Some aspects of social life of panipat region: 1526-1707

The Indian social structure and cultural pattern are characterized by unity as well as diversity and the culture of each group has undergone a lot of changes over the centuries to become an integral part of Indian mosaic. During the period when Islamic power in India was at its zenith, the political and cultural elites of Islam carried forward its cultural traditions in protective and optimistic environment. Many Muslim scholars and rulers made efforts to reconcile some aspects of the Hindu tradition with Islam. Caste in India has not been only associated with an occupation but has a limited kind of monopoly over it. It is not true that every member practiced the occupation exclusively. Different members of a family may had different occupations. All the women held the responsibility of house-hold and they also took some part in agriculture pursuit. Artisan class women always participated in other crafts. Occupations also classified into high and low. Those participated by high caste being regarded as high and by low caste regarded as low. The existence of a high degree of agreement between caste and agricultural hierarchy meant that the stratification ran deep economic stratification strengthened ritual stratification and vice-versa. An individual in a society lived in a hierarchal world. Generally the village was an aggregated of cultivated holdings with or without some waste area attended to it and usually it had a central site, where the dwelling houses were kept congregated together, with the land of the cultivators spreading around. Most of the villages lived in filth and squalor but inside the houses were kept very clear. Most of the houses were made of mud in the village but the houses in the towns were of baked-bricked. Room of the houses were dark, damp and without ventilation. Sanitation system was not proper and drainage was faulty. It is not only the people who were divided into higher or lower groups but also the food they ate, dress and ornaments they wore and the customs and manners they practiced regarded as high or low. Elaborate rules governed the acceptance of cooked food and water from the other castes the land-owners exploited the tenants as much as they could. Regarding the food and drink there was similarity all over in the region of Panipat. In this region wheat, gram, rice, bajra, barely, maize, pulses, vegetables, fruits, milk and milk-products. Hindus were mostly vegetarians but some high class Hindu people like Muslims were also non-vegetarians. Khichri was very common food of the masses and was eaten by both rich and poor people. Diet ofpeasantry was much cheaper. They used to eat mostly cheap and easily available grains, fruits, vegetables and other eatables. Indian dress was prudent of soil and suited to the region. The people of the region used the texture of garments according to their professions and status but neat and well-fitted. The dress of the women left a great part of their body bare which gave more room for personal adornment with ornaments and they bedecked every limb and corner of their body from head to foot with different types of ornaments. The love of ornaments was inherent in the human race and both male and female used to wear the different types of ornaments. But it was not confined to the people of any religion, sect or class. The well-to-do or rich people had great attention to the physical adornment. The ornaments were made of different kind of material, from the cheapest to the most valuable even sometimes studded with pearls and diamonds and used according to their status. Social position of a woman was determined by her ornaments and love of jewellery she used to wear.