Which one among the following terms was used in the Sangam Texts for ploughmen ?
- A.Vellalar
- B.Uzhavar
- C.Gahpati
- D.Adimai
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Uzhavar. In the Sangam poems of the early Tamil region, the ploughmen who worked the land were called uzhavar. The Sangam texts describe a rural society with clear groups. The vellalar were the large landowners, the uzhavar were the ploughmen who tilled the fields, and the adimai were slaves who worked for others. This three-way division is a favourite of paper setters because it shows that inequality in land ownership existed in South India in the early centuries CE, at the same time as the gahapati of the north. Option A is wrong because vellalar meant the big landowners, not the people who ploughed. Option C is wrong because gahapati is a Pali term from the northern Buddhist texts for the master or owner of a household and its land. Option D is wrong because adimai referred to slaves, the lowest group in the Sangam description of village life. Exam tip: Sangam village: vellalar (landowners), uzhavar (ploughmen), adimai (slaves); in the north, gahapati was the householder.
Practice Questions
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1. Dipavamsa
2. Harshacharita
3. Vikramankadevacharita
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Select the correct answer from the code given below :
- A.1 only
- B.2 and 3 only
- C.2, 3 and 4 only
- D.1, 2, 3 and 4
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- B.Fifth form
- C.Seventh form
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- B.It encouraged the role of middlemen.
- C.Under this system, land revenue was fixed for the peasant.
- D.The ijaradar paid a fixed amount to the State treasury.
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