ABSTRACT
The political process in the Rgveda reveals several layers some of which can be clearly outlined. A different form of political arrangement may relate to tribal chiefs with a subject population and a habitat, sedentary or shifting within the territory of the donor king. Gods like Varuna and Indra who shared the attributes of great earthly kings and flaunted their lifestyle are said to dwell in huge palaces provided with a thousand doors and a thousand pillars. The territorial character of the state in old Vedic society is evident from frequent episodes relating to the capture of fortified settlements, rich agricultural land and hydraulic architecture for water management. The importance attached to the horse and the chariot as the two essentials of territorial warfare is manifest from the divinization of chariot-makers and the war horse in the relevant portion of the text. Even when territory was signified as a central feature of king's authority, the focus remained on the people.
