Understanding Early Indian State and Society

Whenever large groups of people live together, certain rules and shared norms evolve over time to maintain order and harmony . These norms bind different social groups into a more unified whole.

Early Indian society developed such systems through existing customs, traditions and agreed practices .

A society is a system of social relationships among people who share a common territory, culture and sense of belonging .

A State is an organised political system based on rules and laws .

These are different systems, but they affect one another. As societies became larger and more complex , their political systems also developed gradually.

Historians study early historical sources to understand how forms of governance and political authority changed over time. Now that “society” and “State” are clear, the chapter can begin following that development historically.

The Vedas constitute the earliest known corpus of Indian literature , especially because the script used by the Harappans of the Sindhu–Sarasvati civilisation has not yet been deciphered .

A Rigveda manuscript

• Interestingly, both the Rigveda and the Sindhu–Sarasvati civilisation were familiar with copper .