Briefly discuss the different kinds of people living in villages in the northern parts of the subcontinent.

Answer: Villages in the northern part of the country were mostly inhabited by the village headman, independent farmers, field workers and craftsmen. The village headman was known as the grama bhojaka. He was the largest land owner and generally very powerful. The independent farmers were called grihapatis, most of whom were smaller landowners. Then there were people who did not own land and earned their living by working on the fields owned by others. This segment was called dasa karmakara. In most villages, there were also some crafts persons such as the blacksmith, potter, carpenter and weaver.