Vishti
Also called: Forced labour · Topic: Society in Early India: Kinship, Varna-Jati, Women · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Vishti means forced labour. It was work people had to do for the state or for a powerful landholder without proper pay. It appears in ancient Indian texts and inscriptions, from the Arthashastra to later land grants. When kings gave land as a gift, the grant often passed on the right to demand vishti, or listed it among the dues the villagers owed. This shows how heavily ordinary peasants were burdened.
Example
The Junagadh inscription of the Shaka ruler Rudradaman (c. 2nd century CE, Gujarat) records the rebuilding of the Sudarshana lake. It proudly says the work was done without forcing vishti on his subjects. The boast shows that forced labour was normal, and that a king who avoided it was praised.
Don't confuse with
- Taxes in kind (bhaga): bhaga was a share of the crop paid to the king. Vishti was a demand for labour, not for produce.