Social Condition Of Mauryan India: The Caste System: A social organisation based on Varna (caste) and Asrama (stages of religious discipline) which had begun in the Vedic age, reached a definite stage in the Mauryan period. Until the Mauryan period, the system tended to be fluid with frequent references for social mobility. Buddhist literature mentions the four castes as Khattiyas, Brahmanas, Vessas and Suddas suggesting that the Brahmanas held an inferior position to that of the Kshatriyas. By the Mauryan period, the predominance of the Brahamanas had again become apparent. Megasthenes account of the Indian society recognised the theoretical aspect … Continue reading Social Condition Of Mauryan India