According to the Tamil Sangam texts, who among the following were the large landowners?
- A.Gahapatis
- B.Uzhavars
- C.Adimais
- D.Vellalars
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, Vellalars. Sangam literature describes the vellalar as the large landowners of the Tamil region, while the people who actually worked the land are named separately.
The Sangam poems, composed in the early centuries CE, show a clear rural hierarchy in the Tamil kingdoms of the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas. At the top were the vellalar, who owned large estates. Below them were the uzhavar, the ploughmen who tilled the fields, and at the bottom were the adimai, the slaves. This shows that the society of the time had sharp differences in access to land, which is a point school history books stress when comparing the Tamil region with the north.
A, the gahapati, appear in Pali Buddhist texts of north India as the master or head of a household, often a rich landowner, but the term is not Tamil. B, the uzhavar, were ploughmen. C, the adimai, were slaves.
Exam tip: Sangam ranks, vellalar landowners, uzhavar ploughmen, adimai slaves; gahapati is the northern, Pali term.
Practice Questions
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