Which of the following statements is NOT true of land grants in the early centuries of the Common Era?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Land grants describe wild animals and hunter-gatherers.
Land grants, mostly recorded on copper plates, were made to religious institutions or to Brahmanas. They tell us about the land donated, the rights that went with it and the people of the village who had to obey the new lord.
Option (1) Land grants give us an idea of the regional variations in the sizes of land donated. Correct statement. There were regional variations in the sizes of land donated, ranging from small plots to vast stretches of uncultivated land.
Option (2) Land grants give us an idea of the rights given to donees. Correct statement. Land grants show the rights given to donees, that is, the recipients of the grant.
Option (3) Land grants give us an idea about rural populations - these include Brahmans and Peasants. Correct statement. The inscriptions give an idea about rural populations: Brahmanas and peasants, as well as others who had to provide a range of produce to the king or his representatives.
Option (4) Land grants describe wild animals and hunter-gatherers. Incorrect statement. Land grants throw light on the relationship between cultivators and the state. Pastoralists, fisherfolk and hunter-gatherers were often beyond the reach of officials and did not keep detailed records, so land grants tell us little about them; wild animals are not their subject at all.
NCERT (2026-27): “5.4 Land grants and new rural elites … The inscription also gives us an idea about rural populations – these included Brahmanas and peasants, as well as others who were expected to provide a range of produce to the king or his representatives. And according to the inscription, they would have to obey the new lord of the village, and perhaps pay him all these dues. Land grants such as this one have been found in several parts of the country. There were regional variations in the sizes of land donated – ranging from small plots to vast stretches of uncultivated land – and the rights given to donees (the recipients of the grant).… 5.4 Land grants and new rural elites … Land grants provide some insight into the relationship between cultivators and the state. However, there were people who were often beyond the reach of officials or samantas: pastoralists, fisherfolk and hunter-gatherers, mobile or semi-sedentary artisans and shifting cultivators. Generally, such groups did not keep detailed records of their lives and transactions.…” |