Economic , Social and Cultural Life

 Economic , Social and Cultural Life

In this post , we shall study the economic , social and cultural developments in India from the eighth century to the thirteenth century AD .

Foreign trade : 

In the eighth and ninth centuries , India's foreign trade had slowed down . After the tenth century , however , external trade of India revived .

After the establishment of the Arab empire , there was an increase in the trade relations that the Arabs had with India . There was a great demand from the Arab traders , for Indian fabrics , incense and spices . The Arabs brought dates and horses with them when they came to India . They took back lemons , coconuts , mangoes , etc. from India to Arabia .

There was an increase in India's trade with China and South - east Asia during the same period . In China , there was a great demand for spices , ivory , glassware , medicinal products and lacquer . Bharuch in Gujarat was an important port . Shisam ( blackwood ) from Malabar in Kerala was sent to China . Merchant ships went from the port of Tamralipti in Bengal to Java , Sumatra and other islands for trade . The Pala kings of Bengal and the Chola kings of South India encouraged this trade . The Chola king Rajendra I sent his ambassador to China . Many Indians went to countries in South - east Asia for trade . They were followed by people who preached and propagated Hindu and Buddhist philosophies . The Buddhist stupa at Borobudur in Java and the Angkorwat temple in Cambodia are examples of this influence. 

Development of towns :

 As a result of the rise of the new kingdoms and the growth of trade , a number of towns developed in India during this period . Malkhed , Ujjain , Tanjavur , Ajmer , etc. were some of the towns that prospered . The ministers of kings , other office bearers , noblemen , merchants , administrators and others rendering various services lived in towns .

Occupations and trade :

 Agriculture was the most important occupation of the people in villages . Farming was done with the help of rainwater , and canals on rivers and lakes . Rice , bajra , wheat , oilseeds , sugarcane , legumes , cotton were the crops taken . Fruits like jackfruit , mango , grapes , fig , wood apple , etc. were produced .

Apart from agriculture , there were many other important occupations . There were metal industries based on iron , copper , gold , silver , etc. At places like Kolhapur and Yavatmal the jaggery industry was important . Paithan in Maharashtra was famous for the Paithani , and Warangal in Andhra Pradesh for fine cloth .

The barter system was used in trade at the local level . For trade with distant places , gold , silver and copper coins were used as currency . During the Yadava period , the golden coin padmatank was used .

Social conditions : 

Indian society was divided into castes and sub - castes . The relations between the castes were governed by customs and traditions . Inter - caste marriages were forbidden . Occupations came to be based on castes . The caste system widened the gap of inequality in society . The social system was patriarchal . The status of women was subordinate , although their role in the family was important .

Education :

 The spread of education in the society was limited . An individual learnt his occupation in the family itself . During this period , the Nalanda and Vikramsheela universities had won renown far and wide . Students from Nepal , Tibet , China , Myanmar , Cambodia , Sri Lanka , Indonesia and other countries came to study in these universities .

Temple architecture : 

Temple architecture developed greatly during this period . Many temples were built in different parts of India . Grandeur of construction , beautiful sculptures , delicate carvings , high domes , gopuras and extensive courtyards were the typical features of the temple architecture of this period . The cave sculptures at Ellora in Maharashtra are an unparalleled example of carving . In South India ,

the Brihadishwar temple at Tanjavur is well - known . The Lingaraj temple at Bhubaneshwar , Jagannath temple at Puri , the Sun temple at Konark and the Kandariya Mahadev temple at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh are especially renowned for their sculptures . The Jain temples at Dilwada on Mount Abu in Rajasthan are known for their carvings in marble . The Chennakeshava temple at Bellur and the Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebid in Karnataka have beautiful carvings .

Places of worship were of special importance in social life . Fairs were held on the occasions of festivals . Arts such as vocal and instrumental music , dance , sculpture and architecture were taught in the temple halls . These arts flourished due to temples . Some towns like Kashi , Nashik and Paithan were traditionally known as places of pilgrimage . Towns like Kanchipuram , Madurai and Tirupati also became well - known as places of pilgrimage .

Miniature paintings : 

A miniature painting is a painting of a very small size . Miniature paintings came to be used to illustrate manuscripts - handwritten books . The Pala kings in Bengal encouraged miniature paintings . Many Buddhist and Jain works of those days , so decorated with miniature paintings , have survived through the ages .

Literature : 

During this period , many works on different subjects were produced in Sanskrit and in regional languages like Tamil , Telugu and Kannada.

Jayadeva composed ' Geeta - govind ' , a poetical work about the greatness of devotion to Krishna . Kalhana wrote the ' Raja - tarangini ' , in which he has narrated the history of Kashmir from the ancient times to the twelfth century AD . Bhaskaracharya was a great mathematician who belonged to the twelfth century . He wrote the treatise " Siddhanta - shiromani ' . Pampa wrote the epics * Adipurana ' and ' Pampabharata ' in Kannada . The poet Kamban wrote Ramayana in Tamil . Mukundraj wrote " Vivek - sindhu ' in the owi verse form in Marathi . He is acknowledged as the first Marathi poet .