Question

Explain the socio-economic conditions that prevailed in India during the Mauryan administration.

Social Conditions

Answer 1

With reference to the character of the Mauryan Empire, the given head is explained as under:

Megasthenes in his book Indika refers to seven classes of Indian society i.e., philosophers, cultivators, herdsmen, artisans and traders, soldiers, overseers, and councilors. This division should not be regarded as the equivalent of the caste system, because the number of castes was now far larger than seven. The Arthashastra Expresses that the institution of slavery prevailed in those times. However, the data (slave) was employed only in the household and not in the fields. Besides wages, the dosa and his family were to be properly fed and looked after. Megasthenes states that peace and contentment prevailed throughout the empire. A theft was a rare occurrence, although houses were usually left unguarded.