How important were gender differences in early societies? Give reasons for your answer.
It is seen that in early societies families were generally patrilineal. Patriliny means tracing descent from father to son and to grandson and so on. The Matriliny family was k generally not in use. But exceptions were also available. As an exception, Satavahanas of Andhra can be mentioned. Historical sources mention the name of some rulers from inscriptions associated with the names of the mothers of the king. As Gotami-putra means’ son of Gotami’. Gotami and Vasistha are the feminines of Gotama and Vasistha. Sons were considered important for the continuity of the family. Attitudes towards my daughter were different. They had no claims towards the resources of the household. But marrying them into the families outside the kin was considered desirable. This system of marriage was called exogamy.
According to this system, the lives of the young girls and women belonged to those families which claimed that high status were often carefully regulated to ensure that they were married at the right time and to the right person. This gave rise to the tradition that in marriage Kanyadana was an important religious duty of the father. After marriage women were supposed to give up their father’s gotra and adopt their husband’s.As per Manusmriti, the paternal state was to be divided equally amongst sons after the death of parents, with a special share for the eldest. Women were not given any share in this state. But women were allowed to keep the gifts with themselves which they received at the time of their marriage. This was called stridhana. This could be inherited by. their children and the husband had no claim over it.
But at the same time Manusmriti also told women not to hoard family property or even their own valuables without the permission of their husband. In fact, social differences were sharpened because of the differences in access of resources. Many texts suggest that while upper class women may have access to resources but land, cattle, money were generally controlled by the men. Vakataka queen Prabhavati Gupta was a rich woman.
Popular Questions of Class 12 History - Themes in Indian History - I
- Q:-
Discuss whether the Mahabharata could have been the work of a single author.
- Q:-
How do historians reconstruct the lives of ordinary people?
- Q:-
Discuss whether kings in early states were invariably Kshatriyas.
- Q:-
On Map 1, use a pencil to circle sites where evidence of agriculture has been recovered. Mark an X against sites where there is evidence of craft production and R against sites where raw materials were found.
- Q:-
Look at Fig. 1.30 and describe what you see. How is the body placed? What are the objects placed near it? Are there any artefacts on the body? Do these indicate the sex of the skeleton?
- Q:-
Discuss the evidence that suggests that Brahmanical prescriptions about kinship and marriage were not universally followed.
- Q:-
Describe some of the distinctive features of Mohenjodaro.
- Q:-
Describe the salient features of mahajanapadas.
- Q:-
Were the ideas of the Upanishadic thinkers different from those of the fatalists and materialists? Give reasons for your answer.
- Q:-
Discuss how and why stupas were built.
Recently Viewed Questions of Class 12 History - Themes in Indian History - I
- Q:-
Would you agree that the drainage system in Harappan cities indicates town planning? Give reasons for your answer.
- Q:-
In what ways was the Buddhist theory of a social contract different from the Brahmanical view of society derived from the Purusha sukta?
- Q:-
Discuss the role of the begums of Bhopal in preserving the stupa at Sanchi.
- Q:-
Why do you think women and men joined the sangha?
- Q:-
This is what a famous historian of Indian literature, Maurice Winternitz, wrote about the Mahabharata: “just because the Mahabharata represents more of an entire literature ... and contains so much and so many kinds of things, … (it) gives(s) us an insight into the most profound depths of the soul of the Indian folk.” Discuss.
- Q:-
Discuss the evidence that suggests that Brahmanical prescriptions about kinship and marriage were not universally followed.
- Q:-
To what extent were agricultural practices transformed in the period under consideration?
- Q:-
Look at Fig. 1.30 and describe what you see. How is the body placed? What are the objects placed near it? Are there any artefacts on the body? Do these indicate the sex of the skeleton?
- Q:-
Discuss how archaeologists reconstruct the past.
- Q:-
This is a statement made by one of the best-known epigraphists of the twentieth century, D.C. Sircar: “There is no aspect of life, culture and activities of the Indians that is not reflected in inscriptions.” Discuss.
- NCERT Chapter