Synonyms
Definition
Self-sufficient village economy was the distinct feature of Indian economy since ages. This structure remained intact despite rise and fall of dynasties. It witnessed a major transformation during the British period due to introduction of colonial form of capitalism. This system continued in the post-independent India, and the author himself is a witness of this system in his village in the region of Vaishali (ancient Licchavi republic) during the 1970s and 1980s. Jajmani system is a prominent feature of this feudalistic self-sufficient village economic system. It primarily means that local artisans produce the goods locally for local consumption.
Characteristics of Jajmani System
The term jajman means a person who performs a yajna (sacrifice ritual). Later on it was identified with the householder who hired services or to whom the services were offered. It is a system of distribution whereby high caste land-owning families are provided...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
References
Wiser W (1936) The Hindu Jajmani system. Lucknow Publishing House, Lucknow
Oscar L (1958) Village life in northern India. University of Illinois Press, Illinois, United States
Yogendra S (1973) Modernization of Indian tradition: a systemic study of social change. Thompson Press, Publication Division, Delhi
Gould Harold A (1964) A Jajmani system of north India: its structure, magnitude, and meaning. Ethnology 3(1)
Ishwaran K (1966) Tradition and economy in village India. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London
Leach ER (1960) Introduction: what should we mean by caste. In: Leach ER (ed) Aspects of caste in south India, Ceylon, and north west Pakistan. Cambridge papers in social anthropology No. 2. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Henry Ornestein’s Book Review of Thomas O. Beidelman (1962) A comparative analysis of the Jajmani system. Monographs of the Association for Asian studies. J. J. Augustin, New York. 1959, in American Anthropologists
Godwin RG (1990) Centrality, mutuality and hierarchy: shifting aspects of inter-caste relationship in north India. In: Marriott MK (ed) India through Hindu categories. Sage, New Delhi
Rao MSA (1961) The Jajmani system. Econ Pol Wkly, 13(23), pp. 877–78
Beidelman TO (1959) A comparative analysis of the Jajmani system. Mono-graphs of the Association for Asian studies. Locust Valley, New York
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Prakash, O. (2018). Jajmānī System. In: Jain, P., Sherma, R., Khanna, M. (eds) Hinduism and Tribal Religions. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_487-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_487-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-024-1036-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-024-1036-5
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities