Later Vedic Period

The Later Vedic Period marks an important phase in ancient Indian history, spanning roughly from 1000 to 600 BCE. It was during this time that the early tribal society of the Rig Vedic age evolved into a more complex and hierarchical social structure. The use of iron tools, expansion into the Gangetic plains, and the rise of large kingdoms set the stage for significant political, economic, and cultural transformations.

Religious practices became more elaborate, with rituals and sacrifices gaining prominence, reinforcing the power of the Brahmins. The caste system became more rigid, and the idea of kingship strengthened, leading to the emergence of Janapadas (small territorial states). Major texts like the Yajurveda, Samaveda, Atharvaveda, Brahmanas, and Upanishads were composed during this period, shaping the intellectual and philosophical traditions of India.

Economic changes

• Agriculture became main occupation of the Vedic peoples. Buffalo and oxen came to be domesticated for agriculture purpose.
• Indra God acquired a new epithet.
• Earlier they cultivated barley people now cultivated wheat, rice, pulses, lentils, millets and sugar cane.
• The main factor behind the changes in the later Vedic and the expansion of Aryans culture was the beginning of use of iron around 1000 BC. They migrated towards the eastern part of India
• Use of iron tools helped clear the forest.
• Increase in the number and size of painted grey Ware settlements in the Yamuna-Ganga river area.
• They slowly begin to acquire the characteristics of urban towns albeit rudimentary
• Progress in occupation: Metal work, leather work, carpentry and pottery made great progress.
• Foreign trade: The Later Vedic people were familiar with the sea and they traded with countries like Babylon. A class of hereditary merchants (vaniya) came into existence.
• Use of coin: Besides Nishka of the Rig Vedic period, gold and silver coins like Satamana and Krishnala were used as media of exchange.

Social changes

• The family still remains the basic unit but now large joint families with 3 or 4 generations living together.
• Monogamous marriages were preferred but polygamy became the frequent.
• Introduction of Gotra system.
• The most important change the growth of varna system
• The 4 varnas in which society came to be divided were Brahmanas, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudras.
• The growing number of sacrifices and rituals meet brahmanas more powerful  The Kshatriyas were rulers.
• The Vaisya formed highest population among Verna’s and were engaged in agriculture as well as in that red an artist in all activities
• Sudras were at the bottom of the societal hierarchy
• They were not supposed to carry out the ritual of Upnayan Sanskar that is sacred thread ceremony to acquire education
• Another important institution was ashrama which was considered as different stages of life
  • Brahmacharya was a student life
  • Grihastha was the life of householder
  • Vanaprastha Hermitage stage is mentioned in the text  Sanyasa came to be added.
• Women: The participation of women in Sabha and samiti were now restricted. Child marriage came into existence.
• Women seen as source of misery: According to Aitreya Brahmana daughter has been described as source of misery.

Changes in Religion

• Gods of early Vedic like Indra and Agni lost their importance.
• The Prajapathi, Vishnu and Rudra which were smaller deities in Rigveda became extremely important and ritual were connected them.
• There are no references of different avatars of Vishnu that we are so familiar with in any of the later Vedic text.
• There was an increase in the frequency of numbers of yajna. A large number of Cattles were sacrificed at the end of each Yajnas.
• The Rise of Buddhism and Jainism was the direct result of these elaborate sacrifices.
• Also, the authors of the Upanishads, which is the essence of Hindu philosophy, turned away from the useless rituals and insisted on true knowledge (jnana) for peace and salvation.

Changes in later Vedic Polity

• Kingship: The position of chief of Jana became hereditary & the idea of divine nature of Kingship gets a mention in the literature of this.
• Authority: As the Chief became more powerful the authority of popular assemblies started waning.
• Officers were appointed to help the chief in administration and they acquired the function of popular assemblies as main advisors.
• Army too emerged as the part of political structure during this.  Taxes: Bali, Shukla and Bagha

Some of important Yajana were:

• Ashwamedha: A horse sacrifice ritual to prove their empirical sovereignty  Vajapeya: 7 horses were tide in a chariot and rest with other Chariots
• Rajasuya: it was a ritualistic consecration of a king.
• Purpose of these Yajnas was two fold:
• They establish the authority of chief over the people
• They reinforced territorial aspects of politics since people from all corner of kingdom were invited to these Sacrifices.

Officials in Later Vedic

• Purohita: Chief Priest, also sometimes referred to as Rashtragopa  Senani: Supreme Commander of army
• Vrajapati: Officer-in-Charge of pasture land  Jivagribha: Police Officer
• Madhyamasi: Mediator on disputes  Bhagadugha: Revenue collector
• Sangrahitri: Treasurer  Mahishi: Chief Queen
• Suta: Charioteer and court minstrel

The Later Vedic Period (1000–600 BCE) was a transformative era that laid the foundation for many aspects of Indian society, politics, and religion. The shift from a pastoral to an agrarian economy, the use of iron tools, and the emergence of territorial kingdoms marked significant advancements. The rigidification of the caste system and the increasing influence of Brahmanical rituals shaped the social structure, while philosophical ideas in the Upanishads sowed the seeds for later religious movements like Buddhism and Jainism.

This period set the stage for the rise of the Mahajanapadas, leading to more organized states and complex governance systems. Understanding the Later Vedic Age is essential for grasping the socio-political evolution of ancient India, as it connects the early Vedic traditions with the more structured and expansive societies of the subsequent periods.

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Subject: Ancient History

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