▁a ▁different ▁type ▁of ▁networking ▁based ▁on ▁political ▁hier arch ies . ▁The ▁strength ening ▁of ▁those ▁hier arch ies , ▁which ▁was ▁achieved ▁in ▁part ▁by ▁don ating ▁land ▁for ▁the ▁tem ples ▁and ▁then ▁att ending ▁worship , ▁was ▁necessary ▁as ▁the ▁in land ▁agr arian ▁society ▁grew ▁rapidly ▁in ▁number ▁and ▁location . ▁ ▁Society ▁ ▁There ▁is ▁a ▁dispar ity ▁between ▁analysis ▁of ▁ins cri ptions , ▁of ▁which ▁the ▁work ▁of ▁C yn th ia ▁Tal bot ▁has ▁been ▁in ▁the ▁v angu ard , ▁and ▁the ▁traditional ▁works ▁of ▁V edic ▁H indu ism ▁that ▁described ▁pre - colon ial ▁India ▁in ▁terms ▁of ▁a ▁rever ent ▁and ▁static ▁society ▁that ▁was ▁subject ▁to ▁the ▁strict ures ▁of ▁the ▁cas te ▁system . ▁Col onial ▁British ▁administr ators ▁found ▁much ▁that ▁appe aled ▁to ▁them ▁in ▁the ▁latter ▁works ▁but ▁the ▁K ak ati ya ▁ins cri ptions ▁of ▁And h ra ▁Pr adesh , ▁which ▁dep ict ▁a ▁far ▁wider ▁range ▁of ▁society ▁and ▁events , ▁suggest ▁that ▁the ▁reality ▁was ▁far ▁more ▁fluid ▁and ▁very ▁different ▁from ▁the ▁ideal ised ▁image . ▁ ▁C aste ▁itself ▁seems ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁of ▁low ▁importance ▁as ▁a ▁social ▁identifier . ▁Even ▁the ▁K ak ati ya ▁k ings , ▁with ▁one ▁exception , ▁considered ▁themselves ▁to ▁be ▁Sh ud ras ▁( in ▁the ▁rit ual ▁var na ▁system ). ▁They ▁were ▁eg al itar ian ▁in ▁nature ▁and ▁promoted ▁their ▁sub ordinate ▁war rior - ch ief