Additional - Question:
Que: Who was al-Idrisi?
Ans: al-Idrisi was an Arab cartographer.
Que: Who is a ‘cartographer’?
Ans: Cartographer is one who draws a map.
Que: What difference do you notice in the map drawn by al-Idrisi?
Ans: In the map drawn by al-Idrisi we find a completely different view. Here south India is shown at present North India and Sri Lanka is the island at the top
Que: Who used the term Hindustan for the first time and when?
Ans: Minhaj-i Siraj used the term ‘Hindustan’ for the first time in the thirteenth century.
Que: What sources do historians use for the study of a particular period of history?
Ans: The historians use sources like coins, inscriptions, architectures, and textual records for the study of a specific period.
Que: What do you mean by archives?
Ans: Archives were the places where manuscripts were collected.
Que: Who were scribes?
Ans: Scribes were those professionals who used to copy down the manuscripts.
Que: How did the scribes copy down the manuscripts?
Ans: Scribes copied down the manuscripts by hand.
Que: What changes took place during 700 and 1750?
Ans: Many technologies like the Persian wheel in irrigation, the spinning wheel in weaving, and firearms in combat made their appearance. Some new foods and beverages like potatoes, corn, chilies, tea, and coffee also arrived in the subcontinent.
Que: What factors contributed to a variety of developments?
Ans: The new technologies and innovations came to the subcontinent with the people who came from other areas and settled here.
Que: What were the new groups of people to be prominent at this age?
Ans: Rajputs, Marathas, Sikhs, Jats, Ahoms, and Kayasthas were the groups which came to be prominent in this age. They availed most of the opportunities of society.
Que: What do you mean by Jati Panchayat?
Ans: Jati Panchayat was the assembly of elders that controlled the conduct of the members of their jati They had their own rules and regulations.
Que: Who was the Chief of the village?
Ans: Villages were controlled by a Chieftain. Even the smaller Jati Panchayats were bound to follow the village administration.
Que: What was the stretch of Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban’s Empire?
Ans: According to a Sanskrit Prashasti Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban’s empire was stretched from Bengal (Gauda) in the east to Ghazni (Gajjana) in Afghanistan in the west. It also included all of south India (Dravida)
Que: Why did Brahmanas dominate in society during this period?
Ans: Brahmanas were the only class of people who were proficient in the Sanskrit language. This was the reason that made them prominent.
Que: Who were the patrons?
Ans: Patrons were a group of rulers and rich class of people who provided protection and livelihood to the Brahmanas, artists, and poets.
Que: What was the major development of this age?
Ans: The emergence of the idea of bhakti was the major development of this age.
Que: How history was divided by historians during the middle of the nineteenth century?
Ans: The British historians divided the history of India into three periods—:P
- Hindu,
- Muslim and
- British.
Que: What was the basis of such division?
Ans: Such division was made on the basis of the religion as the historians did not consider any aspect more prominent other than the developments in religions.
Que: What difference do you trace out in the region of Hindustan of the thirteenth century and the modem India?
Ans: The term ‘Hindustan’ in the thirteenth century implied the areas of Punjab, Haryana, and the lands between the Ganga and Yamuna. Minhaj-i Siraj used the term in a political sense for lands consisting of a part of the dominions of the Delhi Sultanate. The areas included in this term shifted with the extent of the Sultanate. However, it never included south India.
Que: What does time mean for historians? How does it help them?
Ans: Time, for historians, doesn’t mean just a passing of hours, days, or years. Instead, it reflects changes in social and economic organization, in the persistence and transformation of ideas and beliefs. In order to study historical developments historians divide the past into large segments. It makes the study convenient. The historians study different aspects of the specific period and then assess the comparative developments their impact on society and their contribution to the future generations.
Que: What do you mean by pan-regional rule? What was its impact? [V. Imp.]
Ans: Pan-regional rule applies to the trend of extending the empire to the region beyond one’s own state. With the decline of the Mughal Empire in the eighteenth century, many regional states emerged. Consequently, a chance of sharing different traditions in the realms of governance, economy, elite cultures, and languages was brightened. People knew a lot of new things, manners, etc, without losing their own culture and identity.
Que: What was the process of copying the manuscript? What were its drawbacks?
Ans: As there was no printing press during the period between 700 and 1750, Scribes used to copy down the manuscripts which were hand-written. Sometimes it was difficult to recognize the original script. So the Scribes used their own way of interpreting the facts. Consequently, there were differences were found in the copies written by different Scribes. As all the copies were handwritten, it was difficult to recognize which was the original one. It was the drawback of such copying.
Que: Trace out the major changes in society during 700 and 1750? What was its main reason?
Ans: A number of changes took place in society between 700 and 1750. This period traced the technological appearance of Persian wheel in irrigation, the spinning wheel in weaving and firearms in combat. Potatoes, com, chilies, tea, and coffee were some of the new foods and beverages. These developments came with the arrival of the people who migrated to this land. As a result this period saw various changes in the economic, political, social and cultural life,
Que: What was the change in the religion of the time? Trace out major developments?
Ans: The period between 700 and 1750 witnessed major changes in religion. It was seen prominently in Hinduism. The worship of new deities, the construction of temples by royalty, and the growing importance of Brahmanas, the priests, as dominant groups in society were some of the major developments.
The idea of bhakti emerged. Merchants and migrants brought the new teachings of the ‘Quran’, the holy book of the Muslims. A class of patrons emerged. They were the rulers who provided shelter and protection to the ulemas—the learned theologians and jurists. Muslims were divided into two groups—Shia and Sunni. Shia Muslims believed in Prophet Muhammad’s authority while the Sunnis accepted the authority of the early leaders—Khalifas.
