Why do you think towns grew around temples?
The towns grew around temples due to the following reasons:
- Temple were often central to the economy and society.
- Rulers, who built temples, donated land and money to carry out the rituals, feed pilgrims and priests and celebrate festivals etc.
- Pilgrims who flocked to the temples also do donations.
- Temple authorities used their wealth to finance, trade and banking.
How important were craftspersons for the building and maintenance of temples?
In what ways was craft production in cities like Calcutta different from that in cities like Thanjavur?
Why did people from distant lands visit Surat?
How was water supplied to the city of Thanjavur?
Who lived in the “Black Towns” in cities such as Madras?
Fill in the blanks:
(a) The Rajarajeshvara temple was built in ———.
(b) Ajmer is associated with the Sufi saint ————.
(c) Hampi was the capital of the ———— Empire.
(d) The Dutch established a settlement at ———— in Andhra Pradesh.
State whether true or false:
(a) We know the name of the architect of the Rajarajeshvara temple from an inscription.
(b) Merchants preferred to travel individually rather than in caravans.
(c) Kabul was a major centre for trade in elephants.
(d) Surat was an important trading port on the Bay of Bengal.
Who was considered a “foreigner” in the past?
Match the following:
Gurjara-Pratiharas Western Deccan
Rashtrakutas Bengal
Palas Gujarat and Rajasthan
Cholas Tamil Nadu
Which ruler first established his or her capital at Delhi?
Match the following:
mansab Marwar
Mongol governor
Sisodiya Rajput Uzbeg
Rathor Rajput Mewar
Nur Jahan rank
subadar Jahangir
How is the “trabeate” principle of architecture different from the “arcuate”?
Match the following:
garh khel
tanda chaurasi
labourer caravan
clan Garha Katanga
Sib Singh Ahom state
Durgawati paik
The Buddha namghar
Shankaradeva worship of Vishnu
Nizamuddin Auliya questioned social differences
Nayanars Sufi saint
Alvars worship of Shiva
Anantavarman Kerala
Jagannatha Bengal
Mahodayapuram Orissa
Lilatilakam Kangra
Mangalakavya Puri
Miniature Kerala
Match the following:
subadar a revenue farmer
faujdar a high noble
ijaradar provincial governor
misl Maratha peasant warriors
chauth a Mughal military commander
kunbis a band of Sikh warriors
umara tax levied by the Marathas
State whether true or false:
(a) We do not find inscriptions for the period after 700.
(b) The Marathas asserted their political importance during this period.
(c) Forest-dwellers were sometimes pushed out of their lands with the spread of agricultural settlements.
(d) Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban controlled Assam, Manipur and Kashmir.
The rich and powerful construct large houses today. In what ways were the constructions of kings and their courtiers different in the past?
List some of the technological changes associated with this period.
Fill in the blanks:
(a) The capital of Mirza Hakim, Akbar’s half-brother, was ____________.
(b) The five Deccan Sultanates were Berar, Khandesh, Ahmadnagar, ____________ and _________________.
(c) If zat determined a mansabdar’s rank and salary, sawar indicated his ____________ .
(d) Abul Fazl, Akbar’s friend and counsellor, helped him frame the idea of ____________ so that he could govern a society composed of many religions, cultures and castes.
Why were temples built in Bengal?
What were the policies adopted by Asaf Jah to strengthen his position?
Why did the Marathas want to expand beyond the Deccan?
Peasants were vital for the economy of the Mughal Empire. Do you think that they are as important today? Has the gap in the income between the rich and the poor in India changed a great deal from the period of the Mughals?
How important was the income from land revenue to the stability of the Mughal Empire?
In what ways was the history of the Gonds different from that of the Ahoms? Were there any similarities?
What were the offices held by Sa‘adat Khan?