Impact of Ancient Routes on the Society in Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

Madya Pradesh in India is prominent due to its most significant Buddhist remains including monuments and sculptures. Since ancient times, the centers of Buddhism were approachable from all major directions. The present study tries to trace the ancient routes which were once connected to important Buddhist centers. It is a known fact that there were two main routes i.e. Uttarā –path and Dakshninā-path in ancient times. The Dakshina-path passed through Madhya Pradesh due to its geographical situation. Recent researches have shown the presence of sub-routes which have not been mentioned in the Buddhist texts. Archaeological explorations have also revealed the existence of sub-routes which have been discussed in the later paragraphs. In spite of carrying goods and people, these roads paved the way to transmit cultures, technologies, and various aspects of social life from one place to the other. The purpose of this paper is to discuss in detail, the impact of these routes on the social, cultural, economic, political and religious life of people in Madya Pradesh. All the ways by which these routes changed the life of people and made them to accepted and transmitted things with different people and different cultures.