Q1: Match the following

Column I Column II

1. Gurjara Pratiharas a. Western Deccan

2. Rastrakutas b. Bengal

3. Palas c. Gujarat and

Rajasthan
4. Cholas
d. Tamil Nadu

Ans:1-c, 2-a, 3-b, 4-d.

Q2: Who were the parties involved in the tripartite struggle?:

Ans:The parties involved in the tripartite struggle were the rulers belonging to the Gurjara
- Pratihara, Rastrakuta and Pala dynasties who fought for the control over Kanauj. Because
there were three parties in this long drawn conflict, historians often describe it as the
tripartite struggle.

Q3: What were the qualifications necessary to become a member of a committee of the
Sabha in the Chola Empire?

Ans:The qualifications necessary to become a member of the committee of the Sabha in the
Chola Empire were as follows .

a. Owner of land from which land revenues were collected.

b. Should have had own homes.

c. Should have been of age between 35 and 70 years.

d. Must have knowledge of Vedas.

e. Must be honest and well versed in administrative matters

Q4: What were the two major cities under the control of the Chahamanas?

Ans:The two major cities under the control of the Chahamanas were - Indraprastha and
Kanauj.

Q5: How did the Rastrakutas become powerful?

Ans:In mid-eighth century, Dantidurga, a Rastrakuta chief, overthrew his Chalukya overload
and performed a ritual called Hiranya-garbha. When this ritual was performed with the help
of Brahmans, it was thought to lead to the rebirth of the sacrifice as Kshatriya even if he
was not Kshatriya by birth. In this way the Rastrakutas become powerful.

Q6: What did the new dynasties do to gain acceptance?

Ans:By the seventh century there were big landlords or warrior chiefs in different regions
of the subcontinent. Existing kings often acknowledged them as their subordinates or
samantas. They were expected to bring gifts for their kings or overloads, be present at
their courts and provide them with military support. As samantas gained power and wealth,
they declared themselves to be maha- samanta, maha-mandaleshvara (the great lord of a
region) and so on. Sometimes, they asserted their independence from their overloads.

Q7: What were the activities associated with Chola empire?

Ans: Chola temples often became the nuclei of settlements which grew around them. These
were centers of craft production. Temples were also endowed with land rulers as well as by
others. The produce of this land went for maintaining all the specialists who worked at the
temples and very often lived near it like - priests, garland makers, cooks, sweepers, musians,
dancers etc. In other words, temples were not only places of worship; they were the hub of
economic, social and cultural life as well.

Match Columns

Column I Column II

(i) Rajaraja I (a) Kitab-al-Hind

(ii) Al-biruni (b) Ganga valley

(iii) Kadamba Mayursharman (c) Rajasthan

(iv) Gurjara Pratihara Harishchandra (d) Karnataka

Answer: i - b, ii - a, iii d, iv - c

Fill in the blanks

1. _________ contain details which may not be literally true.

Answer: Prashastis

2. _____ composed the Sanskrit poem which was critical about rulers.

Answer: Kalhana

3. ______ entrusted Al-Biruni with the work of writing an account of the

subcontinent.

Answer: Mahmud Ghazni

 4. _______ was considered the most powerful Chola ruler.

Answer: Rajaraja I

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The functionaries for ______ were generally recruited from influential

families

a. Collecting revenue

b. Army

c. Both a and b

d. None of the above

Answer: (c) Both a and b

2. A long Sanskrit poem of the twelfth century contains the history of kings who
ruled over

a. Tamil Nadu

b. Kashmir

c. Himachal Pradesh

d. Uttar Pradesh

Answer: (b) Kashmir

3. The ______ territory(ies) were made part of the Chola kingdom

a. Pandyan

b. Pallava

c. Both a and b

d. None of the above

Answer: (c) Both a and b

4. Which of the following is/are critical about rulers and their policies?

a. Prashastis
 b. Land grants

c. Sanskrit poem by Kalhana

d. All of the above

Answer: (d) All of the above

Short Answer Type Questions

Write about the uses of the resources during the period.

Answer: The resources were put to the following uses:

Financing the kings establishment

Building temples and forts

Fighting wars which were expected to lead to more wealth by way of plunder and
access to land and trade routes.

Write a note on how resources were obtained during the period.

Answer: The resources were obtained from producers who were often persuaded or
compelled to surrender their produce partially. Sometimes their produce was claimed as
rent due to a lord who asserted that he was the owner of the land. Revenue was also
collected from traders.

Who were samantas? What was expected of them?

Answer: During the seventh century, there were many big landlords or warrior chiefs in
the subcontinent, who were often acknowledged by the kings as their subordinates or
samantas. The samantas were expected to bring gifts for the kings or overlords, attend
their courts and provide them with military support.

Briefly describe prashastis.

Answer: Prashastis contain details which may not necessarily be literally true. They tell us
the way the rulers wanted to depict themselves; for example as great achievers,
victorious, fearless, valiant etc. Brahamanas composed the prashastis, who occasionally
helped in the administration also.
Very Short Answer Type Questions

1. Were the kings independently very powerful? If no, with whom did they share
their powers?

Answer: No, they were not fully independent. They shared their power with
samantas and associations of peasants, traders and Brahamanas.

2. What were the sources used by the author Kalhana in the twelfth century for
composing his poem?

Answer: The sources Kalhana used for the Sanskrit poem were inscriptions,
documents, eye witness accounts and earlier histories.

3. What was the role of Vijayalaya during the period?

Answer: In the mid-ninth century Vijayalaya captured the delta from the
Muttaraiyar and built the town of Thanjavur and also a temple of Goddess
Nishumbhasudini there.

4. Who was Rajendra I? What were his achievements?

Answer: Rajendra I was Rajarajas son. He continued his policies and even
raided the Ganga Valley, Sri Lanka and countries of south-east Asia; developing
a navy for these expeditions.

Long Answer Type Questions

Describe the kings who were involved in warfare for wealth.

Answer: The following kings were involved in warfare for wealth:

Mahmud of Ghazni: The period of his rule was from 997 to 1030 and his control extended
over parts of Central Asia, Iran and north-western part of the subcontinent. Almost every
year he raided the subcontinent, mainly targeting wealthy temples as mentioned above.
One of such temples he raided is that of Somnath, Gujarat. He used the wealth he
plundered to create a splendid capital city at Ghazni. Since he was interested in knowing
more about the people he conquered, he entrusted a scholar named Al-Biruni to write an
account of the subcontinent. His Arabic work called Kitab al-Hind is still an important
source for historians. To prepare this account he consulted Sanskrit scholars.

Chahamanas: The Chamanas, later known as the Chauhans ruled over the regions of Delhi
and Ajmer. Their attempt to expand their territory in the west and the east was opposed
by the Chalukyas of Gujarat and the Gahadavalas of western Uttar Pradesh. Prithviraja
III, who ruled during the period 1168 and 1192, was the best known Chahamana ruler. He
defeated an Afghan ruler, Sultan Muhammad Ghori in 1191. But he lost to him the next
year.

How did the Cholas rise to power?

Answer: In the Kaveri delta a minor chiefly family known as the Muttariyar held power.
They were subordinate to the Pallava kings of Kanchipuram. The control of the Cholas
from Uraiyur to Thanjavur was done by Vijayalaya who belonged to the ancient family of
the Cholas from Uraiyur. In the mid-ninth century he captured the delta from the
Muttaraiyar and built the town of Thanjavur and also a temple of Goddess
Nishumbhasudini there. The kingdom grew in size and power with the conquest of
neighbouring areas by the successors of Vijayalaya. The Pandyans and Pallava territories
to the south and north became part of the Chola kingdom. Rajaraja I was considered the
most powerful Chola ruler. He became king in 985 and expanded control over most of the
areas mentioned above. He reorganized the administration of the empire, and his son
Rajendra I continued his policies and even raided the Ganga Valley, Sri Lanka and
countries of south-east Asia; developing a navy for these expeditions.

Write a note on administration of brahmadeya.

Answer: An assembly or sabha of popular Brahamana landowners looked after the affairs
of the brahmadeya. These worked very efficiently and their decisions were recorded in
detail in inscriptions often on stone walls of temples. Occasionally, the administrative
functions in towns were performed by associations of traders known as nagarams. The
details of the way in which sabha was organized are given in the inscriptions from
Uttaramerur in Chingleput district of Tamil Nadu. The sabha had separate committees to
look after irrigation, garden, temples etc. The names of people who were eligible to
become member of the sabha were written in small tickets of palm leaf and these were
put in an earthenware pot. A young boy was asked to take out these tickets one by one for
each committee.

Describe agriculture during the Chola period.

Answer: New developments in agriculture made many of the achievements of the Cholas
possible. The river Kaveri (which was a part of the regions controlled by the Cholas)
branches off into several small channels before entering the Bay of Bengal. The
overflowing of the channels deposits fertile soil on their banks and also the water from
them provides moisture needed for agriculture, particularly for rice crop. Only in the
fifth and sixth century large scale agriculture was started in Tamil Nadu. For this purpose
forests were cleared in some regions and land was levelled in some areas. Flooding in the
delta region was prevented by building embankments and canals were constructed for
carrying water to the fields. Two crops were grown annually in many areas.
NCERT Solution

What were the activities associated with Chola temples?

Answer: Settlements grew around the temples of the Chola period and hence these
became the nuclei of settlements. The temples were endowed with land by rulers as well
as by others. The specialists who worked at the temple and often lived near it included
priests, garland makers, cooks, sweepers, musicians, dancers etc. The produce of the land
went for their sustenance. Besides being places of worship; temples were the hub of
social, cultural and economic life as well. The most distinctive amongst the crafts
associated with the temple was the making of the bronze images. The bronze images of
the Chola period are considered among the finest in the world. Though most images were
of deities, some images of devotees were also made.

Match the columns

Column I Column II

(1) Gurjara Pratihara (a) Western Deccan

(2) Rashtrakutas (b) Bengal

(3) Palas (c) Gujarat and Rajasthan

(4) Cholas (d) Tamil Nadu

Answer: 1-c, 2-a, 3-b, 4-d

Answer the following questions:

1. Who were the parties involved in the tripartite struggle?

Answer: The rulers belonging to the Gurjara-Pratihara, Rashtrakuta and Pala

dynasties.

2. What were the two major cities under the control of the Chahamanas?

Answer: Delhi and Ajmer

 3. How did the Rashtrakutas become powerful?

Answer: They were initially subordinate to the Chalukyas of Karnataka.

Dantidurga, a Rashtrakuta chief overthrew his Chalukya overlord in the mid-
eighth century. He performed a ritual called hiranya-garbha which literally
means the golden womb. In this context, the ritual meant rebirth i.e. rebirth
of the sacrificer as a Kshatriya (even if he was not one by birth) after
performing the ritual with the help of Brahamanas.

4. What did the new dynasties do to gain acceptance?

Answer: For gaining acceptance the new dynasties performed rituals to

convert themselves to Kshatriya status. They also shared power with their
samantas and associations of peasants, Brahamanas and traders.

5. What kind of irrigation works were developed in the Tamil region?

Answer: Digging of wells and construction of huge tanks to collect rainwater.

What were the qualifications necessary to become a member of a committee of the sabha
in the Chola empire?

Answer: In the Chola empire, all those who wished to become members of the sabha
should

Be owners of land from which revenue is collected.

Have their own homes.

Be between 35 to 70 years of age.

Have knowledge of the Vedas.

Be well-versed in administrative matters and honest.

Have submitted their accounts and those of their relatives.

Not have been members of any committee in the last three years, for becoming a
member of another committee.