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Discuss the social & economic factors for the rise of Buddhism. How far was it influenced by Upanisadic thought?

  • UPSC 1987
  • Period of Mahajanapadas

The sixth century B.C. stands out in Indian history as the age of "second urbanisation," when the middle Gangetic plains threw up not one but many heterodox movements — traditions count as many as sixty-two contending sects — challenging the ritual authority of the Brahmanas. Of these, Buddhism alone grew into a pan-Indian, institutionally organised…

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What the full answer covers

  • Social Strain: The Rigidities of the Varna Order
  • Economic Transformation: Iron, Agriculture and Trade
  • Convergence with Upanishadic Thought
  • Where Buddhism Broke Away

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