Additional - Question:
Que: Name a ritual used to recognise someone as a ‘raja’.
Ans: ‘Ashvamedha’ was one ritual used to recognise kings.
Que: Which category of people was excluded from the rituals?
Ans: The ‘Shudras’ were excluded from rituals.
Que: Name two ‘janapadas’ in North India.
Ans: Hastinapura and Atranjikhera.
Que: How were cities fortified?
Ans: Cities were fortified by building huge walls of wood, brick or stone around them,
Que: For what did rulers need taxes?
Ans: Rulers needed taxes to build huge forts and to maintain big armies,
Que: Name tivo rivers that flowed through Magadha.
Ans: Ganga and Son were two rivers that flowed through Magadha.
Que: Name some places conquered by Alexander.
Ans: Alexander conquered parts of Egypt and West Asia.
Que: Which rulers conquered the last of the ‘ganas’ or ‘sanghas’?
Ans: The Gupta rulers conquered the last of the ‘ganas’ or ‘sanghas’.
Que:Write a short note on the ‘Ashvamedha’ ritual
Ans: The ‘Ashvamedha’ (horse sacrifice) was a ritual used to recognise men as ‘rajas’. A horse was left to wander freely. If it wandered into another kingdom and the king of that kingdom stopped it, they had to fight. The ‘raja’ who succeeded in the challenge was recognised as stronger. He would then perform the sacrifice, in which other kings would also come.
Que: What were the different roles of different persons in the sacrifice?
Ans: The ‘raja’ was the central person in the sacrifice. He was given a special seat, like a throne. His charioteer would tell others tales of the ‘rajas’ exploits. His wives and sons would perform several minor rituals. Other ‘rajas’ would sit and watch. Priests sprinkled sacred water on the king. Ordinary people brought gifts.
Que: What is known about the ‘janapadas’ and their people?
Ans: Archaeologists have excavated a number of settlements in ‘janapadas’. They have found that people lived in huts. The people kept cattle as well as other animals. They grew a variety of crops like rice, wheat, barley, pulses, etc. They made earthen pots, some of which were grey in colour and some red.
Que: Write a short note on the governance system in ‘ganas’ or ‘sanghas’?
Ans: In ‘ganas’ or ‘sanghas’, these were not one but many rulers. Even if there were several men together, each was called a ‘raja’. They performed rituals together. They met in assemblies and took decisions. Women, ‘dasas’ and ‘kammakaras’ were not allowed to participate in these assemblies.
Que: What was the important feature of the capital cities of ‘mahajanapadas’? Why were they fortified? How were they fortified?
Ans: Capital cities of ‘mahajanapadas’ were mostly fortified by building huge walls of wood, brick or stone around them. There were various reasons for building forts. They were probably built because people were afraid of attacks from other kings and needed protection.
Some rulers probably built forts to make their cities impressive and to show how rich and powerful they were. Moreover, by making forts, controlling the fortified area became easier for the kings. Buildings forts required a great deal of planning. Hundreds of thousands of brick or stone had to be prepared. An enormous amount of labour and resources were required.
Que: What changes took place in agriculture around this time?
Ans: There were two significant changes in agriculture around this time:
(i) Growing use of the iron ploughshares helped in yielding better grain produce. Heavy, clayey soil could be turned over better with an iron ploughshare than with a wooden ploughshare.
(ii) People began transplanting paddy. This meant that instead of scattering seed on the ground, from which plants would sprout, saplings were grown and then planted in the fields. Production developed due to this since many plants survived.
