Chapter 1.

New Kings And Kingdoms

Very Short Q&A:

Q1: Tang dynasty remained in power between the __________ and __________ century.
Ans: 7th and 10th century
Q2: Name the king related with the Gwalior prashasti
Ans: Nagabhatta
Q3: The foundation of Rashtrakutas dynasty was laid down by__________.
Ans: Dantidurga
Q4: Name the dynasty under which the Ellora caves were constructed.
Ans: Rashtrakuta dynasty
Q5: Name the Chola king who defeated the Rulers of Ganga valley.
Ans: Rajendra- I
Q6: In which year Prithviraja III defeated Sultan Muhammad Ghori?
Ans: 1191
Q7: The Rashtrakutas dynasty was founded in the region of__________.
Ans: Deccan
Q8: Name the river that flowed in the regions of the Chola dynasty.
Ans: Kaveri
Q9: At the time of Cholas, the tax 'Vetti' was levied in the form of_______.
Ans: Forced labour
Q10: Periyapuranam was a unique twelfth century Tamil inscription because it
informed us of the life of ordinary men. True/ False
Ans: true
Q11: Besides being the hub of social, economic and cultural life, temples were
originally places of _____________________.
Ans: worship
Q12: Who was the author of Kitab-ul-Hind?
Ans: Al-Biruni
Q13: What was the meaning of title of Araiyar given by Chola kings to rich landowners?
Ans: Chief
Q14: Al-Biruni had keen interest in the __________ and ____________.
Ans: Indian philosophy and science
Q15: To whom Rashtrakutas were subordinate?
Ans: Chalukyas
Q16: Name the nagrams who occasionally performed administrative functions in
towns.
Ans: association of traders
Q17: Where was the Tang dynasty established?
Ans: China
Q18: When was the Tang dynasty established?
Ans: Tang dynasty was established in China in the 7th century and lasted till 10th
century
Q19: Name the Chola ruler who developed Navy.
Ans: Rajendra I
Q20: Who constructed the temple of Gangaikondacholpuram?
Ans: Rajendra Chola
Q21: Vijayalaya captured the delta of river Kaveri from the __________.
Ans: Muttaraiyar chiefs
Q22: The ruler who performed the hiranya-garbha ritual belonged to whose dynasty?
Ans: Rashtrakutas
Q23: The samantas were expected to bring gifts for their kings. True/False
Ans: True
Q24: The kings acknowledged the big landlords as samantas. True/False
Ans: True
Q25: Name a Rashtrakuta Chief who overthrew the Chalukyan over lordship.
Ans: Dantidurga
Q26: Name a Chalukyan king who performed "Hiranyagarbha" sacrifice.
Ans: Dantidurga
Q27: Name the founder of the Gurjara- Pratihara dynasty.
Ans: Harichandra
Q28: Gurjara - Pratihara were________ (Brahmans/ Rajputs).
Ans: Brahmans
Q29: Name the state where Kadamba Mayurasharman ruled.
Ans: Karnataka
Q30: The Kadamba dynasty, in Karnataka, was founded in A.D 345 by Mayursharman.
True/False
Ans: True
Q31: In which state the Gujara - Pratihara dynasty was formed?
Ans: Rajasthan
Q32: The Prashastis were composed by ____________.
Ans: Brahmans
Q33: The evidence of the land grants were found to be recorded on________ plate
Ans: Copper
Q34: Kalhana belongs to which place?
Ans: Kashmir
Q35: Where was the city of Kannauj located?
Ans: Ganga Valley
Q36: What was the capital of Harshavardhan?
Ans: Kannauj
Q37: Where does Sultan Mahmud ruled?
Ans: Ghazni
Q38: Name the place where the temple of Somnath is located.
Ans: Gujarat
Q39: Name the place where the temple of Somnath is located.
Ans: Arabic language
Q40: Prithviraja III was a famous __________.
Ans: Chauhanas King
Q41: Prithviraja III defeated Sultan Muhammad Ghori, in the battle of Tarrain in 1191,
but in the very next year, he was defeated by Ghori. True/False
Ans: True
Q42: Earlier the Chauhanas were also known as _____________.
Ans: Chahamanas
Q43: How did rain water was collected in Chola kingdom?
Ans: Huge tank
Q44: Name a famous Chola king who raided the Ganga Valley.
Ans: Rajendra I
Q45: During the rule of the Cholas the term Kadamai was used for ___________.
Ans: Land revenue
Q46: Vijayalaya belonged to the________ dynasty.
Ans: Chola dynasty
Q47: Who constructed the big temple at Thanjavur?
Ans: Rajaraja I
Q48: Rich landlords were given title of Muvendavelan. True/False
Ans: True
Q49: What was the name of the association of the traders during Chola period?
Ans: Nagarams
Q50: Name the most powerful Chola ruler.
Ans: Rajaraja I
 Short Q&A:
Q1: How did the Chola temples become hub of economic, social and cultural life?
Ans: The Chola temples were not merely places of worship. They often became nuclei
of settlements, which grew around them.The Brahman priests imparted education in
Sanskrit in these temples. Important meetings were sometimes held inside the temple
complex. These were also centres of craft production. Fairs were organised during
religious festivals.Temples gave employment to a large number of people including
priests, garland makers, cooks, sweepers, musicians, dancers etc. So we can say,
temples were not only places of worship; they were hub of economic, social and cultural
life as well.
Q2: Write a short note on Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni.
Ans: Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni was the ruler of Afghanistan. He ruled from A.D 997 to
1030 and extended control over parts of Central Asia, Iran and north-western part of the
subcontinent. He raided the subcontinent almost every year. His later invasions were
specifically directed to temple towns, including that of Somnath, Gujarat, as Indian
temples were depositories of great wealth. Much of the wealth that Mahmud carried
away was used to create a splendid capital city at Ghazni. He entrusted a scholar
named al-Biruni to write an account of the subcontinent. This Arabic work, known as
Kitab-al Hind remains an important source for historians
Q3: Who were samantas? How did they weaken the authority of the King?
Ans: Kings often acknowledged big landlords or warrior chiefs, in different regions of
the subcontinent, as their subordinates or samantas. They provided military support to
the king. The king became increasingly dependent on these chiefs. Some of these
warrior chiefs grew ambitious and some of them became independent when the king's
power declined. For example, Rashtrakutas were subordinate to the Chalukyas of
Karnataka who rose to power by overthrowing their overlords.
Q4: Who was responsible to collect the revenue from the people?
Ans: Revenue in the kingdom was collected from peasants, cattle,keepers, artisans and
traders. Members of influential family were appointed by the king to collect revenue.
These positions were often hereditary.
Q5: Explain how people participated in Sabha.
Ans: Any person fulfilling the following conditions could participate in the sabha:

• All those who wished to become members of the Sabha had to be the owners of
the land.
• They should have their own homes.
 • They should be between 35 and 70 years of age.
• They should have knowledge of the Vedas.
• They should be well versed in administrative matters and be honest.
• If anyone was a member of any committee in the last three years, he could
become a member of another committee in the coming years

Q6: Write short notes on Chola Administration.

Ans: The Chola administration was highly organized and efficient. The King was an
important person. Nadu, groups of villages, had many administrative functions including
dispensing justice and collecting taxes, 'ur' was a village assembly and they looked after
the administration of the village.
Q7: What do you know about architecture of Chola Period?
Ans: Chola temples were the Centers of Craft production in the big temples of Thanjavur
and Gangaikonda. Cholapuram, built by Rajaraja and Rajendra are an exclusive example
of architectural and Sculptural marvels. Temples were not only the places of worship,
they were the hub of economic, social and cultural life. Chola bronze images are
considered amongst the finest in the world.
Q8: Describe the famous works of Jaidev and Chand Bardai.
Ans: The most famous works are
Jaideva - He wrote 'Geet Govinda'
Chand Bardai - He wrote 'Prithviraja Raso' describing the adventures of great Chauhan
King Prithviraj.
Q9: What are 'Prashastis'?
Ans: Prashastis tell us about the rulers how they depicted themselves-as valiant,
victorious warriors. Learned Brahmans were those who helped in the administration, so
prashastis may not be literally true.
Q10: When the second Battle of Tarain fought and what was were its consequences?
Ans: The second battle of Tarain was fought between Mohammed Ghori and Prithviraja.
Ghori defeated Prithviraja in this battle.
Q11: Name the dynasties that fought for control over Kanauj in the early medieval
period.
Ans: From ninth to thirteenth century, three powers-Gurjara-Pratihara of western India,
Rashtrakutas of the north-western Deccan and Palas of Bengal, fought for control over
Kanauj. As there were three powers in this long drawn conflict, historians often describe
it as - tripartite struggle.
Q12: Explain differences between the terms Brahmadeya and Devadana.
Ans: Tax free lands granted to Brahmanas were called Brahmadeya. As a result of these
grants, a large number of Brahman settlements emerged in the Kaveri valley as in other
parts of south India. Land gifted to the temples was called Devadana. Often entire
villages were given to the villagers.
Q13: How was the administration of the Tang empire carried out?
Ans: The Tang empire was administered by a bureaucracy recruited through an
examination guided by the emperor himself, which was open to all who wished to
appear for it.Generally, the Imperial Examination System was a progressive examination
that allowed intellectuals born in poor families to have the opportunity to become an
officer in the court.From the imperial point of view, this examination system helped to
enhance the centralisation of imperial power.
Q14: Write a short note on Brahmadeya.
Ans: Land grants to Brahmanas were called Brahmadeya. Lands were given as
Brahmadeya either to a single Brahman or to several Brahman families. Brahmadeya
land could vary from a small plot, a single village or several villages. Each Brahmadeya
was looked after by an assembly or Sabha of prominent Brahman landholders.
Brahmadeya villages must have formed a small proportion of settlements in some
areas. The taxes from such villages were assigned to the Brahman donees, who were
also given the right to get the donated land cultivated.
Q15: How did the states obtain resources and what were the methods practiced to
obtain it?
Ans: States obtained resources from producers such as peasants, cattle-keepers and
artisans. They had to give half of the things that they produced.

• There were two method of Collecting Resources:

• The Kings claimed that they were lords of the lands and rent should be paid to
them.
• Compelling and forcing the producers was another method of obtaining
resources
Q16: What do you understand by Vetti and kadamai?
Ans: Vetti and Kadamai were two taxes imposed on the people by the Chola kings. Vetti
was a tax that was not collected in the form of cash but in the form of forced labour.
And kadamai was a land revenue.
Q17: How were the members for the committees of sabha elected?
Ans: Names of eligible members were written on small tickets of palm leaf. These
tickets were put into an earthen pot from which a young boy was asked to pick the
tickets, one by one for each committee.
 Long Q&A:
Q1: Explain briefly the 'agriculture life' of the people in the Chola period.
Ans: The 'agricultural life' of Chola period was very prosperous. River Kaveri flowing
frequently, disposed fertile soil on the fields. In many areas two crops were grown in a
year. In many areas crops were watered artificially and a variety of methods were used
for irrigation.
Q2: Who were the Chahamanas? Name one of the best Chahamana rulers.
Ans: Chahamanas later came to be known as the Chauhan Rajputs, ruled over the
region around Delhi and Ajmer. They made attempts to expand their control to the west
and the east, where they were opposed by the Chalukyas of Gujarat and Gahadavalas of
western Uttar Pradesh. Prithviraja III was the best known Chahamana ruler. He defeated
Sultan Muhammad Ghori, an Afghan ruler, in the first battle of Tarain in 1191 but was
defeated by the Afghan ruler, the very next year in the second battle of Tarain in 1192.
Q3: Mention one distinctive art associated with the Chola temples.
Ans: Chola rulers were active patrons of art. Chola temples were centre of craft
production. Amongst the arts associated with temples, the making of bronze images
was the most distinctive. The beautiful Nataraja figure was first conceived during the
Chola empire. Chola bronze images are considered amongst the finest in the world.
While most images made by the craftsmen were of deities, sometimes images of
devotees were also made by them. Chola craftsmen created large bronze images to be
carried outside the temple to participate in daily rituals, processions and temple
festivals.