1. Introduction
2. The Historical Context
3. R.S. Sharma’s Thesis of Indian Feudalism
3.1. Factual Foundations of Sharma’s Thesis
4. D.N. Jha and the Economic Dimension
5. The Samanta System and Political Decentralization
6. Critiques of the Feudalism Model
6.1. Harbans Mukhia’s Critique
6.2. Burton Stein and the Segmentary State Model
6.3. B.D. Chattopadhyaya’s Revision
7. Evidence from Land Grant Inscriptions
8. Economic and Social Transformations
9. Conclusion
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Topic – Emergence of Feudal Order during Early Medieval Period: Major Debates (Notes)
Subject – History
(Early Medieval Indian History)
Table of Contents
Introduction
- The Early Medieval Period in Indian history, roughly spanning from the 6th century CE to the 13th century CE, witnessed far-reaching transformations in political, economic, and social structures. Among these transformations, the emergence of a feudal order — often described as “Indian Feudalism” — has been one of the most debated subjects in modern Indian historiography.
- The central question that historians have explored is whether early medieval India experienced a social and economic system comparable to European feudalism, characterized by land grants, decentralization of authority, hereditary intermediaries, and agrarian dependence.
- Major contributions to this debate come from R.S. Sharma, Harbans Mukhia, Burton Stein, B.D. Chattopadhyaya, Romila Thapar, D.N. Jha, and others. Their analyses, based on epigraphic evidence, land grant charters, literary texts, and archaeological data, have created a vast body of factual material that defines the contours of this discussion.
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