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Chapter 11. New Empires And Kingdoms

NCERT Exercise

Exercise - Question: 

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Que: State whether true or false:

(a) Harishena composed a prashasti in praise of Gautamiputra Shri Satakarni.

(b) The rulers of Aryavarta brought tribute for Samudragupta.

(c) There were twelve rulers in Dakshinapatha.

(d) Taxila and Madurai were important centres under the control of the Gupta rulers.

(e) Aihole was the capital of the Pallavas.

(f) Local assemblies functioned for several centuries in south India.

Ans:

1.False

2. True

3. True

4. False

5. False

6. True.

Que: Mention three authors who wrote about Harshavardhana?

Ans: Three authors who wrote about Harshavardhana were his court poets:

(i) Banabhatta - who worte Harshacharita

(ii) Xuan Zang - the Chinese traveller and 

(iii) Ravikirti.

Que:  What changes do you find in the army at this time?

Ans: The changes which we find in the armies of this time are:

(i) The king had a large and well organized armies consisting of elephants, chariots, cavalry and foot soldiers.

(ii) The soldiers used different kind of weapons - arrows, swords, spikes, etc.

(iii) It comprised military leaders who provided the king with troops whenever he needed them. 

(iv) The leaders or samantas were not paid salaries but were given grants of lands from which they collected revenue. The revenue was used to maintain soldiers, horses and provide equipment for warfare.

Que: What were the new administrative arrangements during this period?

Ans: The new administrative arrangements during this time were:

(i) Some important administrative posts were now hereditary, i.e. the son succeeded the father to their posts.

(ii) Sometimes one person held many offices. For example, besides being a Maha-danda-nayak Harisena was a kumar-amatya, i.e. an important minister.

(iii) Important men had a say in the local administration. These included the nagara-shreshthi or chief banker /merchant of the city, the sarthavaha or leader of the merchant caravans, the parathama-kulika or the chief craftsman and the head of the Kayasthas or scribes.

Que: What do you think Arvind would have to do if he was acting as Samudragupta?

Ans: If Arvind was acting as Samudragupta he would have:

(i) Lead his army successfully and won victories in battles.

(ii) As a learned man and musician played the veena.

(iii) Established a strong and efficient administration.

(iv) Looked after the welfare of the people.

Que: Do you think ordinary people would have read and understood the prashastis? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans: The prashastis were written in Sanskrit. But this was not the language of the common people. Hence, most of the common people could not have read or understood the prashastis.

Que: If you had to make a genealogy for yourself, who are the people you would include in it? How many generations would you like to show? Make a chart and fill it.

Ans:

If I had to make a genealogy for myself, I would like to include the following persons in it:

1. Name of my great grandfather.
2. Name of my grandfather.
3. Name of my father and mother.
4. The name/names of son or sons.
5. The name/names of my grandchildren.

I would like to show the following five generations:

1. Great Grandfather
2. Grandfather
3. Parents
4. My own name
5. Names of my son and grandson.

Que: How do you think wars affect the lives of ordinary people today?

Ans: Today wars affect the lives of ordinary people today in the following ways:

1. They are killed in a large number.

2. Their property-houses, shops, etc. are destroyed.

3. Wars create violence and disturbances in society.

4. Development projects and welfare works undertaken by the government for the welfare and benefit of the people are disturbed and postponed.

5. Wars waste economic and other resources. The government generally imposed more taxes on the people.

 

Chapter 11. New Empires And Kingdoms

Additional Questions

Additional - Quiestion:

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Que: Who was Samudragupta? 

Ans: He was a famous ruler of the Gupta dynasty.

Que: How do we know about him?

Ans: We know about him from a long inscription, which is a poem in Sanskrit composed by his court poet, Harishena.

Que: Where is this poem inscribed?

Ans: This poem is inscribed on the Ashokan pillar at Allahabad.

Que: What was prashastis?                                                            

Ans: Prashastis were poems composed by the court poets in praise of their rulers.

Que: During which dynasty did prashastis gain importance?

Ans: Prashastis gained importance during the Gupta dynasty.

Que: What does Samudragupta’s prashasti tell us?

Ans: Samudragupta’s prashasti tells us that he was a great warrior who woned several battles.

Que: Name the four different kinds of rulers described by Samudragupta’s court poet, Harishena.  

Ans:

• The rulers of Aryavarta
• The ruler of Dakshinapatha
• The inner circle of neighbouring states
• The rulers of the outlying areas.

Que: Banabhatta wrote Harshavardhana’s biography. What is the name of this book? 

Ans: The biography written by Banabatta is called the Harshacharita.

Que: In which language is Harshacharita written?

Ans: Harshacharita is written in Sanskrit.

Que: When did Harshavardhana become the ruler of Kanauj?

Ans: Harshavardhana became the ruler of Kanauj after his brother-in-law was killed by the ruler of Bengal.

Que: What happened when Harshavardhana tried to cross the Narmada?

Ans: He was stopped by Pulakeshin II, the best known Chalukya ruler

Que: Name the capital of the Pallavas.

Ans: Kanchipuram.

Que: Name the capital of the Chalukyas.

Ans: Aihole.

Que: From whom did Pulakeshin get the kingdom?

Ans: He got the kingdom from his uncle.

Que: Harishena held more than one office? Name them.

Ans: Harishena held more than one office. Besides being a maha-danda-nayaka, he was a Kumar-amatya and a sandhi-vigrahika.

Que: What was the nagaram?

Ans: It was an organisation of merchants.

Que: Who controlled the local assemblies?

Ans: Wealthy and powerful landowners and merchants controlled the local assemblies.

Que: How do we know about the lives of ordinary people during this period?

Ans: We come to know about the lives of ordinary people from plays like Kalidasa’s Abhijnana Shakuntalam and accounts left by Chinese pilgrims like Fa Xian.

Que: How does Samudragupta’s prashasti describe him? 

Ans: In Samudragupta’s prashasti the poet-praised him in glowing terms. According to this prashasti, Samudragupta was a great warrior who won victories in battles. He was a learned king and the best of poets. He was equal to the gods. He was a brave ruler of the Gupta dynasty whose area of influence spread far and wide.

Que: Describe Samudragupta as a warrior as mentioned in the prashasti?

Ans: Samudragupta was a great ruler of the Gupta dynasty. He was a brave warrior too who won victories in battles. His body was most charming and covered with the plenteous beauty of the marks of hundreds of scars caused by battle-axes, arrows, spikes, spears, barbed darts, swords, iron clubs, javelins, barbed arrows, long arrows and many other weapons.

Que: What was the difference between the way in which Samudragupta treated the rulers of Aryavarta and Dakshinapatha?

Ans: Samudragupta’s policies towards the rulers of Aryavarta were very strict. All the nine rulers were brutally defeated and their kingdoms were made a part of Samudragupta’s empire. But so far the rulers of Dakshinapatha were concerned, Samudragupta maintained a submissive altitude towards them. There were twelve rulers who surrendered to Samudragupta after being defeated and he then allowed all of them to rule again.

Que: What do you know about Harshavardhana? Describe the main events of his career.

Ans: 

• Harshavardhana ruled nearly 1400 years ago.
• We come to know about him from his biography, written by his court poet Banabhatta. This biography is known as Harshacharita which is in Sanskrit.
• Another source to know about him is Xuan Zang’s account which he left behind him.
• Harshavardhana became the ruler of Thanesar after both his father arid elder brother died.
• He took over the kingdom of Kanauj after his brother-in-law was killed by the ruler of Bengal.
• Harsha led an army against the ruler of Bengal.
• He got success in the east and conquered both Magadha and Bengal. But he had to face defeat when he tried to cross the Narmada.

Que: What do you know about the genealogies of the Guptas? Mention in brief.

Ans: We come to know about the genealogy of the Guptas from the prashastis, which mention Samudragupta’s great grandfather, grandfather, father and mother. His mother, Kumara Devi belonged to the Lichchhavi gana, while his father, Chandragupta was the first Gupta ruler who adopted the grand title of maharqj- adhiraja. Samudragupta too used that title. His great grandfather and grandfather are mentioned simply as maharajas. Samudragupta also added the name of his son Chandragupta II in the genealogy. Chandragupta II led an expedition to western India where he defeated the last of the Shakas.

Que: Pulakeshin II was the best-known ChaLukya ruler. Explain in brief. 

Ans: We come to know about Pulakeshin II from a prashasti, composed by his court poet Ravikirti. According to this prashasti Pulakeshin got the kingdom from his uncle. He led expeditions along both the west and the east coasts. Besides, he checked the advance of Harshvardhana when he tried to cross the Narmada to march into the Deccan. The prashasti also tells us that Pulakeshin also attacked the Pallava king, who took shelter behind the walls of Kanchipuram.

Que: What was the condition of ordinary people in the kingdoms? Describe in brief.

Ans: The condition of ordinary people has been highlighted in the plays and accounts left by foreign travellers especially the Chinese pilgrims such as Fa Xian.

• Kalidasa’s plays throw light on life in the king’s court. In his plays, the king and most brahmins are shown speaking Sanskrit while women and men others, then the king and brahmins use Prakrit.

• The accounts of Fa Xian throw light on the plight of the untouchables. These untouchables were treated badly by the powerful and influential people of the kingdom. They were strictly instructed to live on the outskirts of the city.

Que: The king’s army on the move has been vividly described by Banabhatta. Write the whole description in your own words. 

Ans: The king used to travel with a lot of things which included weapons and things of daily use such as pots, pans, furniture, golden footstools, food, etc.

• He was also accompanied by animals such as goat, deer, rabbits, etc. These were carts also carrying vegetables and spices.
• The king’s huge army was accompanied by a band of musicians.
• Villagers brought gifts of curds, gur, and flowers as for the king. They also provided a folder for the animals.

• After the army passed, the whole environment was seen filled with dust. Elephants often trampled down the huts of villagers.

Que: Describe Samudragupta’s policies towards the

• Rulers of Aryavarta
• Rulers of Dakshinapatha
• Inner circle of neighbouring states, and
• Rulers of the outlying areas.

Ans: Samudragupta was a great warrior of the Gupta dynasty. He won several battles.

In a prashasti Harishena describes four different kinds of rulers and tells us about Samudragupta’s policies towards them.

• The rulers of Aryavarta. There were altogether nine rulers of Aryavarta. All of them were uprooted and their kingdoms were made a part of Samudragupta’s empire.
• The ruler of Dakshinapatha. There were twelve rulers of Dakshinapatha. All of them were defeated by Samudragupta. These defeated rulers surrendered to Samudragupta. But Samudragupta showed leniency. He allowed them to rule again.
• The inner circle of neighbouring states. The rulers of these states including Assam, Coastal Bengal, Nepal and a number of gana Sanghain the north­west brought tribute to Samudragupta. They also followed his orders and attended his court.
• The rulers of outlying areas. They were perhaps the descendants of the Kushanas and Shakas and the ruler of Sri Lanka. They submitted to Samudragupta and offered daughters in marriage.

Que: Who were the Pallavas and Chalukyas? Describe them in detail. 

Ans: In South India, during this period there were two famous ruling dynasties knows as the Pallavas and Chalukyas.

• The Pallavas. The kingdom of the Pallavas spread from the region around their capital, Kanchipuram to the Kaveri delta.
• The Chalukyas. The kingdom of the Chalukyas was centred around the Raichur Doab, between the rivers. Krishna and Tungabhadra. Their capital was at Aihole. It was an important trading centre. Besides, it was a religious centre too. There were a number of temples there.

The Chalukyas and Pallavas were very much competitive. They were great rivals. They frequently said one another lands. Their main target was the capital cities because they were rich towns.

The name and fame of the Chalukyas and Pallavas did not last long. They lost their influence and finally, they were replaced by the Rashtrakuta and Chola dynasties.