With reference to economic organisation of the people in the Vedic Period, answer the following questions:

(a) State the methods used by the Aryans in agriculture.

(b) Why was the domestication of animals important to the Aryans?

(c) How was trade managed during this period?

(a) For the Early Vedic Period, there are very few references of agricultural activities in the Rig Veda. There are references to fire being used for burning the forest cover and the practice of shifting cultivation. In the Later Vedic Period, importance of agriculture grew due to the availability of vast tracts of fertile alluvial lands of the Ganga-Yamuna doab and the middle Ganga valley. The later Vedic texts refer to oxen yoked to the plough suggesting the prevalence of plough cultivation. Iron ploughshares and metal tools were used and a variety of crops were cultivated towards the end of this period.

(b) The domestication of animals was important to the Aryans because during the Early Vedic Period cattle was main source of income. For Aryans cattle was synonymous with wealth. Cow had religious value, animals like sheep were domesticated for wool. Leather workers have also been mentioned in Vedic Text. Moreover, the area received low rainfall and the major rivers were known to change course making it difficult to cultivate the alluvial lands near the rivers on a permanent basis thereby further increasing the importance of domestication of animals.

(c) During the Later Vedic Period agricultural surplus led to trade giving rise to markets from which developed towns and cities. Although coins were introduced, barter system was still dominant in trade with other countries.