Maarg Manthan · Topic 4.2

The Age of the Rig Veda – Polity and Tribal Society

Ancient History › Vedic Age · Topic 4.2

The Rig Vedic Aryans lived in the Land of the Seven Rivers (eastern Afghanistan, Punjab and western UP fringes) in kin-based tribes (jana) led by a hereditary chief (rajan), checked by assemblies (sabha, samiti, vidatha, gana), with a purohita and senani to help. There was no standing army, tax officer or territory, and the Battle of Ten Kings on the Parushni established the Bharatas under Sudas.

6 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Vedic Age

At a Glance

Date About 1500 to 1000 BC
Area Land of the Seven Rivers
Ruler Rajan, hereditary chief
Assemblies Sabha, samiti, vidatha, gana
War Battle of Ten Kings on the Parushni
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Ancient History: Vedic Age

Where Does It Fit?

This is the second topic of the category on the Vedic age. The previous topic discussed Aryan identity, and this one describes early Vedic politics. The next topic covers Rig Vedic economy, society and family. Previous topic: Identity of Aryan Culture and the Debate on Aryan Origins.

Where Did the Rig Vedic People Live?

In short: the earliest Aryans settled in the north-west, in what the Rig Veda calls the Land of the Seven Rivers.

The Indo-Iranians moved towards India from two areas of Central Asia: the Andronovo culture, which covered almost the whole of Central Asia in the second millennium BC, and the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC, 1900 to 1500 BC). Andronovo shows stock-breeding, the horse, spoked wheels, cremation, pit-dwellings roofed with birch and the soma drink, and is regarded as proto-Indo-Iranian. The earliest Aryans lived in eastern Afghanistan, the North-West Frontier, Punjab and the fringes of western UP. The Sindhu is the river par excellence, and the Sarasvati, called naditama or best of rivers, is identified with the Ghaggar-Hakra. The whole region is the Land of the Seven Rivers. The term arya occurs thirty-six times in the Rig Veda and denotes a cultural community speaking the Indo-Aryan language. The Rig Veda has ten mandalas, with books II to VII the earliest and books I and X later. It is a collection of prayers to Agni, Indra, Mitra, Varuna and others by families of poets. The Aryans migrated in several waves, the earliest being the Rig Vedic people about 1500 BC.

What Conflicts Did They Have?

Conflict	Details
With the pre-Aryans	Conflicts with dasas and dasyus; the dasyus probably represent the original inhabitants; Indra is called Purandara, destroyer of dwelling units; Divodasa of the Bharata clan defeated Sambara; Aryans succeeded through horse-drawn chariots and possibly better arms such as coats of mail (varman)
Among themselves	Aryans were divided into five tribes called panchajana; Bharatas and Tritsu were ruling clans with the priest Vasishtha; the Bharatas faced a host of ten chiefs, five Aryan and five non-Aryan
Battle of Ten Kings	Fought on the river Parushni (Ravi); Sudas won and established Bharata supremacy; the Purus, most important of the defeated, later joined the Bharatas to form the Kurus, who combined with the Panchalas in the upper Ganga basin

The country Bharatavarsha was eventually named after the tribe Bharata, first mentioned in the Rig Veda, as explained in Significance of Ancient Indian History and Unity in Diversity.

How Was the Tribe Governed?

The rajan, chosen for success in war, was the tribal chief and protector of the tribe, its cattle and its wars, and made prayers on its behalf. The post seems to have become hereditary, but he did not have unlimited power and had to reckon with tribal organisations, with traces of election by the samiti. Assemblies such as the sabha, samiti, vidatha and gana had deliberative, military and religious functions, and women attended the sabha and vidatha. Chiefs sought their support. The king was helped by a few functionaries.

Official	Role
Purohita	The most important; priests Vasishtha (conservative) and Vishvamitra (liberal, who composed the gayatri mantra)
Senani	Head of the army, using spears, axes and swords
Vrajapati	Officer over pasture land who led kulapas (family heads) and gramanis (heads of fighting hordes)
Gramani	Head of a grama, later of the village
Spies	Employed against theft and cattle stealing

No officer collected taxes; people made voluntary offerings called bali. No officer for justice is mentioned. The king maintained no standing army and in war mustered a militia from tribal groups called vrata, gana, grama and sardha. The system was tribal with a strong military element, with no territorial administration because people were expanding and migrating.

What Was the Tribal Structure?

Kinship was the basis: the primary loyalty was to the jana, a term occurring about 275 times, while janapada (territory) is not used once. A tribe may not have had more than 100 members, as an early verse gives the combined warriors of two tribes as twenty-one. Vis (170 mentions) was a division of the tribe, probably split into gramas, and clashes of gramas gave samgrama, war. The Bhagwanpura site in Haryana and three Punjab sites with Painted Grey Ware and late Harappan pottery, dated 1600 to 1000 BC, coincide in area and time with the Rig Veda, and Bhagwanpura has a thirteen-roomed mud house perhaps of a chief or large family. As an analytical point, the early Vedic state was a tribal chiefdom with strong assemblies, which differs sharply from the territorial states of later periods, explained in Later Vedic Political Organisation. Their economy is in Rig Vedic Economy, Society and Family.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Core polity topic Assemblies and officials are asked often
Events Battle of Ten Kings
Contrast With later Vedic kingship

What Came Next?

The next topic describes Rig Vedic economy, society and family. Next topic: Rig Vedic Economy, Society and Family.

Key People and Terms

Jana Tribe
Vis Division of the tribe
Rajan Tribal chief
Sabha and samiti Tribal assemblies
Purohita Chief priest
Bali Voluntary offering

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Jana: 275 times; vis: 170 times; janapada: never.
Battle of Ten Kings on the Parushni (Ravi).
Sudas of the Bharatas won.
Rig Veda: 10 mandalas.
No tax officer or standing army.

Do Not Confuse With

Sabha and samiti Two tribal assemblies, both involved in deliberation
Jana and janapada Tribe versus territory
Vasishtha and Vishvamitra Conservative versus liberal priest

Memory Hook

Seven rivers, many tribes; the rajan rules with sabha and samiti; Sudas wins by the Parushni.

Mains Angle

Questions on Rig Vedic polity ask about its tribal nature. These points add depth.

Chief Hereditary but checked
Assemblies Sabha, samiti, vidatha
Absent Tax, standing army, territory

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Describe the political organisation of the Rig Vedic period.”

How to Answer

Area Land of the Seven Rivers.
Chief Rajan and officials.
Assemblies Sabha, samiti.
Features No army, tax or territory.

GS Relevance

Prelims: Rig Vedic assemblies, officials and tribes. GS Paper 1: polity of the early Vedic period.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Battle of Ten Kings?

It was fought on the river Parushni (Ravi) between the Bharata chief Sudas and a host of ten chiefs, five Aryan and five non-Aryan. Sudas won and established the supremacy of the Bharatas, who later joined the Purus to form the Kurus.

What were the Rig Vedic assemblies?

The sabha, samiti, vidatha and gana were tribal or kin-based assemblies with deliberative, military and religious functions. Women attended the sabha and vidatha, and chiefs were eager to win the support of the sabha and samiti, which may have elected the king.

Who were the chief officials in the Rig Vedic period?

The purohita was the most important functionary, followed by the senani, the army head. Other officers included the vrajapati over pasture land, the kulapas and the gramani, and spies were employed to watch antisocial activities.

Did the Rig Vedic state collect taxes?

No officer concerned with tax collection is mentioned. People made voluntary offerings called bali to the rajan, and presents and war spoils were distributed in assemblies, so there was no regular taxation or standing army in the early Vedic state.

What does the term jana tell us?

The jana, the tribe, is mentioned about 275 times in the Rig Veda, while janapada is never used. People owed primary loyalty to the tribe, since neither control over territory nor kingdoms had yet been established.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 The Battle of Ten Kings was fought on the river Parushni.

True

Sudas won.

2 The Rig Vedic king maintained a large standing army.

False

He mustered a militia in war.

3 The term janapada occurs frequently in the Rig Veda.