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Vishw-Aawaz
There are various sources of Indian constitution for some features of it are borrowed.
There was no hesitation to learn from the experiences of other nations, hence, the Indian Constitution has various features that are borrowed from other nations.
The Republic is governed in terms of the Constitution of India which was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th November, 1949 and came into force on 26th January, 1950.
The Constituent Assembly met for the first time on 9 December 1946, reassembling on 14 August 1947 as a sovereign body and successor to the British parliament's authority in India. As a result of the partition, under the Mountbatten plan, a separate Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was established on 3 June 1947.
The Interim Government was formed as a provisional government between an imperial structure and a democratic structure.
It lasted till 15th August 1947 when India became independent and was partitioned into India and Pakistan.
This Interim Government was formed from the Constituent Assembly which was elected in August 1946.
Committees and commissions are formed for studying a problem or issue and then making recommendations to resolve the issue. The government can either accept or reject the findings/recommendations of the committee.
The act provided for the establishment of Reserve Bank of India. The Act also provided for the establishment of federal, provincial and joint Public Service Commissions. The Act was a milestone in the development of a responsible constitutional government in India.
The Charter act of 1813 ended the monopoly of the East India Company in India, however the company's monopoly in trade with China and trade in tea with India was kept intact. Thus, trade with India for all commodities except Tea was thrown open to all British subjects.
Following chapter talks about the charter acts, it's features and it's impact.
Before 1947, India was divided into two main entities – The British India which consisted of 11 provinces and the Princely states ruled by Indian princes under subsidiary alliance policy. The two entities merged together to form the Indian Union, but many of the legacy systems in British India is followed even now. The historical underpinnings and evolution of the India Constitution can be traced to many regulations and acts passed before Indian Independence.
The Iranians invaded India in the 6th century B.C, when King Darius I ruled over Iran.
He invaded India and occupied the territories in the North-Western Frontier Province, Sind and Punjab in 516 B.C.
These parts remained with the Iranian Empire till Alexander’s invasion of India.
The Pre-Mauryan age had a number of governmental upheavals, which resulted in economic developments.
It was the period when 'janapadas' grew in size and became involved in territorial expansion, resulting in the development of 'Mahajanapadas.' In the sixth century BC, the usage of iron provided material benefits in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
The Nanda dynasty governed in northern India throughout the 4th and probably 5th centuries BCE.
In the Magadha area of eastern India, the Nandas destroyed the Shishunaga dynasty and expanded their dominion to cover a bigger section of northern India.
The names of the Nanda monarchs and the length of their reign vary greatly according to ancient accounts.
The Haryanka dynasty was the third ruling dynasty of Magadha, an empire of ancient India, which succeeded the Pradyota dynasty and Barhadratha dynasty. Initially, the capital was Rajagriha. Later, it was shifted to Pataliputra, near the present-day Patna in India during the reign of Udayin.
What we often forget in all this is that the Indian subcontinent was practicing republicanism long before the Roman republic arose. Ganarajya, in the times of yore, were ancient Indian republics.
The word Gana also means numbers and Ganarajya, therefore, means the rule of numbers or the rule of many. The Dharma Sutras and Dharma Shastras contain frequent references to Gana that seems to denote town or village corporations.
The Janapadas were the major kingdoms of Vedic India. During that period, Aryans were the most powerful tribes and were called ‘Janas’. This gave rise to the term Janapada where Jana means ‘people’ and Pada means ‘foot’.
By the 6th century BCE, there were approximately 22 different Janapadas. Socio-economic developments chiefly due to the use of iron tools in agriculture and military, along with religious and political developments led to the rise of the Mahajanapadas from small kingdoms or Janapadas.
Vedic literatures are most important sources of knowledge about Aryans and Vedic period.
The literature had grown in the course of many centuries and was handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth which also called shruti.
In our Hindu Sanatan tradition, sixteen Sanskars are performed during the life of a human being. Sanskars means Sanshodhan-Parishodhan-Parishuddhi.
Our scriptures cherish faith and belief in re-birth. Through Sanskar, Shudhi (purification) of Jeev (soul) is performed through all three types (Adhyatmik-Aadhibhautik- Aadhideivik).
Our scriptures consider the human birth as eligible for Moksha-Mukti, it can uplift itself by becoming Dosh0Mukta through Sanskar.
By performing Sanskars in every stage of human life, a Jeev can get rid of and can purify itself from all types of impurities carried with itself of all previous births and lives while passing through eighty four lakh yonis.
Sanskars has been considered as an essential rule for the human being and so it is mandatory to observe this rule.
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The information found in Rig-Veda Samhita throws light on nature & characteristics, the institution & practices of politico-admin life during the early Vedic age.
The Early Vedic polity was tribal in nature because Vedic Aryans were living in small tribal groups. The tribal chiefs were responsible for politico-administrative matters.
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The Aryans were a semi-nomadic pastoral people.
The original homeland of the Aryans is a matter of debate with different experts suggesting different regions from where they originated.
Some say they came from the area around the Caspian Sea in Central Asia.
The Vedic Age started with the Aryan occupation of the Indo-Gangetic Plains.
Meaning of the word Arya: Noble.
They spoke Sanskrit, an Indo-European language.
They led a rural, semi-nomadic life as compared to the Indus Valley people who were urbanised.
It is believed that they entered India through the Khyber Pass.
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How and when the civilization came to an end remains uncertain, and no uniform ending need be postulated for a culture so widely distributed.
The decline probably occurred in several stages, perhaps over a century or more: the period between about 2000 and 1750 bce is a reasonable estimation.
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Art and culture tells the story of evolution.Indian architecture is deep rooted in its history,culture and religion.It is a blend of ancient and varied native traditions.
They tell the story from ancient Indus valley civilisation to the British raj.They narrate the story of evolution.
In the second half of the third millenium BCE,one of the earliest civilisation of the world blossomed on the banks of the river Indus.It was thus named as Indus valley civilisation or Harappan civilisation.Harappan because,Harappa was the first excavated site.
The importance of the worship of the Mother Goddess (Sakti) is proved by the discovery of numerous terra-cota figurines.
The worship of Siva is suggested by the discovery of figure of a deity with three faces, with horned head dress, seating cross-legged in a Yogic posture, surrounded by animals like buffalo, rhinoceros, deer, tiger, etc. Two more figures representing Siva have been unearthed also.
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Trade was extensive and apparently well-regulated, providing imported raw materials for use at internal production centres, distributing finished goods throughout the region, and arguably culminating in the establishment of Harappan “colonies” in both Mesopotamia and Badakhshan.
The remarkable uniformity of weights and measures throughout the Indus lands, as well as the development of such presumably civic works as the great granaries, implies a strong degree of political and administrative control over a wide area.
Despite a growing body of archaeological evidence, the social and political structures of the Indus “state” remain objects of conjecture. The apparent craft specialization and localized craft groupings at Mohenjo-daro, along with the great divergence in house types and size, point toward some degree of social stratification.
The contribution of the Harappans is evident from the following public buildings
.a) The Great Bath: It is one of the largest public buildings at Mohenjodaro. It measured twelve metres long, seven metres broad and 2.5 metres deep.
b) Granaries: Evidence of several granaries, massive buildings with solid brick foundations and sockets for wooden superstructures have been found in excavations of Harappa, Mohenjodaro, and Rakhigarhi.
All the granaries were built close to the river bank so that with the help of boats, grains could be easily transported.
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One of the greatest cities of the Indus Valley Civilization, Hrappa emerged around 2600 BC along the river valleys of modern-day Sindh and Punjab
The following features were part of Harappan towns:
- Proper urban planning with well laid out roads, streets were designed in a grid-pattern layout and drainage system
- Harappa had a citadel situated on mud-brick platforms.
- Harappan towns were known for the lack of stone buildings, instead their urban centres were built using burnt bricks as the standard material
- Underground drainage system was covered with stone slabs or bricks
The Indus Valley Civilization was established around 3300 BC. It flourished between 2600 BC and 1900 BC that is Mature Indus Valley Civilization.
It started declining around 1900 BC and disappeared around 1400 BC. This is also called Harappan Civilization after the first city to be excavated, Harappa in present day Punjab, Pakistan.
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Indian History is as old as the History of Mankind. Artifacts dating back to as much as 500, 000 years have been found. India's history and culture is ancient and dynamic, spanning back to the beginning of human civilization. Beginning with a mysterious culture along the Indus River and in farming communities in the southern lands of India.
The history of India is one punctuated by constant integration with migrating peoples and with the diverse cultures that surround India. Placed in the center of Asia, history in India is a crossroads of cultures from China to Europe, and the most significant Asian connection with the cultures of Africa.
India's history is more than just a set of unique developments in a definable process; it is, in many ways, a microcosm of human history itself, a diversity of cultures all impinging on a great people and being reforged into new, syncretic forms.