Analyze the structural evolution and administrative terminology of the later Vedic polity: 1. The tribal chief of the early Rigvedic jana transformed into a powerful territorial monarch ruling over a janapada, supported by a regular standing army and taxation apparatus. 2. The office of the 'Bhagadugha' functioned as the royal tax collector responsible for gathering the agrarian share from the households. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Both statements are correct as the later Vedic polity witnessed the consolidation of tribal territories into stable monarchies where kings exercised wider jurisdiction and collected regular taxes through officials known as Bhagadugha. The voluntary gift offerings of the early period evolved into mandatory agrarian extractions. Popular assemblies like the Sabha and Samiti lost their political dominance during this phase. This laid the structural foundation for the rise of the sixteen Mahajanapadas in the sixth century BCE.