With reference to Indian history, which of the following is/are the essential elementary elements of the feudal system? 1) A very strong centralized political authority and a very weak provincial or local political authority 2) Emergence of administrative structure based on control and possession of land 3) Creation of lord-vassal relationship between the feudal lord and his overlord Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

The correct answer is B, meaning statements 2 and 3 only. Feudalism, as discussed in the early medieval India debate (the R.S. Sharma line on land grants and the decline of trade), rests on two pillars: an administrative set-up built on land control and a personal lord-vassal bond.

• Statement 2 is correct. Power was tied to control over land. Land grants to Brahmanas, temples and officials (samantas, ranakas, rajaputras) made land the basis of authority, and revenue rights were delegated locally.
• Statement 3 is correct. The relationship was personal and reciprocal. Vassals owed military service, tribute and loyalty to their overlord, who in return granted them land or status.
• Statement 1 is wrong. Feudalism is marked by a weak central authority and strong, semi-autonomous provincial or local lords. Fragmentation of political power is the defining feature, not a strong centre.

Mains angle: the feudalism debate, whether India had a feudal phase after the Guptas, helps in answers on the early medieval economy, urbanisation and the decline of long-distance trade.

Trap: aspirants read "centralized" as a sign of a mature state and pick D or A. In a feudal polity the centre weakens as local power grows.