(HISTORY)

CHAPTER 2 : New Kings And Kingdom

1. Match the following:
Gurjara-Pratiharas Western Deccan
Rashtrakutas Bengal
Palas Gujarat and Rajasthan
Cholas Tamil Nadu

Answer: Gurjara-Pratiharas Gujarat and Rajasthan

Rashtrakutas Western Deccan
Palas Bengal
Cholas Tamil Nadu

2. Who were the parties involved in the “tripartite struggle”?

Answer: Three parties were involved in the “tripartite struggle” and fought for control over Kannauj. These three
parties were the Gurjara-Pratihara, Rashtrakuta and Pala dynasties.

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

Answer: The following qualifications were necessary for becoming a member of the sabha in the Chola empire :
a. To become members of the sabha one should be the owner of the land from which land revenue is collected and
should have their own home.
b. One should be aged between 35 years to 70 years of age and should have knowledge of the Vedas.
c. One should be honest and well-versed in administrative matters.
d. If anyone has been a member of any committee in the last three years, he cannot become a member of another
committee.
e. Anyone who has not submitted his accounts or of his relatives, cannot contest the elections.

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

Answer: The two major cities that were under the control of the Chahamanas were Delhi and Ajmer.

5. How did the Rashtrakutas become powerful?

Answer: The Rashtrakutas in the Deccan were the subordinate to the Chalukyas of Karnataka. It was and
performed a ritual called hiranya-garbha with the help of Brahmanas. During this ritual, it was thought to lead to the
rebirth of the sacrificer as a Kshatriya, even if he was not one by birth. Also, they fought against the dynasties of
Gurjara Pratihara and Palas thus successfully establishing kingdoms in Karnataka and Rajasthan respectively.
6. What did the new dynasties do to gain acceptance?

Answer: To gain acceptance, the new dynasties took on new titles and performed religious rituals to become a part
of the Kshatriyas. They were regarded as the subordinates or Samantas by their overloads and later declared
themselves to be maha-Samanta after gaining power and wealth. The new dynasties also engaged themselves in
warfare to assert their power and carve kingdoms for themselves.

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

Answer: during the mid-8th century when Dantidurga, a Rashtrakuta chief, overthrew his Chalukya
overlordAnswer: During the fifth or sixth century, the areas near the Kaveri river in Tamil Nadu were opened up for
large-scale cultivation. The irrigation works that were developed in the Tamil region were the development of water
channels for agriculture, construction of embankments to prevent floods, digging of wells and tanks for storage of
water.

8. What were the activities associated with Chola temples?

Answer: Chola temples were centres of craft production and often became the nuclei of settlements which grew
around them. The Chola temples were not only places of worship but also the hub of economic, social and cultural
life. They were also endowed with land by rulers as well as by others and the produce of this land went into
maintaining all the specialists who worked at the temple. Amongst the crafts associated with temples, the making of
bronze images became the most distinctive and are still considered the finest in the world. Most of these bronze
images were of deities while sometimes, these images were made of devotees as well

9. Who were samantas? What service did they provide to the existing kings?
Answer:
 Samantas were big landlords or warrior-chiefs in different regions of the subcontinent.
 Existing kings considered them as their subordinates.
 Services Provided by the Samantas:
a. Samantas brought gifts for their kings or overlords.
b. They remained present at their courts or functions organized by them.
c. They provided them with military support.

10. What happened when Samantas gained power?

Answer:
 When Samantas gained power and wealth, they declared themselves to be maka-samanta,
maha-mandaleshvara (the great lord of a ‘circle’ or region).
 Sometimes they asserted their independence from their overlords.
 Examples:
In the mid-eighth century Dantidurga, a Rashtrakuta chief, overthrew his Chalukya overlord
and performed a ritual called hiranya-garbha meaning the golden womb
 Multiple Choice Questions
Prelude
Question 1.
Which new dynasty developed in eastern part of the country?
(a) Cholas
(b) Palas
(c) Chahamanas
(d) Rashtrakutas

The Emergence of New Dynasties

Question 2.
What was the other name of the great lord of a ‘circle’ or region?
(a) Samantas
(b) Subordinates
(c) Maha-mandaleshvara
(d) King

Question 3.
Who were expected to bring gifts for their kings in 17th century?
(a) Samantas
(b) Overlords
(c) Maha-samantas
(d) Maha-mandaleshvara

Question 4.
When were Samantas declared Maha-samantas?
(a) When they bring gifts for their kings
(b) When they provide kings with military support
(c) When they gain power and wealth
(d) None of the above

Question 5.
What is the literal meaning of hiranya-garbha?
(a) Rashtrakutas
(b) Dantidurga
(c) Golden womb
(d) Golden deer
 Administration in the Kingdoms
Question 6.
From whom was the Revenue also collected?
(a) Traders
(b) Merchants
(c) Peasants
(d) Artisans

Question 7.
What is Vetti?
(a) Rent
(b) Tax
(c) Revenue
(d) None of these

Question 8.
What was the use of money collected from taxes?
(a) To finance the kings’ establishment
(b) Construction of temples and forts
(c) To fight wars
(d) All of these

Question 9.
The functionaries for collecting revenue were recruited from
(a) peasants
(b) artisans
(c) traders
(d) influential families

Prashastis and Land Grants

Question 10.
Prashastis tell us how rulers wanted to depict themselves as
(a) leader
(b) valiant victorious warriors
(c) achiever
(d) all of these

Question 11.
In which language was the prashasti found in Gwalior written?
(a) Hindi
(b) English
(c) Sanskrit
(d) Urdu
Question 12.
Who was Nagabhata?
(a) Gupta ruler
(b) Chakrayudha
(c) Malava
(d) Pratihara king

Question 13.
Brahmanas were rewarded by grants of land recorded on
(a) copper plate
(b) iron plate
(c) silver plate
(d) none of these

Question 14.
The person who received the land could collect taxes on
(a) betel leaves
(b) woven clothes
(c) vehicles
(d) all of these

Warfare for Wealth

Question 15.
Who invaded the Somnath temple in Gujarat?
(a) Akbar
(b) Muhammad Ghori
(c) Mahmud Ghazni
(d) None of them

A Closer Look: the Cholas

Question 16.
Who ruled in Tamil Nadu?
(a) Cholas
(b) Chalukyas
(c) Rashtrakutas
(d) None of these

From Uraiyur to Thanjavur

Question 17.
Muttaraiyar held power in this delta region:
(a) Kaveri
(b) Krishna
(c) Mahanadi
(d) Godavari
Objective type questions
Question 1.
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words:
1. ……………………….. defeated Md. Ghori.
2. ………………………. wrote Kitab al-Hind.
3. Gurjara-Pratiharas, ……………………. and ……………………… fought the Tripartite
struggle.
4. Temple at Thanjavur was for goddess …………………..
5. Group of ur formed larger units called ……………………..
6. Most of the Brahmadeya land was in ……………………………… valley.

Question 2.
State whether the given statements are true or false:

1. Palas ruled over present state of Tamil Nadu.

2. Kalhan composed a poem about rulers of Kashmir.
3. Chahamanas rulers ruled over the regions around Delhi and Ajmer.
4. In the mid of 8th century Dantidurga overthrew his Chola ruler.
5. Land for maintenance of a school was called Pallichchhandam.
6. Land gifted to temples was called devadana.

Question 3.
Match the contents of Column A with that of Column B:

ANSWERS
-MCQ - OTQ

1. b *FIB
2. c 1. Prithviraja III
3. a 2. al-Biruni
4. c 3. Rashtrakutas, Palas
5. d 4. Nishumbhasudini
6. a 5. nadu
7. b 6. Kaveri
8. d
9. d
10. b
11. c *TRUE AND FALSE
12. d 1. false
13. a 2. true
14. d 3. true
15. c 4. false
16. a 5. false
17. a 6. true

*MATCH THE FOLLOWING

1. e
2. a
3. f
4. d
5. c
6. b