Several attempts have been made to characterize the pre-British period Indian economy; one recurrent theme is that the Pre-British Indian economy was characterized by self-sufficient villages based on the union of agriculture and handicrafts.

The village economy was held to be self sufficient and self subsisting. The basic land relationships in the villages were governed by custom and usage, another marked feature of the pre-British economy was the union of agriculture and basic crafts in the villages. The farmers carried on the task of cultivation and cultivated enough to feed themselves and the other sections dependent on them.

They carried the cultivation with plough fitted with iron hoe with the help of bullocks as the draught power. The peasant family undertook also to spinning and wearing. Besides, some specialized group of craftsmen provided for the handicrafts and implements needed by the villagers. In return for their products, they were remunerated in grain by the peasants.

Notwithstanding there features, the Indian peasants produced sufficient amount of food grains to sustain those living in urban centers. Further, the villages also paid the land revenue that was impose on them by the rulers. Moreover, the peasants in the villages enjoyed customary rights over the community properties like the village tank. Moreover, the villages had peasants cultivating the plots of land.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

However, all this changed with the establishment of the British rule in India. Foremost they vested ownership of village land in zamindar under the permanent settlement. The peasant’s ownership over land was insecure under Ryotwari Settlement.

The villagers moreover lost their customary rights over community lands and were reduced to the status of semi-serfs of zamindars and money lenders. Moreover, by introducing the concept of mortgage, sale and transferability of land, the British tampered with the basic stability of the villages. Also, the ruin of handicrafts industry ended the union of agriculture and handicrafts.