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Book No. – 8 (Medieval History of India)
Book Name – Political Structure and State Formation in Early Medieval India
What’s Inside the Chapter? (After Subscription)
1. Introduction
2. Concept of Legitimation of Kingship
2.1. Role of the Brahmins
2.2. Coronation of the Kings
2.3. Distribution of Concentrated Surplus
2.4. Samantisation of the Regional Kingdoms
2.5. Upholding the Democratic Values
2.6. Adoption of Indo-Aryan Languages
2.7. Realignment of Society
2.8. Role of Tribal Deities
2.9. Construction of Royal Hindu Temples
2.10. King and Royal Ritual
2.11. Matrimonial Alliances
3. Role of Brahmanas
3.1. Growing Rigidity for Brahmins
3.2 Changing Social Order
3.3. Establishments of Brahmin Colonies
3.4. Royal Patronization of Brahminism
3.5. Emergence of Shudras
3.6. Absence of Intermediary Varnas
3.7. Rise of a New Literate Class
3.8. Reduced Positions of Brahmanas
4. Growth and Importance of Temples
4.1. Growth of Temple Cites
4.2. Major Styles of Indian Temples
4.3. Presiding Deities
5. Conclusion
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Legitimation of Kingship in Early Medieval India ; Brahmanas and Temples
Chapter – 3
Introduction
Origin and growth of legitimacy refers to a situation where both rulers and the ruled believe that the rule of government is right.
Legitimacy means the justified existence of concentrated political power held by a portion of a community.
A new state justifies its new institutions, hierarchy, and power by introducing new cultural ideas while maintaining the traditional belief system.
Historians have identified several steps in the process of legitimation of power for kingdoms emerging from the tribal phase.
First step: Construction of a fabricated genealogical link for the ruling family.
Second step: Redistribution of concentrated surplus through public works and the building of religious institutions.
Third step: Adoption of Indo-Aryan (non-tribal) culture, including language and literature.
The adoption of this new culture occurred alongside the maintenance of primordial culture, resulting in a synthesis of adopted and primordial cultures.
This synthesis of culture led to the evolution of new cultural phenomena in northeast India.
Concept of Legitimation of Kingship
Construction of fabricated divine kingship was essential for early medieval Indian kingdoms and empires.
Before kingdoms formed, tribal society was structured around clan villages maintained through lineage and kinship.
With territorial extension and growing complexity, the tribal chief and his allies took on the responsibility of managing the emerging kingdom.
The tribal chief was declared as ‘King’ by the Brahmins, who performed the coronation rituals.
The position of the king required emphasis on the legitimacy of kingship to enhance his personal power, especially in relation to his central area and samantas (vassals).
The king’s divine mission and ritual sovereignty were highlighted to reinforce legitimacy.
Brahmins played a key role in providing the necessary ideology for this process.
Many land grant documents show that Brahmins were often granted lands in areas meant to spread Hindu culture, especially during the Gupta empire.
From the 10th century onwards, land grants to Brahmins shifted, with grants often involving entire villages or their revenue, sometimes even in the territories of the samantas.
These grants were made at the expense of samantas, as the Brahmin would view the king as the true benefactor, strengthening royal loyalty.
The samantas could not object to such grants because they were sanctified by tradition.
In the 10th and 11th centuries, the scale of land grants increased, with large numbers of Brahmins receiving vast tracts of land.
For example, in 1093 and 1100 CE, the Gahadavala dynasty granted one and a half revenue districts and more than 100 villages to 500 Brahmins.
The area of these grants was near Varanasi (Benares), the second capital of the Gahadavalas, indicating the king’s desire to strengthen control over the newly conquered region.
The king did not mind the substantial loss of revenue from these grants to secure loyalty.
Various methods were adopted for the legitimization of kingship.