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NCERT Solutions for class 7 History chapter 2 – New Kings and Kingdoms

Back Exercise

IMAGINE
You are present in an election for a sabha. Describe what you see and hear. To be done by students themselves,
Hints:

LET’S RECALL

Question 1.
Match the following:
Gurjara-Pratiharas                    Western Deccan
Rashtrakutas                                  Bengal
Palas                                     Gujarat and Rajasthan
Cholas                                            Tamil Nadu
Answer.
Guijara-Pratiharas                      Gujarat and Rajasthan
Rashtrakutas                                Western Deccan
Palas                                                  Bengal
Cholas                                              Tamil Nadu

Question 2.
Who were the parties involved in the “tripartite struggle”?
Answer.
Parties involved in the “tripartite struggle”

  1. Guijara-Pratiharas
  2. Rashtrakutas
  3. Palas.

Question 3.
What were the qualifications necessary to become a member of a committee of the sabha in the Chola Empire?
Answer.
According to the Uttaramerur inscription, the following qualifications were necessary to become a member of a committee of the sabha in the Chola Empire:

  1. A person should own land from which revenue was collected.
  2. He should have been their own home.
  3. He needed between 35 and 70 years of age.
  4. He should have been knowledgeable of Vedas.
  5. He required to be well-versed in administrative matters and honest.
  6. If anyone had been a member of any committee in the last three years, he could not have become a member of another committee.
  7. Anyone who had not submitted his accounts, and those of his relatives, could not have contested the elections.

Question 4.
What were the two major cities under the control of the Chahamanas?
Answer.
The two cities under the control of the Chahamanas:

LET’S UNDERSTAND

Question 5.
How did the Rashtrakutas become powerful?
Answer.
It was during the seventh century that the kings acknowledged the big landlords as their subordinates or samantas. The samantas were expected to bring gifts and provide military support to their kings. In due course they gained power and wealth. They declared themselves to be maha-samantas, maha- mandaleshvar (the great lord of a circle or region) and so on.

Rashtrakutas were one of them who were initially the subordinates of the Chalukyas in Deccan. In the mid-eighth century, Dantidurga, a Rashtrakuta chief, performed a ritual hiranya-garbha and overthrew the Chalukya overlord. After the ritual was over he was reborn as Kshatriya, even if he was not by birth.

Question 6.
What did the new dynasties do to gain acceptance?
Answer.
To gain acceptance, the new dynasties took on new titles and performed religious rituals to become a part of the Kshatriyas. They were regarded as the subordinates or Samantas by their overloads and later declared themselves to be maha-Samanta after gaining power and wealth. The new dynasties also engaged themselves in warfare to assert their power and carve kingdoms for themselves.

Question 7.
What kind of irrigation works were developed in the Tamil region?
Answer.
Kind of irrigation works developed in the Tamil region:
(i) Water from the channels of river Kaveri provided the necessary moisture for agriculture.
(ii) Some areas wells were dug and in some places huge tanks were constructed to collect rainwater.
(iii) Embankments were built to prevent flooding.
(iv) Canals were constructed to carry water to the fields.
(v) Sluice-gate were built to regulated the outflow of water from a tank into the channels that irrigated the fields.

Question 8.
What were the activities associated with Chola temples?
Answer.
The following activities were associated with the Chola temples :

  1. Temples were nuclei of settlements which grew around them.
  2. The temples were centres of craft production.
  3. The produce of the land owned by the temple (granted to the temple by kings) went into maintaining—priests, garland makers, cooks, sweepers, musicians, dancers, etc.
  4. Temples were the places of social, economic, cultural, and religious activities.
  5. Bronze images were also made in Chola temples.

LET’S DISCUSS

Question 9.
Look at Map 1 once more and find out whether there were any kingdoms in the state in which you live.
Answer.
Yes.
Different answers for students living in different states. Some examples:
West Bengal                       →   Palas
Orissa                                 →   Utkalas, Gangas, Kalinga
Tamil Nadu                        →   Cholas, Pandyas
Kerala                                →    Cheras
Maharashtra & Karnataka →   Rashtrakutas
Gujarat                              →   Andhra
Rajasthan                          →   Chahamanas

Question 10.
Contrast the ‘elections’ in Uttaramerur with present-day panchayat elections.
Answer.
The present-day panchayat elections do not use the lottery system to elect the members of panchayat as was done in the Chola Empire.

LET’S DO

Question 11.
Compare the temple shown in this chapter (of your textbook) with any present-day temple in your neighbourhood, highlighting any similarities and differences that you notice.
Answer.
Comparison between temples shown the chapter and present-day temples in our in neighbourhood.

Temples showed in the chapter Temples in our neighbourhood
  • Pyramidal shape
  • Triangular in shape with apex and base.
  • Images on the walls.
  • No images on the walls.
  • Settlements and land nearby.
  • No such settlements and land nearby.
  • Several specialists—priests, garland makers, sweepers, cook, etc
  • Only priests—other temporary, professions
  • Worship of gods and goddesses.
  • Worship of gods and goddesses.
  • Domination of Brahmanas.
  • Domination of Brahmanas.

Question 12.
Find out more about taxes that are collected at present. Are these in cash, kind, or labour services?
Answer.
Some of the important present-day taxes are income tax, service tax, house tax, etc. All the present-day taxes are collected in cash.

In-text Questions

Question 1.
Locate the Gurjara-Pratiharas, Rashtrakutas, Palas, Cholas and Chahamanas (Chauhans). Can you identify the present-day states over which they exercised control? (NCERT Page 16)
Answer.

  1. Please see Map 1 for the location of major kingdoms.
  2. Yes, we can identify the present states over which they exercised control.
    • Guijara-Pratiharas Central Madhya Pradesh
    • Rashtrakutas Maharashtra and Western Andhra Pradesh
    • Palas West Bengal
    • Cholas Karnataka (Southern) and Tamil Nadu
    • Chahamanas Madhya Pradesh (North Western) and Rajasthan {South-Eastern)

Question 2.
Do you think being born as a Kshatriya was important in order to become a ruler during this period? (NCERT Page 17)
Answer.
Yes.

Question 3.
In what ways was this form of administration different from the present-day system? (NCERT Page 18)
Answer.

Question 4.
Are any such taxes (of the Cholas) collected today? (NCERT Page 18)
Answer.
Yes, the land revenues and taxes on buildings/houses are collected as house tax today.

Question 5.
Also, see if you can find some of the areas mentioned in the inscription on Map 1 (NCERT, page 16). Other rulers made similar claims as well. Why do you think they made these claims? (NCERT Page 19)
Answer.

  1. We can see Kanauj, Anarta, Vanga.
  2. To show their power and superiority.

Question 6.
List all the possible sources of irrigation mentioned in the inscription, and discuss how these might have been used. (NCERT Page 20)
Answer.

  1. Possible sources of irrigation
    • Wells.
    • Canals.
    • Tanks.
    • Mainly tanks were used through channels (canals) to the fields.
  2. Water was regulated in the tank with the sluicegate.

Question 7.
Look at Map 1 (NCERT, page 16) and suggest reasons why these rulers wanted to control Kanauj and the Ganga valley. (NCERT Page 21)
Answer.

  1. The city of Kanauj and the Ganga valley was a prized area as it was very fertile.
  2. Gurjara-Pratihara, Rashtrakuts, and Palas dynasties had controlled these areas for centuries.

Question 8.
Look at Map 1 (NCERT, page 16) again and discuss why the Chahamanas may have wanted to expand their territories. (NCERT Page 21)
Answer.
The Chahamanas might have wanted to expand their territories to become more powerful.

Question 9.
Do you think women participated in these assemblies? In your view are lotteries useful in choosing members of committees? (NCERT Page 27)
Answer.

  1. No, women did not participate in these assemblies.
  2. In my view, lotteries are not useful in choosing members of the committees. The best way is through elections.

Question 10.
Were there any Brahmanas in this hamlet? Describe all the activities that were taking place in the village. Why do you think temple inscriptions ignore these activities? (NCERT Page 27)
Answer.

  1. No.
  2. The Brahmanas lived separately in temples or in their adjoining buildings.
  3. The activities which were taking place in the village were:
    Village Activities

    • Agrarian labour
    • Rearing of cocks and group of chickens
    • Making of drums
    • Husking of paddy.

These activities did not find a place in the inscriptions because these activities were considered menial and without any importance.