The Post-Mauryan Period 200 B. C To 300 A. D.

The Post-Mauryan period (200 B.C to 300 A.D.) saw the evolution of various new structures in society. To understand how these new structures impacted the Post-Mauryan society we must first understand how and why these structures came to be.
The Post-Mauryan period was a crucial period in the History of South Asia as this was immediately after the decline of the Mauryan Empire, it was followed by intense competition for the creation of new kingdoms. This period saw the rise of various kingdoms from what was once the great Mauryan Empire. Under the Mauryans, almost all of the subcontinent region was unified under a single ruling entity but during the Post-Mauryan period, the subcontinent was no longer unified, there were several new kingdoms

There was intermingling of Indians and the Hellenistic Greeks in the 2nd century B.C., Indian sources refer to them as the Yavanas. In later times, the term Yavanas continued to be used for people coming from West Asia.
VARNA SYSTEM
The social structures prevalent during the Post-Mauryan period were derived from the manusmriti which divided society into four varnas and the functions to be performed by each varna were clearly laid out.
Brahmans: They were at the very top of the varna hierarchy and were entrusted with the duties of teaching and studying the Vedas, performing rituals, giving and accepting gifts
Kshatriyas: This varna included the warriors of society with their duties being safeguarding the population, fighting wars, offering gifts and

A deviation from the norms of the established order” (Sharma; 2001)
Kali implies the neglect of brahmanical rituals, the rule of mleccha kings but most importantly of all it pertains to the non-performance of one’s varna duties. The brahmanical social structure which relied heavily on Vaishya tribute and Shudra labor was not able to function properly during the Kali. By the time of the 3rd and 4th centuries, social unrest had reached its peaks. There was increased hostility between the brahmanas and the shudras, refusal to pay taxes or offerings by the vaishyas, widespread thievery and crime, loss of livelihood, dominance and increased influence of mleccha princes. Kali saw a growing increase in the importance of one’s wealth over their ritual status. Foreign rule, heavy taxation and the enmity between the brahmanas and the shudras can be considered as the leading causes of this social crisis and the varnasamkara or the extensive mixing of the varnas may be seen as an important consequence or