Explore NCERT Solutions

Chapter 10. Traders, Kings And Pilgrims

Exercise - Question:

---

Que: Match the following:

Column I	Column II
Muvendar	Mahayana Buddhism
Lords of the dakshinapatha	Buddhacharita
Ashvaghosha	Satavahana rulers
Bodhisattvas	Chinese pilgrim
Xuan Zang	Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas

Ans:

Column I	Column II
Muvendar	Cholas, chears and pandays
Lords of the dakshinapatha	Satavahana rules
Ashvaghosha	Baddhacharita
Bodhisattvas	Madhayana buddhis
Xuan Zang	Chinese piligrim

Que: Why did kings want to control the Silk Route?

Ans: They could benifts from the taxes, tributes and  gifts that were brought by traders travelleing along the route. 

Que: What kinds of evidence do historians use to find out about trade and trade routes?

Ans: The remain of the merchandise like pottery, especilly bowls and plates have been found at various place. They were taken by the traders. South India was famous for gold, spices and previous stones, Traders carried these goods to rome in ships across the sea and by land in caravans. Gold coins have been found at the trading posts.

Que: What were the main features of Bhakti?

Ans: Following are the main features of Bhakti:

This was the result of people’s struggle to free the religion from control of the priests.

A person was free to choose his ways and means to worship a god.

Pure devotion to a deity was most important aspect.

Any object could be used as a symbol of the god.

Que: Discuss the reasons why the Chinese pilgrims came to India.

Ans: Piligram are men and women who undertake journerys to holy places in order to offer worship. The chinese piligram like xuan-zang came to visit places associted with the life of buddha as well as the famous monasteries. 

Que: Why do you think ordinary people were attracted to Bhakti?

Ans: 

1. I think that ordinary people were attracted to Bhakti because Bhakt-saint used the language of people, which they could understand easily.

2. The saints emphasized the worship of certain deities, which became a central feature of later Hinduism, gained in importance.

3. These deities included Shiva, Vishnu and goddesses such as Durga. Bhakti is generally understood as a person’s devotion to his or her chosen deity.

4. Anybody, whether rich or poor, belonging to the so called ‘high’ or ‘low’ castes, man or woman, could follow the path of Bhakti.

5. They stressed on simple ways for Moksha or salvation, the last aim of life.

Que: List five things that you buy from the market. Which of these are made in the city / village in which you live and which are brought by traders from other areas?

Ans: List of things that we buy from the market:

(a) Things made in our city

1. The pots and pans of shiny steel.
2. Bright plastic baskets.
3. Cloth printed with brilliant floral designs.
4. Clockwork or electronic toys.
5. Radio and Television sets.

(b) Things made in our village

1. Clay pots made by our village potter.
2. Leather shoes and Chappals manufactured by our village shoemaker.
3. Wooden toys and articles manufactured by our village carpenter.
4. Iron and metal tools and articles made by our village blacksmith.
5. Ring and other ornaments made by our village goldsmith.

(c) Things brought by our traders

1. Swift prancing horses by sea in ships.
2. Bales of black pepper in carts.
3. Gems and gold from the southern India.
4. Sandalwood collected from the forests of Karnataka.
5. The pears of the southern seas.

Que: There are several major pilgrimages performed by people in India today. Find out about anyone of them and write a short description.

[Hint: Who can go on the pilgrimage—men, women or children? How long does it take? How do people travel? What do they take with them? What do they do when they reach the holy place? Do they bring anything back with them?]

Ans: Self Study or Self Exercise.

However some useful hints for students’ help are given below:,
India is a secular country. We find here the followers of almost all major religions of the world including Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Parsi etc.
Major Pilgrims performed by the people in India are:

1. Visit to shrine or Temple or Dargah on foot or by bus, or by train or by aeroplane and even using ponies or horses or walking on foot, for example visit to Kailash Mansarover, to Shiv Ling ahead from Pahalgaon (J.K.), to Vaishnodevi shrine, to Ajmer-Pushkar or Dargah of Chisti, etc.
2. To participate in Rathyatra (Puri in Orissa).
3. Visit to Tirupati or Minakshi temple or Char Dham.
4. Hajj (performed by Muslims only).
5. Visit to Golden Temple, Hazur Sahib or other historical Gurudawara Sahibs by Sikhs, Hindus and others.

Chapter 10. Traders, Kings And Pilgrims

Additional - Question:

---

Que: Where can evidence of trade be found?

Ans: Evidence of trade can be found in the Sangam poems.

Que:  What was South India famous for? 

 

Ans: It was famous for items like gold and precious stones and spices like pepper. Q. 3. How can you say that Rome had a flourishing trade with south India?Ans. Many Roman gold coins have been found in south India.

Que:  Name the three ruling families of south India

Ans: The Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas.

Que: How did the chiefs use the tribute that they collected from neighbouring areas?

Ans: They kept some of the wealth for their use and distributed the rest amongst their supporters.

Que: Who were the supporters of the chiefs?

Ans: Their family members, soldiers and poets.

Que: Name the items that the chiefs gave to the poets as a reward.

Ans: Precious stones, gold, horses, elephants, chariots and fine cloth.

Que: Why do you think Gautamiputra Shri Satakami wanted to control the coasts?

Ans: He wanted to do this to become more efficient and powerful

Que: What qualities of silk make it a highly valued fabric?

Ans: Silk has rich, glossy colour and smooth texture.

Que: How is making silk a complicated process?

Ans: Raw silk is extracted from the cocoons of silkworms, spun into thread, and then woven into cloth.

Que: Who were the earliest rulers of the subcontinent to issue gold coins?

Ans: The Kushanas were the earliest rulers to issue gold coins

Que:  Who was Kanishka? Mention one of his achievements.    

Ans: Kanishka was the famous ruler of the Kushana dynasty. He organized a Buddhist council where scholars used to discuss important issues,

Que: Who were Bodhisattvas?

Ans: They were holy persons who had attained enlightenment.

Que: Name the countries where the worship of Bodhisattvas became popular.

Ans: Central Asia, China, Korea and Japan

Que: Name some Chinese Buddhist pilgrims.

Ans: Fa Xran, Xuan Zang and I-Qing.

Que: Mention the important feature of later Hinduism.

Ans: The worship of deities like Shiva, Vishnu, and Goddess Durga became popular.

Que: What was given much importance under the system of Bhakti?                    

Ans: The devotion and individual worship of a god or goddess were given much importance under the system of Bhakti.

Que: Who was Gautamiputra Shri Satakami? How do we come to know about him?

Ans: Gautamiputra Shri Satakami was the famous ruler of the Satavahana dynasty. We come to know about him from an inscription composed by his mother. According to this inscription he and other Satavahana rulers were known as lords of the dakshinapatha, which was used as a name for the entire southern region. He sent his army to the eastern, western, and southern coasts

Que: How did the knowledge of silk spread far and wide?                                     

Ans: China was the first country where silk took its birth. Although the country kept the-methods of making silk a closely guarded secret for a long time, people of other regions ultimately came to know about them.

• Some people from China went to distant lands on foot, horseback, and camels and with them they carried silk.
• Sometimes, Chinese rulers sent gifts or silk to rulers in Iran and West Asia. From there the knowledge of silk spread further west.

Que: Why was silk so expensive? 

Ans: Silk had to be brought from China. It was a long journey and the traders had to cross dangerous roads through mountains and deserts. People living along the route often demanded payments from the traders for giving them permission to pass through.

Que: Write a brief note on the Chinese Buddhist pilgrims.

Ans: Fa Xran, Xuan Zang and I-Qing were the famous Chinese Buddhist pilgrims who came to India to visit places associated with the life of the Buddha. They also visited famous monasteries. These pilgrims left an account of their journey. They mentioned the dangers that they had to face on their way to monasteries that they visited. They also mentioned the books that they carried with them. These pilgrims also carried with them the statues of the Buddha.

Que: What was the Bhakti system of belief?

Ans:  According to the Bhakti system of belief, if a devotee worships the chosen deity with a pure heart, the deity will appear in the form in which he/she may desire. Therefore, the deity could be thought of as a human being, lion, tree or any other form. Once this idea gained acceptance, artists made beautiful images of these deities.

Que: What do you mean by Silk Route? What was its significance?                                

Ans: The route through which the traders carried silk with them is known as silk Route. Silk was first invented in China and the methods of its making were kept a high secret for several years. But the traders ultimately spread the knowledge of silk far and wide. Everyone got attracted to it because of its fine texture. Wearing silk became a fashion amongst rulers and rich people in Rome.

In India too, the rulers tried is control the Silk Route. This was because they could benefit from taxes, tributes and gifts that were brought by traders travelling along the route. The Kushanas were the best-known rulers who controlled the Silk Route. During their rule, a branch of the Silk Route extended from Central Asia down to the seaports at the mouth of the river Indus, from where silk was shipped westwards to the Roman Empire.

Que: How did Buddhism grow during Kushana dynasty?

Ans: Kanishka was the most reputed Kushana ruler. During his region, Buddhism spread to a great extent. He organised a Buddhist council where scholars used to gather to discuss major issues. Ashvaghosha was a renowned poet in his court. He wrote the biography of the Buddha. Mahayana Buddhism emerged as a new form. This had two special features. Earlier, Buddha’s presence was shown in sculpture by using certain signs.

Now statues of Buddha were made. Mathura and Taxila became prominent places where several statues of Buddha were made. The second distinct feature was a belief in Bodhisattvas, who were sacred people and had attained enlightenment. The worship of Bodhisattvas gained popularity in Central, Asia, China, and later to Korea and Japan. Buddhism also spread to western and southern India. It also spread south-eastwards to Sri Lanka, Myanmar. Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia including Indonesia.

Que: What was the Bhakti movement? Why did it become more popular?

Ans: Bhakti movement was a new way of worship. Bhakti means devotion to a particular deity. During the post-Vedic era some deities like Shiva, Vishnu, and Durga became popular among the devotees. This inclination towards deities came to be known as the Bhakti movement. It became popular because in this, there was no discrimination among the worshippers or devotees. There was no difference whether one was rich or poor, high or low, man or woman. Everyone was allowed to worship the deities of his/ her own choice. Bhakti movement discarded the performance of elaborated sacrifices.