Empires and Kingdoms: 6th to 10th Centuries Class 7 Questions and Answers SST Part 2 Chapter 3

Start practicing the Exploring Society India and Beyond Class 7 Solutions and Class 7 SST Part 2 Chapter 3 Empires and Kingdoms: 6th to 10th Centuries Question Answer to consolidate your knowledge effectively.

Empires and Kingdoms: 6th to 10th Centuries Questions and Answers Class 7 SST Part 2 Chapter 3

Empires and Kingdoms: 6th to 10th Centuries Class 7 Question Answer

The Big Questions? (Page 61)

Question 1.
What major changes characterised this period?
Answer:
Large empires declined and many regional kingdoms emerged across India. India faced foreign invasions. Such as Hunas and Arabs, affecting Indian politics. Increased contact with foreign cultures led to exchange of ideas, trade, etc. Power became more decentralised, local rulers,
chiefş became important. Buddhism, Bhakt movement developed.

Question 2.
How did the political, cultural, an religious developments shape India during thi períod?
Answer:

• Political developments: The decline of large empires led to the rise of regional kingdoms. It strengthened local administration Rulers supported art, learning and religion.
• Cultural developments: Literature, an and architecture flourished. Works in Sanskrit and regional languages were produced. Cultura exchange with foreign travellers enriched Indian culture.
• Religious developments: Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism continued to develop with Bhakti ideas promoted devotion and tolerance.

Question 3.
What was the impact of foreign invasions and interactions on Indian society and polity during this period?
Answer:
The impacts of foreign invasions and interactions on Indian society and polity are as follows-

• Foreign invasions weakened some Indian kingdoms but they also led to strong resistance and the rise of powerful regional rulers.
• Contact with foreigners led to an exchange of ideas, art, language and technology.
• New religious ideas entered India but Indian society largely showed tolerance and coexistence of different faiths.
• Indian society absorbed foreigners over time, leading to assimilation rather than complete domination.

Think About It (Page 67)

Question 1.
Does the above ceremony remind you a similar event discussed in Part 1 of this textbook?

Answer:
Yes, this ceremony reminds us of the Ashvamedha sacrifice discussed in Part 1 of this textbook.

Let’s Explore (Page 68)

Question 1.
Why was Kannauj so attractive to those powerful dynasties? Observe its location on the map (Fig. 3.3, see textbook page 63) and discuss in class.

Answer:
Kannauj was important due to its location in the fertile Ganges valley and its control over trade routes. Land near Kannauj was fertile and suitable for agriculture, ensuring economic prosperity. Controlling Kannauj meant controlling large part of north India, which was a symbol of power and prestige for the major dynasties of the time.

 Let’s Explore (Page 90)

Question 1.
What details do you observe in these coins (Fig. 3.26, see textbook page 90)? Why do the coins of Toramana and Skandagupta appear so similar? What conclusions can you draw?

Answer:

• The Huna rulers such as Toramana imitated the coinage of the contemporary powerful empires they interacted with or conquered, such as Gupta Emprie.
• The similarity between the coins indicates significant interaction between the Hunas and the Gupta Empire.
• It shows that the Hunas were influenced by Gupta administrative and cultural practices, particularly in matters of currency.

Let’s Explore (Page 91)

1. The Chachnama records that when King Dahar was killed, his widowed queen put up a brave resistance, and when the situation became hopeless, she immolated herself along with other ladies. Another queen ordered her treasure to be distributed among the brave soldiers and inspired them to stand against the invaders.

Question 1.
What does this suggest about the way the indigenous people responded to invasions?
Answer:
The indigenous people responded with extreme bravery, resistance and a willingness to make ultimate sacrifice to oppose the invaders.

Question 2.
Why do you think the queen chose to give away her treasure?
Answer:
The queen chose to give away her treasure to motivate and equip her soldiers to continue fighting the invaders.

Question 3.
What does this reveal about the role of women in warfare?
Answer:
This reveals that women played significant and active role in warfare, not just as passive victims, but as leaders, source of inspiration and resistance.

Think About It  (Page 92)

Question 1.
Sulaiman, a 9th-century Arab merchant and traveller, makes this comment on a Gurjara-Pratihara ruler: “This king maintains numerous forces, and no other Indian prince has so fine a cavalry. He is unfriendly to the Arabs …. there is no greater foe of the Muhammadan faith than he …. He has riches, and his camels and horses are numerous. … There is no country in India safer from robbers.” Why do you think the author calls the ruler a ‘foe to the Muslim faith’?
Answer:
The author calls the ruler a “foe to the Muslim faith” because he was strongly opposed to the Arabs. He maintained a powerful army, defeated Arab forces and ensured that no other Indian ruler supported them.

• By resisting Arab expansion and protecting India from their influence, he became an enemy of the spread of the Muslim faith.

Empires and Kingdoms: 6th to 10th Centuries Class 7 Solutions

Question 1.
If you lived in Kannauj during the struggle between the Palas, the Pratiharas and the Rashtrakutas, how would it change your daily life and your estimate of the rulers? Write a letter on this to your friend living in Kanchipuram.
Answer:
Kannauj
Date : 06-01-20XX
Dear Friend,
I hope you are safe and well in Kanchipuram. Life in Kannauj has become very difficult because of the constant struggle between the Palas, the Pratiharas and the Rashtrakutas. Our city has turned into a centre of conflict.

Our daily life is disturbed. Farmers are afraid to work in their fields, traders hesitate to travel, prices of food have increases. Heavy taxes are collected to support the army.

Rulers are brave and powerful but their continuous fights to control Kannauj have brought hardship to common people like us. We wish for peace so that life can return to normal and development can take place.

Write back soon about your life there.
Yours lovingly,
XYZ

Question 2.
Emperors and kings during this period controlled only core regions and governed other regions through subordinate vassals. What would be the advantages and the challenges of such a system?
Answer:
Advantages

• It reduced the administrative burden on the central ruler and made administration casier.
• Kings could control large territories without being physically present everywhere.
• Local vassals understood regional problems better and could respond quickly.

Challenges

• Vassals were not loyal and could rebel against the king.
• Vassals sometimes did not follow orders or pay taxes.
• The central ruler had less direct control ovet distant regions.

Question 3.
In what ways were the invasions of the Hunas and the Arabs different in their aims, methods, and impact on the Indian subcontinent? Prepare a write-up, discuss and present it in the class.
Answer:
Hunas

• Aim: Their main aim was plunder and territorial control.
• Methods: They invaded through trade routes and used brutal warfare, destroying cities and settlements.
• Impact: Their invasions weakened the Gupta Empire, caused political instability. They did not establish a long lasting rule.

Arabs

• Aim: They aimed to expand their empire and spread Islam.
• Methods: They were well organised, used cavalry and tried to establish administrative control, especially in Sind.
• Impact: Invasions led to trade contacts, cultural exchange, introduction of new ideas. Their political control remained limited in India.
  It shows that the Hunas caused destruction and instability, the Arabs had a more lasting cultural and economic influence on the Indian subcontinent.

Question 4.
Imagine you are a common citizen watching the Prayaga assembly. How would you react to Harsha giving away most of his wealth?
Answer:
If I were a common citizen watching Harsha giving away most of his wealth at the Prayaga assembly, I would feel amazed and grateful. It would show that the king cared deeply for his people and believed in charity and equality. His generosity would inspire respect and loyalty among the people, I would feel proud to be ruled by such a selfless ruler.

Question 5.
Forming groups, let each group choose one Alvar and one Nayanar and prepare a biography poster or booklet. Include their life stories and a sample poem or two (in translation).
Answer:
(a) Biography of an Alvar SaintAndal

• Andal was a famous Alvar saint and the only woman among the twelve Alvars.
• She was a devoted follower of Lord Vishnu.
• She composed beautiful devotional hymns in Tamil. Her two well known works are Tiruppavai and Nachiyar Tirumali, which express deep love and devotion for Lord Vishnu.
• She is worshipped as a goddess in many Vishnu temples, especially to Srivilliputhur where a grand temple is dedicated to her.

(b) Biography of a Nayanar Saint-Appar

• Appar is also known as Tirunavukkarasar.
• He was a devoted follower of Lord Shiva and played an important role in spreading Shaivism.
• He taught love, devotion, humanity and service to god.
• Appar composed many devotional hymns in Tamil, which are included in the Tevaram.
• His songs inspired people from all castes and strengthened the Bhakti movement in south India.
  [Note: Students can represent the above information in the form of poster with pictures.]

Question 6.
You will notice that our maps show only ancient names for the kingdoms’ capitals and main cities. Using a pencil, mark the modern names next to their original names. Refer the current map of India and try to locate those cities on it.
Answer:

Ancient Name	Modern Name
Kanyakubja	Kannauj (Uttar Pradesh)
Kanchi	Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu)
Manyakhet	Malkhed (Karnataka)
Ujjayini	Uijain (Madhya Pradesh)
Tanjavur	Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu)
Sthaneshvara	Thanesar (Haryana)

Modern names of ancient cities :

Question 7.
Match the ruler or the dynasty with the city.

(a) Rashtrakutas	(i) Kanchi
(b) Gurjara-Pratiharas	(ii) Tanjavur
(c) Cholas	(iii) Manyakheta
(d) Harshavardhana	(iv) Ujjayini
(e) Pallavas	(v) Kanyakubja

Answer:

(a) Rashtrakutas	(iii) Manyakheta
(b) Gurjara-Pratiharas	(iv) Ujjayini
(c) Cholas	(ii) Tanjavur
(d) Harshavardhana	(v) Kanyakubja
(e) Pallavas	(i) Kanchi