STATE FORMATION, ECONOMY AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION IN ANCIENT INDIA: A HISTORICAL REAPPRAISAL

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Abstract

Ancient Indian history represents a long and complex process of political formation, economic change, social differentiation, religious innovation, and cultural interaction. Rather than viewing ancient India as a static civilisation governed by unchanging institutions, this article examines the dynamic relationship between state formation, agrarian expansion, urbanisation, trade, social organisation, and religious thought from the early Vedic period to the early centuries of the Common Era. Particular attention is given to the transition from lineage-based communities to territorial states, the emergence of the Mahajanapadas, the consolidation of the Mauryan Empire, and subsequent transformations under post-Mauryan and Gupta political formations. Archaeological evidence, inscriptions, coins, literary traditions, and modern historical scholarship are brought together to demonstrate that political authority in ancient India developed through continuous negotiation among rulers, agrarian communities, merchants, religious institutions, and regional elites. The article argues that ancient Indian society was neither uniformly centralised nor socially immobile. Instead, it was characterised by considerable regional diversity, economic adaptation, cultural exchange, and institutional change. Understanding these processes provides a more nuanced interpretation of the foundations of early Indian civilisation.

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