Ancient Indian Society A Slave Society? How Did The Sudra Ritual Status Correspond To Their Economic Status? Why Were Social Revolts Comparatively Absent In Ancient India. Without Dustjacket.

Caste System, Untouchability, and the Depressed
Caste System, Untouchability, and the Depressed

Author: Hiroyuki Kotani

Publisher:

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 299

ISBN-13: 9788173043291

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Several Japanese Scholars Address Vital Issues Relating To India Like, The Origin Of Social Discrimination, Link Between The Concept Of Pollution Or Sin And Social Discrimination, The Position In This Regard In Ancient And Medieval India, The Reality Of Social Discrimination In Medieval India, The Problems Inherent In The Transformation Of Untouchability Under British Rule And The Development Of Modern Liberation Movements.

The Culture and Civilisation of Ancient India in HIstorical Outline
The Culture and Civilisation of Ancient India in HIstorical Outline

Author: D D Kosambi

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2022-09-01

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 1000653471

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First published in 1965, The Culture and Civilisation of Ancient India in Historical Outline is a strikingly original work, the first real cultural history of India. The main features of the Indian character are traced back into remote antiquity as the natural outgrowth of historical process. Did the change from food gathering and the pastoral life to agriculture make new religions necessary? Why did the Indian cities vanish with hardly a trace and leave no memory? Who were the Aryans – if any? Why should Buddhism, Jainism, and so many other sects of the same type come into being at one time and in the same region? How could Buddhism spread over so large a part of Asia while dying out completely in the land of its origin? What caused the rise and collapse of the Magadhan empire; was the Gupta empire fundamentally different from its great predecessor, or just one more ‘oriental despotism’? These are some of the many questions handled with great insight, yet in the simplest terms, in this stimulating work. This book will be of interest to students of history, sociology, archaeology, anthropology, cultural studies, South Asian studies and ethnic studies.

Early Medieval Indian Society
Early Medieval Indian Society

Author: Ram Sharan Sharma

Publisher: Orient Blackswan

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 9788125025238

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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.

The Making of Brahmanic Hegemony
The Making of Brahmanic Hegemony

Author: Suvira Jaiswal

Publisher:

Published: 2018-12-04

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 9788193926918

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This book is a collection of essays - both published and unpublished - about the creation of Brahmanical hegemony through the institutions of caste, gender, and religious ideology in the history of early India. The essays focus on the role played by religion and mythology in the making of this hegemony.

Ancient India
Ancient India

Author: Mahajan V.D.

Publisher: S. Chand Publishing

Published:

Total Pages: 680

ISBN-13: 9352531329

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Ancient Indian history has always been mystical; more so a virtual utopia for historians and researchers. This scholarly text narrates the ancient Indian history from the genesis of civilisations to the early middle ages. It examines the sources, chronology of civilisations and authoritatively details the facts, feats, triumphs and religious crusades of the period. It unveils the rich cultural, religious and social diversity that is uniquely and peculiarly Indian. The book is of immense use to students and scholars of history and for candidates preparing for civil services examinations.