- Agrarian Society- 2/3rd of the Indian population(rural and urban areas) was engaged in agriculture leading to abundant produce of spices,opium,indigo etc.
- Industrial sector- India was a major producer of textiles and handicrafts including muslin from Dhaka, calicos from Bengal and shawls from Kashmir, which were exported to the European markets. While recognizing the skill of Indian artisans, T.N. Mukherjee wrote, “A piece of the muslin 20 yards long and one yard wide could be to pass through a finger ring and required six months to manufacture.”
- Villages- The village population composed of a diverse group of people following different occupations:weavers, goldsmith, potters, washer-men, carpenters, cobblers, oil pressers, barber-surgeons etc. Most of the produce through the interaction of these communities led to a highly self sufficient economy in the villages. In regard to such a strong status of villages Sir Charles Metacalfe wrote, “The village communities are little republics having nearly everything they want within themselves, and almost independent of foreign relations. They seem to last where nothing lasts. This union of the village communities each one forming a separate little state by itself…………………… is in a high degree conducive to their happiness, and to the enjoyment of a great portion of freedom and independence”
- Education-Indigenous education was carried out through pathshalas, madrassahs and gurukulas. These three institutions were the source of traditional knowledge systems in India and played a very significant role in the Indian education.The main subjects, which were reported to be taught were reading,writing, and arithmetic along with books such as Ramayanum, Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita.
- Religion- India was the birth place of a majority of the major religions that are practiced around the world including Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. India had developed the reputation of being a mystical land of religion and spirituality. People began to visit India to gain greater spiritual fulfillment.
- Transport-During the pre-British period, there were no proper transportation systems in India. In the absence of pucca roads, different villages of India were connected with dusty tracks. Most of the roads become muddy during the rainy season leading to some of the villages cutting off due to heavy rainfall followed by consequent flood.