Q 1 – How was water supplied, to the city of Thanjavur?
Ans. Water from wells and tanks was supplied to the city of Thanjavur through channels.
Q 2 – Who lived in the ‘Black Towns’ in cities such as Madras?
Ans. Merchants, artisans (such as weavers), native traders and craftspersons lived in the ‘Black Towns’.
Q 3 – Why do you think towns grew around temples?
Ans. Towns grew around temples because of the following reasons:
- Priests, workers, artisans, craftspersons settled around temples.
- Several shops came up around temples to cater to the needs of pilgrims and priests etc.
Q 4 – How important were craftspersons for the building and maintenance of temples?
Ans. Craftspersons were very important because of the following reasons:
- They carried out inlay work in copper and silver. Craftspersons from Bidar were well-known for Bidri work.
- Goldsmiths, bronzesmiths, blacksmiths, masons, carpenters built temples.
- They also maintained them.
- Weavers also played an important role in cotton textiles.
Q 5 – Why did people from distant lands visit Surat?
Ans. People from distant lands visited Surat because of the following reasons:
- Surat was the gateway for trade with West Asia via the Gulf of Ormuz.
- Surat has also been called the gate to Mecca because many pilgrim ships set sail from here.
- There was a big market for cotton textiles. One could find several retail and wholesale shops selling cotton textiles.
- The textiles of Surat were famous for their gold lace borders, Le. zari and had a market in West Asia, Africa and Europe.
- There were ample rest-houses for the visitors. Magnificent buildings and innumerable pleasure parks attracted people of far-off places.
Q 6 – In what ways was craft production in cities like Calcutta different from that in cities Wee Thanjavur?
Ans. Craft production in Thanjavur was different from that of Kolkata in the following manner:
- Craft production in Thanjavur was in the form of inlays work in copper and silver.
- In Kolkata, it was in the form of cotton textiles, jute textiles, and silk textiles.
- Thanjavur was a temple town and all lived in town.
- Calcutta was a trading town and craftsmen lived in “Blacktown” areas.
Compare any one of the cities described in this chapter with a town or a village with
Q 7 – Which you are familiar. Do you notice any similarities or differences?
Ans. Comparison between Surat and Delhi
Q 8 – What do temple towns represent?
Ans. Temple towns represent a very important pattern of urbanization.
Q 9 – Why did the rulers endow temples with grants of land and money?
Ans. They did so in order to carry out elaborate rituals, feed pilgrims and priests, and celebrate festivals.
Q 10 – How did pilgrims contribute to the temples?
Ans. They made donations.
Q 11 – What is bronze?
Ans. Bronze is an alloy that contains copper and tin.
Q 12 – What is bell metal?
Ans. Bell metal contains a greater proportion of tin than other kinds of bronze. This produces a bell-like sound,
Q 13 – How did temple authorities use their wealth?
Ans. They used their wealth to finance trade and banking,
Q 14 – What did the Indian traders bring from Africa?
Ans. They brought gold and ivory from Africa
Q 15 – Name a few Indian spices which became an important part of European cooking. Ans. Pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried ginger, g. 9. What were craftspersons of Bidar famous for?
Ans. They were famous for their inlay work in copper and silver,
Q 16 – What do the ruins of Hampi reveal?
Ans. The ruins at the Hampi reveal a well-fortified city.
Q 17 – Why has Surat been called the gate to Mecca?
Ans. Surat has been called the gate to Mecca because many pilgrim ships set sail from here.
Q 18 – What were the textiles of Surat famous for?
Ans. The textiles of Surat were famous for their gold lace borders Le. zarL
Q 19 – What was special with the Surat hundis?
Ans. The Surat hundis were honoured in the far-off markets of Cairo in Egypt, Basra in Iraq, and Antwerp in Belgium.
Q 20 – Why did the Dutch and English East India Companies attempt to control Masulipatnam?
Ans. Because Masulipatnam became the most important port on the Andhra coast,
Q 21 – How did the European Companies gain control of the sea trade?
Ans. They gained control of the sea trade by using their naval power,
Q 22 – What was the system of advances?
Ans. Under the system of advances the weavers had to weave cloth which was already promised to European agents.
Q 23 – Name the residence meant for the white rulers in Madras.
Ans. Fort St. George.
Q 24 – Mention some articles of trade on which temple authorities collected taxes.
Ans. Sugar and jaggery, dyes, thread, and cotton, coconut, salt, areca nuts, butter, sesame oil and cloth.
Q 25 – What is the ‘lost wax’ technique?
Ans. Lost wax’ technique was used to make Chola bronze statues. This technique involved several stages :
- First of all, an image was made of wax. This was covered with clay and left in sun to dry.
- It was then heated and a small hole was made in the clay cover. The molten wax was drained out through this hole.
- Then molten wax was poured into the clay mould through the hole. Once the metal cooled and solidified, the clay cover was carefully removed and the image was cleaned and polished.
Q 26 – What purpose did small towns serve?
Or
Describe various Junctions of small towns.
Ans. Several small towns came to be seen in the sub-continent from the 8th century onward. These towns usually had a mandapika or mandi where nearby villagers came to sell their produce. These towns also had market streets called halta or hoot lined with shops
There were also streets for different kinds of artisans such as potters, oil pressers, sugar market, toddy makers etc.
Many traders came from far and near to these towns to buy local articles and sell products of distant places such as salt, camphor, horse, etc.
Q 27 – Find out about the present-day taxes on markets. Who collects these taxes? How are they collected and are they used for?
Ans. The present-day taxes on markets are collected as license fees of shops.
- MCD must collect these taxes.
- MCD does this work with the help of its various departments.
- The taxes collected by MCD are used in the welfare of the public, roads, sewage, electricity, water, etc
Q 28 – Give an account of the architecture of Hampt
Ans. The architecture of Hampi was distinctive in several ways :
- Hampi was a well-fortified city. No mortar or cementing agent was used in the construction of these walls. The technique followed was to wedge them together by inter-locking.
- The buildings in the royal complex had splendid arches, domes and pillared halls with niches for holding sculptures.
- They also had well-planned orchards and pleasure gardens with sculptural motifs such as the lotus and corbels.
Q 29 – How was Hampi in its heyday in the 15-16th centuries? When did it fall into ruin?
Ans. In its heyday in the 15-16th centuries Hampi was an important centre of commercial and cultural activities. Moors, which was a name used collectively for Muslim merchants, Chettis and agents of European traders such as the Portuguese, visited the markets of Hampi.
Temples were the hub of cultural activities. Temple dancers known as devadasis performed before the deities, royalty and masses in the many-pillared halls inthe Virupaksha, a form of Shiva, temple. The Mahanavami festival was one of the most important festivals celebrated at Hampi.
Hampi fell into ruin following the defeat of Vijayanagara in 1565 by the Deccani Sultans.
Q 30 – What were the reasons for the decline of Swat?
Ans. Surat, which was an important trade centre during the Mughal period, began to decline towards the end of the seventeenth century. This was because of the following factors
- Because of the decline of the Mughal Empire, Surat faced a huge loss of markets and productivity
- The control of the sea routes went into the hands of the Portuguese
- Surat could not complete with Bombay were the English East India Company shifted its headquarters in 1668.
Q 31 – What made the city of Masulipatnam populous and prosperous?
Ans. The city of Masulipatnam was a centre of intense activity during the 17th century. Both the Dutch and English East India Companies attempted to control this city as it became the most important part of the Andhra coast. Qutb Shah rulers of Golconda imposed royal monopolies on the sale of textiles, spices, and other items to prevent the trade from passing completely into the hands of the various East India Companies. This led to fierce competition among various trading groups such as the Golconda nobles, Persian merchants, Telugu Komati Chettis, and European traders. As a result, the city became populous and prosperous.
Q 32 – How did the system of advances snatch the freedom of the weavers?
OR
How did the Indian Crafts persons lose their independence?
Ans. The Indian textiles were in great demand in the European markets. As a result, the English began to make attempts to control the Indian craftspersons by appointing Indian traders as their agents. They introduced the system of advances under which the weavers had to weave cloth which was already promised to European agents. Weavers no longer had the liberty of selling their cloth or weaving their patterns. Instead, they had to reproduce the designs supplied to them by the company agents. This system snatched the freedom of the Indian weavers. They began to be guided by someone else.
Q 33 – Describe the trade activities of the big and small traders belonging to the medieval time.
Ans. There were many kinds of traders. These included the Banjaras and several traders especially horse traders.
The traders usually travelled in caravans and formed guilds to protect their interests. There were several such guilds in South India from the eighth century onwards—the most famous being the Manigramam and Nanadesi. These guilds traded extensively both within the peninsula and with Southeast Asia and China. There were also communities like the Chettiyars and the Marwari Oswal who went on to become the major trading groups of the country.
Gujarati traders, including the communities of Hindu Baniyas and Muslim Bohras, traded extensively with the ports of the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, East Africa, Southeast Asia, and China. They sold textiles and spices in these ports and exchange, brought gold and ivory from Africa; and spices, tin, Chinese blue pottery, and silver from Southeast Asia and China.
The towns on the west coast were home to Arab, Persian, Chinese, Jewish, and Syrian Christian traders. Indian spices and cloth sold in the Red seaports were bought by Italian traders and eventually reached European markets, fetching high profits. This ultimately drew European traders to India.
Q 34 – Describe Swat as a gateway to the West
Ans. Surat in Gujarat was the emporium of western trade during the Mughal period along with Cambay (now Khambat) and somewhat later, Ahmedabad. Surat was the gateway for trade with West Asia via the Gulf of Ormuz. Surat has also been called the gate to Mecca because many pilgrim ships set sail from here.
Surat was a cosmopolitan city inhabited by people of all castes and creeds. In the 17th century the Portuguese, Dutch and English had their factories and warehouses at Surat. Several retail and wholesale shops could be found in Surat. These shops sold cotton textiles. Here, it is worth mentioning that the textiles of Surat were famous for their gold lace borders, le. zari and had a market in West Asia, African and Europe.
The state provided all the facilities to the people who came to the city from all over the world. The Kathiawad seths or mahqjaxvs had huge banking houses at Surat. The Surat hundis were honoured in far-off markets of Cairo in Egypt, Basra in Iraq and Antwerp in Belgium.
Q 35 – Why was Thanjavur famous?
Ans. Thanjavur was famous because it was capital of the Cholas dynasty.
Q 36 – Name the river which was flowed near Thanjavur.
Ans. Kaveri river flowed near the town Thanjavur.
Q 37 – Who built Raj arajeshvara temple?
Ans. Rajarajeshvara temple built by King Rajaraja Chola.
Q 38 – Name the activities held by the king in the towns.
Ans. Kings held court in mandaps, issuing orders to their subordinates. There are also barracks for the army.
Q 39 – What were the market activities in towns?
Ans. The towns were bustling with markets selling grains, spices, cloth and jewellery.
Q 40 – How did water get supplied in the town?
Ans. Water was supplied in the town from wells and tanks.
Q 41 – Name the places which were famous for producing cloth.
Ans. Thanjavur and the nearby town Uraiyur were famous for producing cloth.
Q 42 – What was the use of clothes in the temples?
Ans. The cloth was used in the temples as flags.
Q 43 – Which kind of cotton was used by the kings?
Ans. Fine cotton was used by the kings.
Q 44 – What do you mean by the ‘pattern of urbanization’?
Ans. Pattern of urbanization is a process by which cities are developed.
Q 45 – Why were temples built by the kings?
Ans. Kings built temples to demonstrate their devotion to various deities.
Q 46 – Name the capital of the Chauhan reign.
Ans. Ajmer was the capital of the Chauhan reign.
Q 47 – Who was Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti?
Ans. Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti was a famous Sufi Saint settled in Ajme
Q 48 – Name the communities which were included in the Gujarati traders.
Ans. Gujarati traders, included the communities of Hindu Baniyas and Muslim Bohras.
Q 49 – What did Gujarati traders use to sell?
Ans. They sold textiles and spices.
Q 50 – Which spices were grown in the tropical climates?
Ans. Spices such as pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried ginger etc., grown in tropical climates.
Q 51 – Why were craftspersons of Bidar so famous?
Ans. The craftspersons of Bidar were so famed for their inlay work in copper and silver.
Q 52 – What is Bidri?
Ans. Inlay work on metal of‘Bidar’ craftspersons is called ‘Bidri’.
Q 53 – When did Hampi fall into ruin?
Ans. Hampi fell into ruin following the defeat of Vijayanagara in 1565 by the Deccani Sultans.
Q 54 – Name the city which was gateway for trade with West Asia via the Gulf of Ormuz.
Ans. Surat was the gateway for trade with West Asia via the Gulf of Ormuz.
Q 55 – Which city was called the gate to Mecca, and why?
Ans. Surat was called gate to Mecca because many pilgrims used this place to visit Mecca.
Q 56 – What were the facilities available in Surat?
Ans. There were rest-houses, magnificent buildings and innumerable pleasure parks.
Q 57 – Who had banking houses at Surat?
Ans. The Kathiawad seths or mahajans had huge banking houses at Surat.
Q 58 – What was importance of Hundis in Surat?
Ans. Surat hundis were honoured in the far-off markets of Cairo in Egypt, Basra in Iraq and Antwerp in Belgium.
Q 59 – When did Surat begin to decline?
Ans. Surat began to decline towards the end of the 17th century.
Q 60 – What were the functions of the medieval town?
Ans. Medieval town combined several functions-they were administrative centres, temple towns, as well as centres of commercial activities and craft production.
Q 61 – Why did the Kings donate land and money to the temples?
Ans. Kings donated land and money to the temples to carry out elaborate rituals, feed pilgrims and priests and celebrate festivals.
Q 62 – How were temple towns grown?
Ans. Temple authorities used their wealth to finance trade and banking. Gradually a large number of priests, workers, artisans, traders etc., settled near the temple to cater to its needs and those of the pilgrims and thus grew temple towns.
Q 63 – Which cities or towns were developed around the temples?
Ans. Bhillasvamin (Madhya Pradesh), Somnath (Gujarat), Kanchipuram, Tiruvannamalai and Madurai (Tamil Nadu), Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh) etc., towns were developed around the temples.
Q 64 – What do you understand by ‘temple towns’?
Ans. Temple towns are settlements where towns are famous for existence of temple. In these towns people mainly gather to demonstrate their devotion.
Q 65 – Why did samanta or zamindars build the temples?
Ans. Samanta or zamindars built the temples to charge taxes on traders, artisans and articles of trade and sometimes ‘donated’ the ‘right’ to collect these taxes to local temples, which had been built by them-selves
Q 66 – In which form were the taxes collected during the period? Name some of the items which were covered under tax.
Ans. Taxes were collected in kind or in cash. Taxes were levied on sugar and jaggery, dyes, thread, cotton, on coconuts, salt, butter, seasame oil, on cloth, metal goods, distillers, cattle fodder and on loads of grain.
Q 67 – What items were brought by Gujarati traders?
Ans. Gujarati traders brought:
Q 68 – What were the works performed by the Vishwakarma community?
Ans. The Vishwakarma community, consisting of goldsmiths, bronzesmiths, blacksmiths, masons and carpenters were essential to the construction of buildings of temples, palaces, big buildings, tanks and reservoirs.
Q 69 – Name the works performed by the weavers.
Ans. Weavers such as the Saliyar or Kaikkolars perfomed cloth making like cotton cleaning, spinning and dyeing and became specialized and independent crafts.
Q 70 – What was main feature of Surat port at that time?
Ans. In 17th century there were many factories and warehouses at Surat. On an average a hundred ships of different countries could be found at the port at any time.
Q 71 – Describe the cotton textiles in Surat during 17th century.
Ans. In the Surat, there were several retail and wholesale shops selling cotton textiles. The textiles of Surat were famous for their gold lace borders (zari) and had a market in West Asia, Africa and Europe.
Q 72 – What attracted the Europeans?
Ans. Spices such as pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried ginger etc., became an important part of European cooking and they were also attracted towards cotton cloth.
Q 73 – What were the reasons for decline of Surat?
Ans. This was because of two main reasons:
- The loss of markets and productivity because of the decline of the Mughal Empire
- Headquarters of East India Company shifted to Bombay.
Q 74 – Write a note on Hampi including its construction, commercial and cultural activities.
Ans. Hampi is located in the Krishna-Tungabhadra basin, which formed the nucleus of the Vijayanagara Empire, founded in 1336. It is a well-fortified city. No mortar or cementing agent was used in the construction of these walls and technique followed was to wedge them together by interlocking.
Hampi was a busy place with commercial and cultural activities. Moors (Muslim merchants), Chettis and European traders joined the markets of Hampi.
Devadasis performed before the deity, royalty and masses in the Virupaksha (a form of Shiva) temple. The Mahanavami festival (now known as Navaratri) was one of the most important festivals celebrated at Hampi. King also participated in the Mahanavami festival and received guests and accepted tribute from subordinate chiefs.
Q 75 – How were the large villages developed in towns?
Ans. Gradually, the large villages developed in towns. Once a big temple or Saint etc., was established, the devotees started together and stay there. The priest, workers, artisans, handicraftsmen, flower sellers, traders etc., settled near the temple to cater the needs of devotees or pilgrims. Thus, gradually towns were developed.
Q 76 – Write a short note on Masulipatnam.
Ans. The town of Masulipatnam lay on the delta of the Krishna river. In the 17th century, it was a centre of intense activity. Both the Dutch and English East India Companies attempted to control Masulipatnam as it became the most important port on the Andhra coast.
The fort at Masulipatnam was built by the Dutch. Various trading groups-the Golconda nobles, Persian Merchants, Telugu Komati Chettis, and European traders made the city populous and prosperous.
Q 77 – What was importance of craftspersons in building the temples?
Ans. The craftspersons of Bidar were so famed for their inlay work in copper and silver that it came to be called Bidri. The Panchalas or Vishwakarma community, consisting of goldsmiths, bronze-smiths, blacksmiths, masons and carpenters, were essential to the building of temples.
The also played an important role in the construction of palaces, big buildings, tanks and reservoirs. Similarly, weavers such as the Saliyar or Kaikkolars emerged as prosperous communities, making donations to temples.
Q 78 – Describe the activities which were performed at Surat.
Ans. Surat (Gujarat) was the emporium of western trade during the Mughal period along with Cambay |(Khambat) and somewhat later, Ahmedabad. Surat was the gateway for trade with West Asia via the Gulf of Ormuz. Surat has also been called the gate to Mecca because many pilgrims used this place for sailing to Mecca.
In the Surat city, there was cosmopolitan culture and people of all castes and creeds lived there. In 17th century, there were many factories and warehouses at Surat. On an average a hundred ships of different countries could be found at the port at any time.
In the Surat, there were several retail and wholesale shops selling cotton textiles. The textiles of Surat were famous for their gold lace borders (zari) and had a market in West Asia, Africa and Europe. There were rest-houses, magnificent buildings and innumerable pleasure parks.