The History of Rural Life in Northern India (C. 650 to 1206 A.D.)

The qualitative and quantitative aspects of natural resources, human resources (including physical and human capital) and nature of institutional framework (including administrative set-up) have played significant role in shaping various aspects of rural as well as urban life in a given period of the history of a country. In a predominantly agricultural society it is pertinent (absolutely necessary) to understand thoroughly the nature of rural life in order to understand the life of the people in the country as a whole. It is more specifically true about India even today as it continues to be predominantly rural. It has aptly been remarked that "real India lives in its villages" and that "the abode of India’s spirit is its rural part". So far no serious efforts have been made by historians to make a comprehensive, systematic and scientific and systematic study of the rural life as a whole during early medieval period. The real objective of the rural history is to bring to light the (relation of) material, social and intellectual Universe of the rural community or communities at a particular juncture or in a particular period of history. And yet far from fulfilling such great design studies relating to rural history have usually assumed the form of an enumeration of land measure and fiscal terms which are still not clearly understood. Admittedly, rural history must begin with the study of land use management as land lies at the most basic level of rural experience.