Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

History

Chapter

Ancient India: Kings, Farmers and Towns

Question:

Match the following Terms in List 1 with their Meanings in List 2 used in ancient India:

List- 1 (Terms)

List- 2 (Meaning)

(A) Pativedaka

(I) Merchants

(B) Vellalar

(II) Reporter

(C) Sovanika

(III) Large landowners

(D) Satthavahas

(IV) Goldsmiths

Options:

(A)-I, (B)- III, (C)- IV, (D)- II

(A)-I, (B)- IV, (C)- III, (D)- II

(A)-II, (B)- III, (C)- IV, (D)- I

(A)-III, (B)- IV, (C)- II, (D)- I

Correct Answer:

(A)-II, (B)- III, (C)- IV, (D)- I

Explanation:

Epigraphists have translated the term pativedaka as 'reporter'.

Early Tamil literature (the Sangam texts) also mentions different categories of people living in the villages – large landowners or Vellalar, ploughmen or uzhavar and slaves or adimai. It is likely that these differences were based on differential access to land, labour, and some of the new technologies. In such a situation, questions of control over land must have become crucial, as these were often discussed in legal texts.

Sovanika was a term used to refer to goldsmiths in ancient India.

There were seafarers, whose ventures were risky but highly profitable. Successful merchants, designated as masattuvan in Tamil and setthis and satthavahas in Prakrit, could become enormously rich.