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Q10 (IAS/2019) History & Culture › Ancient India › Gupta period history Official Key

With reference to forced labour (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period, which one of the following statements is correct?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: A
Explanation

Gupta inscriptions mention terms like klipta, bali, udranga, uparikara, and iranyavesti that meant forced labor.[1] Forced labour (vishti) in lieu of taxes was practised in some regions.[2] This indicates that vishti was treated as a form of tax obligation rather than wage-based employment, serving as a source of revenue for the state. The practice essentially substituted labor service for monetary taxation, making it a revenue mechanism for the Gupta administration.

Option B is incorrect as there is no evidence suggesting vishti was totally absent in specific regions like Madhya Pradesh and Kathiawar. Option C is incorrect because forced labor by definition was unpaid service rendered in lieu of taxes, not wage-based employment with weekly wages. Option D is also incorrect as there is no documented practice of specifically sending the eldest son as the forced laborer during the Gupta period.

Sources
  1. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > 7.5 Economic Condition > p. 95
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to forced labour (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period, which one of the following statements is correct? [A] It was …
At a glance
Origin: Mixed / unclear origin Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 2.5/10 · 0/10
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This is a classic 'Term Definition' question derived directly from standard Ancient History texts (TN Board/RS Sharma). The question tests if you understand the *nature* of the term (tax/obligation) rather than just its translation. It rewards conceptual clarity over rote memorization of obscure facts.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Was forced labour (Vishti) in India during the Gupta period considered a source of income for the state, functioning as a sort of tax paid by the people?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > 7.5 Economic Condition > p. 95
Presence: 4/5
“mentions various sources of revenue. The many ambitious military campaigns of kings like Samudragupta must have been financed through revenue surpluses. Gupta inscriptions reveal some details about the revenue department. The akshapataladhikrita was the keeper of royal records. Gupta inscriptions mention the terms klipta, bali, udranga, uparikara, and iranyavesti meant forced labor.”
Why this source?
  • Specifically places discussion of revenue and the revenue department alongside terms for forced labour (klipta, bali, udranga, uparikara, iranyavesti).
  • Naming forced-labour terms in the revenue context implies these labour obligations were treated within the state's fiscal/administrative framework.
  • Connects forced labour terminology directly to records kept by revenue officials (akshapataladhikrita).
History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Introduction > p. 89
Presence: 2/5
“After the Mauryan empire, many small kingdoms rose and fell. In the period from c. 300 to 700 CE, a classical pattern of an imperial rule evolved, paving the way for state formation in many regions. During this period, the Gupta kingdom emerged as a great power and achieved the political unification of a large part of the Indian subcontinent. It featured a strong central government, bringing many kingdoms under its hegemony. Feudalism as an institution began to take root during this period. The living standards of upper classes reached a peak. Education, art and study of science progressed, but the feudal system of governance put people in some form of hardship.”
Why this source?
  • Notes the rise of feudalism and that the system put people under hardship, which implies compulsory obligations such as labor services existed.
  • Provides contextual support that social structures of the period enabled extraction of labour as an imposed duty from subjects.
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