ABSTRACT
Around the fifth century BCE in India, a series of factors, including increased levels of agricultural production, improvement of trade, population concentration, and general monetary and economic development, led to the founding and flourishing of cities. This was also a time when the economic and cultural focus changed from rural communities to growing cities. A progressive royalty and an affluent merchant class attained prominence and power. These openminded people were innovative in many ways and demolished the basic, controlling superstructure of rural society: the religion of the Bhramans.
