CLASS VII SOCIAL SCIENCE (HISTORY) CHAPTER 2 NEW KINGS AND KINGDOMS (A.D. 700-1200) BOOK EXERCISES I. Tick the correct answers. 1. Rajashekhar wrote (a) Meghaduta (b) Kavyamimansa(ANS) (c) Rajtarangini 2. The Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya was built by (a) Devapala(ANS) (b) Dharmapala (c) Raja Bhoj 3. Dantidurga was the founder of the dynasty. (a) Chera (b) Pala (c) Rashtrakuta(ANS) 4. The second Battle of Tarain was fought in (a) AD 1292 (b) AD 1182 (c) AD 1192 (ANS) II. Fill in the blanks. 1. Devapala and Dharmapala was a great ruler of the Pala dynasty. 2. 2. Mahmud of Ghazni patronised scholars like Alberuni and Firdausi. 3. 3. Muhammad Ghori appointed Qutab-ud-din Aibak as his governor. 4. 4. Persian wheel is known as Rahat. It was used for irrigation III. Write True or False against each statement. 1. Mahmud of Ghazni was the first Turk to invade India. T 2. Mahmud of Ghazni attacked India to accumulate wealth. T 3. Mahmud of Ghazni invaded India from 1025–1050. F 4. Alberuni wrote the epic Shahnama. T 5. Varnas were further subdivided into sub-castes. T IV. Match the following. Column A Column B 1. Raja Bhoja (b) Adivaraha 2. Mahendrapala (e) Kavyamimansa 3. Matsyanyaya (a) Internal disorder in Bengal 4. Dantidurga (c) Founder of Rashtrakutas 5. Vaishnava (d) Worship of Vishnu COPY WORK KEY TERMS Agnikula : Those who were born of the sacred fire. Yajna : Ritual sacrifice. Feudatories : Holders of land on certain conditions of services. Jauhar : Mass sacrifice undertaken by the Rajput women to save their honour and chastity. I.. Answer these questions. 1. Write short notes on (a) Raja Bhoja (b) Dharmapala (c) Amoghavarsha (d) Devapala (e) Prithviraj Chauhan. ANS. (a) Raja Bhoja: Mihir Bhoja or Raja Bhoja was the most powerful ruler of this dynasty. He ruled from A.D. 836 to A.D. 885. Under him, the Pratihara empire reached its greatest extent. He even conquered Kanauj and thus added much to his glory at that time. He was a devotee of Vishnu and took the title of Adivaraha. (b) Dharmapala: Dharmapala (A.D. 780–815 was a great ruler of Palas dynasty. He was a great warrior. He fought many successful wars with the neighbouring states. He was a Buddhist and founded the famous monastery of Vikramashila which grew to be a great university later on. (c) Amoghavarsha: He was a great ruler of Rashtrakutas dynasty. He succeeded Krishna I to the throne. He was Jain but also patronised often faiths. He was a great scholar. Amoghavarsha who reigned in the 9th century is credited with writing the earliest book on poetics in Kannada. (d) Devapala: Devapala was a great ruler of Palas dynasty. He was also an able ruler. He humbled many Rajput clans in the neighbourhood. He was a patron of learning and was a great builder. He built the famous Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya. Under him, the Pala dynasty established trade relations with South-East Asia. (e) Prithviraj Chauhan: He was the great Rajput ruler of Delhi and Ajmer. He defeated Ghori in the First Battle of Tarain. Ghori escaped, while many of his soldiers were killed. He came again with a larger army and defeated Prithviraj in the Second Battle of Tarain, in A.D. 1192. 2. Who were the Chahamanas? Write a brief note about them. ANS. The Chahamanas who for about two centuries (middle of the 8th century to the end of the 10th century) ruled from small principalities lying in certain parts of Rajasthan. They acted as the feudatories of the Pratiharas, Paramaras, Chalukyas etc. Some of their rulers did establish their independent kingdoms, though they existed for a short period. They were great patrons of art and literature. Durlabharaja, is said to have defeated the king of Gauda and Govindraja, successfully repulsed the attack of the Sultan of Sind. The Chahamana ruler, Vakpatiraja, built a temple of Shiva at Puskara. Another ruler Vigraharaja II, who ruled in 973, built a temple of a Goddess at Bhrigukachchha on the bank of the Narmada. 3. Who were the Rashtrakutas? What were their achievements. ANS. The Rashtrakutas came to power after the fall of the Chalukyas of Badami in the Deccan. Dantivarman, also known as Dantidurga, was the founder of this dynasty who rose to power in 753, Krishna I, Govinda III, Amoghvarsha and Indra III were some other great rulers of this dynasty. They then struggled against the Pratiharas and the Palas for the control of the city of Kanauj. The Rashtrakutas were patrons of art and learning. King Krishna I built the rock-cut Kailasha Temple at Ellora. King Amoghavarsha was a great scholar. These kings maintained trade relations with foreign countries. The state was prosperous under the Rashtrakutas 4. Give an account of the achievement of Mahmud of Ghazni. ANS. Mahmud of Ghazni was the ruler of Ghazni. During the course of 25 years (1001 to 1025 A.D.), he carried out 17 raids on India. He attacked India mainly to accumulate wealth. His main attacks were directed against the rulers of Punjab, Kangra, Thanesar, Mathura, Kanauj, Kalinjar etc. He even attacked Somnath Temple in Kathiawar to plunder its enormous wealth. He never suffered a defeat. He was also a great patron of art and literature. 5. Who was the real founder of the Muslim Empire in India? Give reasons. [HOTS] ANS. Muhammad Ghori was not as great a military leader as was Mahmud of Ghazni but he is regarded as the real founder of the Muslim empire in India. He did not feel content with merely defeating the Rajputs and plundering their territories. He annexed to his own empire whatever he conquered. Even when he was away from India, he left it to his generals to complete his work of conquests. But Mahmud of Ghazni was interested only in the wealth of India and not in founding an empire. 6. Give an account of the chief features of the administration of these kingdoms which flourished from AD 700 to AD 1200. ANS. All the rulers of the kingdoms which rose and fell during these five hundred years (A.D. 700–1200) adopted high-ranking titles such as Maharaja-Adhiraja and Tribhuvana- Chakravartin In running the administration they, however, took the help of their ‘Samantas’, Brahmanas and even the common castes and peasants. Taxes were also collected from traders, industrialists and all other professionals. The money thus collected was necessary for running the administration, for fighting wars as well as for constructing temples etc. 7. Write brief notes on each of the following pertaining to this period. (a) society (b) economy (c) education (d) science and (e) religion ANS. (a) Society: The caste system continued to be the backbone of the Rajputs. Out of the four original castes, many new sub-castes sprang up. The caste system had become rigid and the idea of untouchability had gained ground. The Brahmanas commanded great respect in the society. The Kshatriyas provided the rulers and soldiers. Woman occupied a respectable position in the Rajput society. She could choose her husband in Swayamvara. She was given higher education. There was no purdah system in the Rajput society. (b) Economy: Agriculture was the main occupation of the people. Trade and commerce flourished well. Skilled artisans produced various kinds of articles. The people had developed good knowledge of various means of irrigation including the Persian Wheel (Rahat) even before the coming of the Muslims. In the field of industry good progress had been made. Metal working was also common. According to Arab sources Indian exports consisted of wood products, sandalwood, nutmeg, camphor, and many spices. Indians also exported precious and semi-precious stones, pearls and fisheries. They imported horses from Central and West Asia. (c) Education: Education remained the sole prerogative of the Brahamans though others also received education in sacred texts and warfare. Women were also given education in arts and crafts. (d) Science: Various kinds of working of metals was known. Artisans were highly skilled and produced goods of fine quality. Various kinds of arts and crafts were known. India achieved excellence in the field of sculpture. (e) Religion: The Shaiva and Vaishnava sects were quite popular in Northern India. The people worshipped Vishnu, Shiva, Durga and many other Gods and Goddesses of the Hindus. The Bhakti Movement led by Nayanars and Alvars in the south now spread to the north. Buddhism also witnessed revival. It was chiefly on account of the fact that Buddha came to be regarded as one of the incarnations of Vishnu. Jainism also gained popularity among trading classes in the northwestern India. II. Give reason. 1. There was a tripartite struggle for Kannauj. ANS. Kannauj was once the capital of Harsha. To capture it meant the control of the Ganga valley. So there was a struggle among the three powers — the Palas, the Pratiharas and the Rashtrakutas — for the control of Kanauj for about a century (from 780 to 910 A.D.) with several rises and falls. 2. Mahmud of Ghazni invaded India. ANS. Mahmud of Ghazni invaded India to plunder and amass wealth. India’s wealth and prosperity was famous and known all over the world. Religious towns and temples held gold, gems, and jewellery. He did not aim at the conquest of territories but wished to accumulate wealth. 3. We say that Muhammad Ghori was interested in establishing an empire in India. ANS. Unlike Mahmud of Ghazni, Muhammad Ghori was interested in the conquest of Indian territories. He defeated Prithviraj in the Second Battle of Tarain, in A.D.