Question

Explain the governance systems in a Janapada, Mahajanapada and a Ganga.

Answer 1

Instructions:

• State the important features for all three such as: power of all three kinds of people heading the three forms. Give examples for the village headman, king and the rajas of the ganas. Elaborate through examples the kind of things that were allowed in all three.

Solution:

• Janapadas refer to the early villages that came up around the fertile area of the gangetic plains. Here people of the same tribe came together to practice agriculture and soon villages came up. These villages were known as Janapadas. They were governed by the village headman.
• Mahajanapadas were the cities of ancient India. These were formed when people from different tribes lived together in large villages and practised different kinds of trades. These were ruled by a king. The king held the ultimate power in the mahajanapadas and held a system in place which ensured not only the defence of the kingdom but also collected taxes and maintained law and order in the cities and the villages under their influence.
• Ganas were kingdoms where decisions were made in assemblies attended by groups of rulers. These were the earliest form of republican governments. Women, slaves and wage earners could not be a part of the ganas. Gautam Buddha and Mahavira also belonged to such ganas and went on to influence the people of the time.