Match List-I with List-II
| List-I | List-II | ||
| (A) | Gahapati | (I) | Large landowner |
| (B) | Vellalar | (II) | Ploughmen |
| (C) | Uzhavar | (III) | Slaves |
| (D) | Adimai | (IV) | Owner/head of household |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A)-(IV), (B)-(I), (C)-(II), (D)-(III)
(A) Gahapati — this matches (IV) Owner/head of household. A gahapati was the owner, master or head of a household, who exercised control over the women, children, slaves and workers who shared a common residence. The term was often used in Pali texts.
(B) Vellalar — this matches (I) Large landowner. Early Tamil literature (the Sangam texts) mentions large landowners or vellalar among the people living in the villages.
(C) Uzhavar — this matches (II) Ploughmen. The same texts name the ploughmen or uzhavar.
(D) Adimai — this matches (III) Slaves. The slaves or adimai stood at the bottom of this village society.
NCERT (2026-27): “5.3 Differences in rural society … The term gahapati was often used in Pali texts to designate the second and third categories. The large landholders, as well as the village headman (whose position was often hereditary), emerged as powerful figures, and often exercised control over other cultivators. 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.… Gahapati … A gahapati was the owner, master or head of a household, who exercised control over the women, children, slaves and workers who shared a common residence. He was also the owner of the resources – land, animals and other things – that belonged to the household. Sometimes the term was used as a marker of status for men belonging to the urban elite, including wealthy merchants.…” |