Later Vedic Period (Painted Grey Ware Phase)

 

Political Organisation:-

 

 Rigvedic popular assemblies lost and royal power increased. The sabha and samiti continued to hold the ground out their character changed.

A rudimentary taxation system began with sangrathitri.

 

Social:-

 

  The four fold division of society became clear- initially based on occupation, which later became hereditary: Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (Warriors), Vaishyas (agriculturists, cattle-rearers, traders), and Shudras (servers of the upper three).

The institution of gotra appeared for the first time in this age.

 

 

Economy:-

 

 Agriculture remains main occupation but methods of cultivation improved.

The Gold bar, ‘Nishka’ (weight-320 ratis) was the unit of value.

 

Religion:-

 

 Indra and Agni lost their importance. Prajapati (the creator) became supreme. Vishnu came to be conceived as the preserver and protector of the people.

 

The Vedas

1.	Rig Veda	Oldest religious text in the world. Contains 1028 hymns and is divided into 10 mandalas.
2.	Sama Veda	Derived from the root ‘Saman’, i.e., ‘melody’. It is a collection of melodies.
3.	Yajur Veda	Deals with the procedure for the performance of sacrifices.
4.	Atharva Veda	Mostly dealing with magic (along with personal problems of people).

 

The word ‘veda’ comes from the root ‘vidi’, signifying knowledge.

They are four in all – Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva veda.