1. Write a short note on the Tang dynasty of China.

In China, an empire was established under the Tang dynasty, which

remained in power for about 300 years (from the seventh to the tenth
centuries). Its capital, Xi’an, was one of the largest cities in the world, visited
by Turks, Iranians, Indians, Japanese and Koreans. The Tang empire was
administered by a bureaucracy recruited through an examination, which was
open to all who wished to appear for it. This system of selecting officials
remained in place, with some changes, till 1911.

2. Who was Kalhana? What was he famous for?

Answer:

Kalhana was a great poet who composed a long Sanskrit poem containing
the history of kings who ruled over Kashmir. He used a variety of sources,
including inscriptions, documents, eyewitness accounts and earlier histories,
to write his account. Unlike the writers of prashastis, he was often critical
about rulers and their policies.

3. What were the activities associated with Chola temples?

Answer:

Chola temples often became the nuclei of settlements which grew around
them. These were centres of craft production. Temples were also endowed
with land by rulers as well as by others. The produce of this land went to
maintain all the specialists who worked at the temple and very often lived
near it – priests, garland makers, cooks, sweepers, musicians, dancers, etc.
In other words, temples were not only places of worship; they were the hub
of economic, social and cultural life as well.

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 4. What did the new dynasties do to gain acceptance?
Answer:
From the seventh to the twelfth century, many new dynasties emerged
which spread from north-western to the southern region.
After gaining some power and wealth in the Indian subcontinent they
declared themselves as maha-samantas, mahamandaleshvara and
even adopted high-sounding titles like maharaja-adhiraja, Tribhuvan-
chakravartin and so on.
They performed many rituals like ‘Hiranya-Garbha’ to become a part of
the Kshatriyas and constructed many temples and forts to
demonstrate their power.
Besides, they used their military skills to carve out kingdoms and also
deputed learned brahmins to depict them as valiant, victorious
warriors and these brahmins even helped them in administration.
Prashastis were commissioned, under the order of Kings where the
achievements of kings were exaggerated and mentions of lost battles
were deliberately taken off to show kings as superior and victorious.
They fought many wars as they expected to lead the acquisition of
wealth and access to land as well as trade routes.

5. Write a note on the two Battles of Tarain.

Answer:

The first battle of Tarain was fought in 1191 between the Ghurids, a Turkish
tribe, led by Muhammad Ghori and the Rajputs led by Prithviraj Chauhan
and his allies. The resulting engagement ended in victory for the Rajput
forces.

This would not be the end of Ghurid incursions into India as Muhammad
Ghori would return, having learnt his enemies’ strengths and weaknesses
and mindful of not to underestimate his opponents in battle.
Prithvi Raj Chauhan’s inability to pursue and annihilate his foe and
consolidate his borders would have detrimental effects in Indian history as
the second battle of Tarain would prove.

The second battle of Tarain was fought between the Ghurid army led by
Muhammad Ghori and the Rajput Chahamanas and their allies led by Prithvi
Raj Chauhan in 1192. The battle saw the defeat of the Rajputs, opening
north India to future invasions and domination by Turkic tribes.

This battle holds a lot of significance in history because this was the first
time the Muslim regime ruled India.

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