IMP TERMS AND LITERATURE IN ANCIENT and MEDIEVAL INDIA

17 May 2022 10:57

1. MAURYAN RULE
Craftsmen’s Corporation/ Guilds - ‘Sreni’
Traders Association/ Corporation/ Guilds - ‘Sartha’
Coin issuing bankers - ‘Sresthi’ or Sethi’.

OFFICERS
Sitadhyaksha - Supervised agriculture
Panyadhyaksha - Superintendent of Commerce
Yukta - Subordinate Revenue Officer
Prasdesika - Chief revenue officer
Sthanika - Head of local administration. worked under Preadesika.
Rajuka - Revenue settlement officer
Samsthadhyaksha – Superintendent of market
Pauthavadhyaksha – Superintendent of weight & measure.
Navaadhyaksha - Superintendent of ships.
Sulkaadhyaksha - Collector of tolls

VILLAGE LEVEL
Gramika - The head of village. It was elected body.
Gramvriddhas – panchayat consist of Village elders to settle disputes.
2. BUDDHISM
ARHATS Liberated beings
NIRVANA State of Supreme Bliss
SHEEL Refers to when a layperson leaves home to live the life of a Buddhist renunciate among a community of bhikkhus
ŚRAMAṆA One who labors, toils, or exerts themselves (for some higher or religious purpose) or "seeker, one who performs acts of austerity, ascetic.
UPASAMPADĀ Refers to the rite and ritual of ascetic vetting (ordination) by which a candidate, if deemed acceptable, enters the community as Upasampadā
(ordained) and authorised to undertake ascetic life
VASSA Three-month annual retreat observed by Theravada practitioners. Taking place during the wet season, Vassa lasts for three lunar months, usually from
July to October.
UPOSTHA It is a Buddhist day of observance, The Buddha taught that the Uposatha day is for "the cleansing of the defiled mind," resulting in inner calm and joy.
PAVARANA Assembly at the end of Vassa POSADHA Restoration of vows

3. JAINISM
ASRAV- Inflow of karmas to the soul that occurs at every second in life.
SAMVARA- Stoppage of the influx of the material karmas into the soul consciousness.
NIRJARA - Shedding or removal of accumulated karmas from the atma (soul), essential for breaking free from samsara, the cycle of birth-death
and rebirth, by achieving moksha, liberation. It is one of the seven fundamental principles, or Tattva in Jain philosophy.
SALLEKHANA- It is the religious practice of voluntarily fasting to death by gradually reducing the intake of food and liquids. Also Called Santhara.
KAIVALYA, also known as Kevala Jnana means omniscience in Jainism and is roughly translated as complete understanding or supreme wisdom.
4. CHOLAS
• Kaikkolaperumpadai – Royal troops
• Velaikkarar – Personal troops to defend kings
• Kadagram - militari cantonment
• Puravuvanithinaikkalam – Revenue dept.
• Peruvazhis – Trunk roads

5. DELHI SULTANATE
• Zimmi – Protected people under Muslim Rule.
• Zawabit – Sultan’s own regulations to supplement Muslim law.
• Jahandari- Secular consideration
Wakil-i-Dar – officer responsible for maintenance of proper decorum at the court.
1. Iqta land – lands assigned to officials as iqtas instead of payment for their services.
2. Khalisa land – land under the direct control of the Sultan and the revenues collected were spent for the maintenance of royal court and royal household.
3. Inam land – land assigned or granted to religious leaders or religious institutions
Delhi sult used geometrical & floral designs with inscriptions containing verses of Quran. It was called Arabesque

6. MUGHAL
Jagir (allotted to nobles & members of royal family),
Khalisa (tract reserved for royal exchequer),
Inam (given to religious leaders, half of it was uncultivated)
Fauzdar Charge of law & order
Amalguzar land assessment and revenue collection were chief officers of Sarkar
Dahsala System The revenue was fixed on the average yield of land measured on the basis of previous ten years. It was improved version of Zabti.
Battai/Gholla-Bakshi system Produce divided between state & peasants in fixed proportion. Peasants were given choice between Battai & Dahsala.
Nasaq/kankut revenue on the basis of what peasant had been paying in the past.

Categorization of land
Polaj (cultivated every year)
Parati (once in two years)
Chachar (once in three or four years)
Banjar (once in five or more years)
Diwan-i-Ala/Wazir – Head of revenue department
Mir Bakshi – Head of military department.
Mir saman – in charge of the imperial households.
Barids – Intelligence officers.
Waqia Navis – Reporters
Qazi – Head of judicial department.
Sadr-ul-sadr – Incharge of charitable & religious endowments.
Mutasaddi - Governor of port

GS1 Page 1
 4. LITERATURE
a. DURING SANGAM
Ettuthogai- Collection of 8 long poems
Pattupattu- Collection of 10 small poems.
Silappadikaram – written by Ilango Adigal. It is about love affair of Kovalan, Kanaggi and Madhavi. Later, a Kannagi Cult developed in South India.
Manimekhalai – Written by Sittalai Sattanar continues the story of Silappadikaram in next generation in which Manimekhalai is the daughter of Madhavi and Kovalan.
Tolkappiyam – written by Tolkappiyar was product of 2nd Sangam and it is basically a work on Tamil grammar & poetics.
Tirrukural – Deals with philosophy and wise maxims & was written by Tiruvallur
b. JAINISM
KALPASUTRA: -written by bhadrabahu. It contains biographies of jain tirthankaras
AGAM OR CANONICAL LITERATURE (AGAM SUTRAS): Agam literature consists of many texts, which are the sacred books of the Jain religion + They are written in the Ardha-
magadhi, a form of Prakrit language.
NON-AGAM LITERATURE: Non-agam literature consists of commentary and explanation of Agam literature, and independent works, compiled by ascetics and scholars + They
are written in many languages such as Prakrit, Sanskrit, Apabhramsa, Old Marathi, Rajasthani, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannad, Tamil, German, and English
c. SATVAHANA
Satvahana ruler Hala, himself great scholar, composed Gathasaptasati CHANDRAGUPTA II NAVRATNAS
d. GUPTA
KALIDASA: • Abhijnanshakuntalam • Amarsimha
• Vikramorvasiyam • Dhanvantri
• Malavikagnimitra • Harisena
• Kumārasambhava • Kalidasa
• Raghuvansham • Kahapanaka
• Meghadootam • Sanku
• Ritusamhara • Varahamihira
• Jyotirvidabharana • Vararuchi
• Vetalbhatta
KAMANDAKA • Nitisara

VISHAKHADATTA • Mudrarakshas
• Devichandraguptam

GUNADHYA • Brihatkatha

SUDRAK • Mrichhakatikam

VARAHMIHIR • Panchasiddhantika (5 books, Brihatsamhita most notable)

SUSRUT • Susrutsamhita on surgery

VAGABHATA • Ashtanghridaya

DHANAVANTRI • Ayurveda

AMAR SINGH • Amarkosh

ARYABHATA • Aryabhattiyam , Suryasidhanta

BRAHMAGUPTA • Brahmasphutasiddhanta

BHASA • Svapanavasaydattam

e. HARSHA VARDHAN
HARSHAVARDHAN: naganandam
ratnavali
priyadarsika
Banabhatta : harshacharita
parvati parinayam
kadamkari
Hieun tsang: si yu ki
f. PALLAVA
Periyapuranas: Collection of songs in love and devotion of Shiva.
Nalayir-Divya-Prabandham: Collection of songs in love and devotion of Vishnu.

MEDIEVAL

GS1 Page 2
 MEDIEVAL

g. PALLA
Vajradatta, author of Lokesvarasataka.

h. RASHTRAKUTA
AMOGHVARSHA I - Kavirajamarga (Kannada) and the Prashnottara Ratnamalika (Sanskrit).
Apbhramsha poet Svayambhu
SHER SHAH SURI
BOOK WRITER
Kavirahasya Halayudha
Diwan –i- Wizarat / Wazir - Revenue and Finance.
Parsvabhudya Jinasena
Diwan-i-Ariz – in charge of Army.
Adipurana Jinasena
Diwan-i-Rasalat- Foreign Minister.
Amogavritti Sakatayana
Diwan-i-Insha- Minister for Communications.
Ganitasaram Viracharya
Barid - Intelligence
Nalachampu Trivikrama Bhatta
Vikramasenavijaya Pampa
Santipurana Ponna

i. CHOLAS
Sivakasintamani written by Thiruthakkadevar and Kundalakesi
Ramayana composed by Kamban and the Periyapuranam
Tiruttondarpuranam by Sekkilar
Telugu version of Mahabharata was started by Nanniah & completed by Tikkana
Jayankondar's Kalingattupparani describes the Kalinga war fought by Kulotunga I
The Moovarula written by Ottakuthar depicts the life of three Chola kings.
The Nalavenba was written by Pugalendi.
Pampa, Ponna, & Ranna known are considered 3 gems of Kannada literature

j. DELHI SULTANATE
• Tughlaq Nama, Tarik-i-Alai, Ashiqa - Amir Khusro
• Git Govinda - Jaydeva
• Hammir Raso - Sarangdhara AKBAR NAVRATNA
• Fatwa-i-Jahandari - Barani
• Padmavat - Malik Muhammad Jaisi. - DURING SUR DYNASTY 1. Abul Fazl wrote Ain-i-Akbari and “Akbar Nama”.

• Barani’s Tarikhi- Firoz Shahi contains the history of Tughlaq dynasty
• Minhajus-Siraj wrote Tabaqat-i-Nasari, a general history of muslim dynasty upto 1260
• Zia Nakshabi was the first to translate Sanskrit stories into Persian
• Tutu Nama or Book of the Parrot written by Zia Nakshabi
• Rajatarangini written by Kalhana belonged to the period of Zainul-Abidin, the ruler of Kashmir.
2. Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana Great poet, Translated Baburnama into
Turki
3. Birbal Was a Hindu advisor and main commander (mukhya senapati)
of army in the court. Akbar gave him title ’Raja Birbal’.

k. MUGHALS 4. Mirza Aziz Koka also known as Kotaltash, was the foster brother of
Babur wrote Tuzuk-I-Baburi (Babarnama) & Masnavi Akbar built by Mirza Aziz Koka as a mausoleum for himself, at the time
TULSIDAS : Ramacharitmanas of Jahangir’s reign
AUTOBIO: TUZUK I JAHANGIRI
INAYAT KHAN: “Shah Jahan Nama” 5. Faizi Translated Lilavati into Persian & under his supervision
Abdul Hameed Lohiri wrote “Badashanama” & ( During shahjahan) Mahabharata was translated into Persian language.
Masir – I Alamgiri book written by Mustaid Khan throws light on Aurangzeb’s rule ( Called as Razmnamah)
Miraz Mohammad Qasim wrote “Alamgirnama
6. Raja Man Singh was a mansabdar.

7. Raja Todar Mal : Finance Minister. Akbar bestowed on him title of

Diwan-iAshraf.

8. Faqir Azio-Din one of the Chief advisors of Akbar

9. Tansen Musician, Hindu of Gwalior. He served to King

Ramachandra, who gave him the title of “Tansen”. Akbar gave him
title of “Mian”.

GS1 Page 3
GS1 Page 4