| Reference Book | Ratna Sagar Integrated Social Science |
| Class | Class 7 |
| Category | History |
| Chapter Number | Chapter 2 |
| Chapter Name | The Regional Kingdom – 1 |
A) Tick (✓) the correct answers.
1) ________ was the capital of the Chandellas.
a) Malkhed
b) Tanjore
c) Kanchi
d) Khajuraho ✓
2) The Tripartite struggle to capture _______ lasted for over two centuries.
a) Devagiri
b) Dhillika
c) Kanauj ✓
d) Ajmer
3) The Pala Dynasty was succeeded by the ________ Dynasty in the twelfth century.
a) Sena ✓
b) Vanga
c) Gauda
d) Anga
4) ________ founded the Yadava Dynasty in Devagiri.
a) Bhoja
b) Dantidurga
c) Bhillama ✓
d) Bhim
5) This traveller visited the kingdoms of kakatiyas and Pandyas.
a) Abdur Razzaq
b) Al-Beruni
c) Nicolo Conti
d) Marco Polo ✓
Give short answers for the following questions.
Que 1) How did the Rajputs explain their origin?
Ans The Rajputs, however, claimed to be descendants of the kshatriyas or warrior class of Vedic times. They claimed that they were ‘surya-vanshi’, that is, belonging to the sun family or “chandra-vanshi’, that is, belonging to the moon family. Some Rajput clans also considered themselves to be part of the fire family (agni-kula). They believed that they were born out of sacrificial fire.
Que 2) How did Muhammad Ghori benefit from Mahmud of Ghazni’s death?
Ans Muhammad made Ghor independent and annexed all Ghaznavids territories. And thus benefits from his death. After Mahmud Ghazni’s, death he annexed all the Ghazanavaids territories after Mahmud’s death. However, the Ghaznavids became weak. He also expanded his empire by invading India.
Que 3) Which ruling dynasties engaged in a tripartite struggle to control Kanauj? Give reasons.
Ans Kanauj was the most important city in North India. Its location was such that whoever held Kanauj could control the resources (minerals, agriculture, trade) of the entire Ganga valley. Since the eighth century the Palas, Gurjara-Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas were engaged in a tripartite struggle to control Kanauj.
Que 4) How do you know that the Rashtrakutas were patrons of art, architecture and literature?
Ans The Rashtrakuta kings were patrons of art, architecture and literature. The famous Kailasa Temple at Ellora and the rock-cut caves at Elephanta were carved during the reign of the Rashtrakutas. The rulers also encouraged the growth of regional languages, especially Kannada,
Que 5) What do you know about Chola sculpture?
Ans The Cholas also excelled at making images of gods and goddesses. These images were either of stone or bronze, the latter being more popular. The bronze image of Lord Shiva as Nataraja—Lord of Dance, is one of the finest specimens of Chola art.
Give long answers for the following questions.
Que 1) How was the clash between Prithviraj Chauhan and Muhammad Ghori in 1192 different from the clash in 1191?
Ans In 1191, the armies of Muhammad Ghori and Prithviraj Chauhan clashed at Tarain, about 80 miles from Delhi. Muhammad Ghori was defeated in the First Battle of Tarain. Soon after, Muhammad Ghori began to regroup his forces. The two armies met once again in 1192. This time, Muhammad’s army was better prepared. Prithviraj appealed to the neighbouring kings for help. Some Rajput rulers came to his help. The most powerful Rajput ruler – Raja Jaichandra of Kanauj, however, stayed away. Prithviraj was defeated and captured. His territories were occupied.
Que 2) Describe the military achievements of Rajaraja Chola and Rajendra Chola.
Ans
Military achievements of Rajaraja Chola
Rajaraja Chola also called Rajaraja I, was a brilliant commander. He defeated the Pandyas and the Cheras. He built a strong navy to control trade along the coastal areas. The Chola fleet captured parts of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and the Maldive Islands.
Military achievements of Rajendra Chola
Rajendra Chola’s army defeated the Cheras, the Chalukyas and marched as far north as modern-day West Bengal, where he defeated the Palas. After this victory, Rajendra Chola called himself ‘Gangaikondachola’ which means one who has conquered places up to the River Ganga. He also built a new capital near Tanjore and called it ‘Gangaikondacholapuram’.
Rajendra Chola’s most daring campaign was in South-east Asia. For centuries, Indian merchants had been trading with various parts of South-east Asia and southern China. Indian ships had to pass through the Straits of Molucca, which was controlled by the kingdom of Sri Vijaya. The merchants of Sri Vijaya did not allow Indian ships and merchants to sail in this region. Many of these merchants were from the Chola Kingdom. They appealed to Rajendra Chola for help. He sent his fleet and defeated the Sri Vijaya king. So trade with South-east Asia and southern China made the Chola Kingdom very wealthy.
Que 3) What do you know about Chola administration?
Ans The kingdom was divided into provinces called mandalams, looked after by governors. Each mandalam was further divided into numerous valanadus. Each valanadu consisted of a number of villages. The village was the lowest unit. There were also many towns or nagarams such as Tanjore, Kanchi and Puhar.
2) Local self-government was a special feature of Chola administration. Villages enjoyed freedom in looking after their own affairs. Each village had two assemblies – the ur and the sabha. The former was the general assembly of the village. The latter was a gathering of all male adults of the village. These assemblies also formed many sub-committees. All affairs of the village such as measurement of land under cultivation, calculation of tax and its collection, settlement of disputes, sharing of water, building and repairing water tanks and irrigation canals and so on were looked after by these sub-committees.
Que 4) Write a short note on the regional kingdoms of the Deccan.
Ans The area between the Narmada and Krishna rivers is known as the Deccan.
The regional kingdoms of the Deccan are :
1) The Rashtrakutas – The Rashtrakutas rose to power in the eighth century under Dantidurga. They fought against the Palas and the Gurjara-Pratiharas in the north. Towards the south, they clashed with the Pallavas, the Pandyas and the Cholas. Continuous wars weakened the Rashtrakutas considerably. They were finally overthrown in the tenth century.
2) Yadavas of Devagiri – Bhillama founded the kingdom in the twelfth century. Soon, the Yadavas consolidated themselves in the region between the Narmada and Godavari rivers. A flourishing trade made the kingdom rich and prosperous. In the fourteenth century, the Khalji rulers annexed their territories.
3) Chalukyas of Kalyani – The Chalukyas of Kalyani were also known as the Later Chalukyas or the Western Chalukyas. The greatest ruler was Vikramanka. He and his successors built many temples at Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal.
4) Kakatiyas of Warangal – The Kakatiyas ruled in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Their kingdom lay between the Godavari and Krishna rivers. Marco Polo tells us that the Kakatiya rulers were followers of Shaivism, though Jainism and Vaishnavism also flourished. The rulers patronized Sanskrit and Telugu. In the early fourteenth century, the kingdom was conquered by the sultans of Delhi.
5) Hoysalas of Dvarasamudra – The Hoysalas ruled the region covered by present-day Karnataka. The most powerful king was Vishnuvardhan. Ultimately, the kingdom was absorbed into the Delhi Sultanate.
HOTS
Que 5) ‘Muhammad Ghori’s invasion changed the course of Indian History. Do you agree with the statement? Give reasons to support your argument.
Ans Yes, I agree with the statement that Muhammad Ghori’s invasion changed the course of Indian History. He was an ambitious ruler. He wanted to expand his empire so decided to invade India not just for its wealth but also to build an empire. He was defeated once by Prithviraj Chauhan in 1911 at the battle of Tarain. Soon after, Muhammad Ghori began to regroup his forces. But in 1912 Prithviraj was defeated and captured. His territories were occupied. Muhammad Ghori did not stop at this. In 1194, he defeated Raja Jaichandra. Thereafter he overran the entire Gangs-yamuna doab. He was the founder of Delhi Sultnate.
Que 6) A Chola period inscription, carved out of stone, declares that ‘destroyers of the tank will go to the deepest of hell and one who maintains it well will be rewarded with great riches and luxuries – in his next birth.’ What possible conclusion can you draw from the above statement?
Ans The conclusion that we can draw from the above statement are that people at Chola period believed in the recreation of people. They believe that if they do good in this birth then they will be rich and rewarded with luxuries in their next birth. The Cholas period inscription emphasizes the importance of preserving and maintaining water resources, as it associates severe consequences with their destruction and rewards with their proper maintenance. They thought that whoever destroys the tank in this birth will be punished in the next birth.
Leave a Reply