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Which of the following is/are the feature(s) of the Brahmadeya Grants during c 600-1200 AD? 1. Their creation meant a renunciation of actual or potential sources of revenue by the State. 2. These grants could vary from a small plot to several villages. 3. Most grants were made in unsettled areas. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Explanation
Brahmadeya grants were land gifts to Brahmanas that significantly altered the agrarian landscape between 600-1200 AD. Statement 1 is correct as these grants were typically tax-free, meaning the state renounced its actual or potential revenue from those lands [5]. Statement 2 is correct because inscriptions reveal regional variations where grants ranged from small individual plots to entire villages [1]. Statement 3 is incorrect; while some grants were in uncultivated areas to promote agrarian expansion, many were made in already settled, fertile areas (especially in South India) to integrate them into the state's political and religious framework [1]. The primary purpose was often to consolidate power in established regions rather than exclusively settling new frontiers. Therefore, only statements 1 and 2 are accurate features of the Brahmadeya system during this period.
Sources
- [2] https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/61927/1/Unit-13.pdf
- [3] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Kings, Farmers and Towns > Prabhavati Gupta and the village of Danguna > p. 41
- [5] https://www.arsdcollege.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IGNOU-Early-Medieval-Economic-History-8th-13th-c..pdf
- [4] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Kings, Farmers and Towns > 5.4 Land grants and new rural elites > p. 40
- [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Other Land Grants > p. 96