With reference to Indian history, which of the following is/are the essential element/elements of the feudal system?
1. A very strong centralized political authority and a very weak provincial or local political authority.
2. Emergence of administrative structure based on control and possession of land
3. Creation of lord-vassal relationship between the feudal lord and his overlord

In Feudalism, there is no or a weak central authority. Feudalism is a synonym for “politically decentralized“. In a centralized kingdom, the monarch effects strong direct control over his entire state; in a decentralized kingdom, the monarch’s power is limited by the strength of local lords, who have significant autonomy (even though they are officially subject to the monarch’s rule). The term feudal can therefore be applied to any state that exists as a collection of significantly autonomous regions.

Statement 2 and 3 are correct. A person became a vassal by pledging political allegiance and providing military, political, and financial service to a lord. A lord possessed complete sovereignty over land, or acted in the service of another sovereign, usually a king. If a lord acted in the service of a king, the lord was considered a vassal of the king.

As part of the feudal agreement, the lord promised to protect the vassal and provided the vassal with a plot of land. This land could be passed on to the vassal’s heirs, giving the vassal tenure over the land.