1) Why this is one of the most “conceptual” CUET-PG topics
PYQ trends show CUET PG often asks “Indian Feudalism” through:
- statement-based MCQs testing:
- land grants and intermediaries
- decline/continuity of urbanism and trade (debate-based)
- rights over peasants and fiscal decentralization
- historian viewpoint-type questions (“which interpretation fits?”)
- term-identification questions:
- samanta
- agrahara/brahmadeya
- bhoga/bhukti-type terms (regional variations)
- immunities/exemptions (as a concept)
This module therefore emphasizes:
- what “feudalism” means as an analytical model
- evidence used for/against it
- agrarian structure + towns/trade patterns in early medieval India.
2) Defining “feudalism” (and why it is contested)
Feudalism as a model, not a label
In European history, “feudalism” is often linked to:
- lord–vassal relations
- fiefs and military service
- manorial economy and serfdom
In Indian historiography, “Indian feudalism” is used as a heuristic to describe:
- land grants
- intermediaries
- decentralized fiscal rights
- changes in agrarian relations and political fragmentation
Exam-safe: Always say: “It is debated; historians use it differently; evidence varies regionally.”
3) Core features of the “Indian feudalism” thesis (standard framing)
Commonly cited features include:
(A) Land grants and transfer of rights
- grants to Brahmanas/temples/officials/chiefs
- transfer of revenue rights and sometimes immunities
- creation of local power nodes