Answer: It was considered a source of income for the State, a sort of tax paid by the people.
Notes: The correct answer is [A] It was considered a source of income for the State, a sort of tax paid by the people. During the Gupta period, the administrative and economic structure integrated forced labour as a legitimate state levy.
- Statement [A] (Correct): Vishti or forced labour was viewed as a form of "tax in kind" paid by the subjects to the king. In various Gupta inscriptions (such as the Junagadh inscription), it is mentioned alongside other taxes like Bali, Bhaga, and Kara. Since the state provided protection and administration, the subjects were expected to provide labour for public works, such as the construction of dams, roads, and military fortifications.
- Statement [B] (Incorrect): Epigraphic evidence, including the copper plate inscriptions of the Vakatakas (who were contemporaries and allies of the Guptas), proves that Vishti was prevalent in the Madhya Pradesh and Kathiawar (Gujarat) regions. Land grant charters often specifically exempted the donated land from the obligation of providing Vishti to the state, implying its general existence in those areas.
- Statement [C] (Incorrect): By its very definition, Vishti was unpaid labour. It was a compulsory service extracted by the state or local lords without any entitlement to regular or weekly wages. This distinguishes it from hired labour (Karmakara).
- Statement [D] (Incorrect): Historical records do not suggest a specific rule that only the eldest son was sent. The labour was typically extracted from the household or the village community as a whole, depending on the requirement of the local governor or the state.
- The prevalence of Vishti is often cited by historians as a sign of increasing feudalization during the Gupta and post-Gupta periods.
- While the Mauryan period also had forced labour, it became more organized and locally extracted during the Gupta era as power became more decentralized.
