Q. Consider the following statements regarding the Ahom political and social system:

1. Ahom state depended upon forced labour called Khels.
2. Ahom society was divided into clans or paiks.

Which of the above is / are correct?
Answer: Neither 1 nor 2
Notes: The Ahom state depended upon forced labour. Those forced to work for the state were called paiks. A census of the population was taken. Each village had to send a number of paiks by rotation. People from heavily populated areas were shifted to less populated places. Ahom society was divided into clans or khels. There were very few castes of artisans, so artisans in the Ahom areas came from the adjoining kingdoms. A khel often controlled several villages. The peasant was given land by his village community. Even the king could not take it away without the community's consent.