Class 12 History - Themes in Indian History - I - Chapter Kings, Farmers and Towns NCERT Solutions | Compare and contrast the list of things

How do historians reconstruct the lives of ordinary people?

Describe the salient features of mahajanapadas.

This is a statement made by one of the best-known epigraphists of the twentieth century, D.C. Sircar: “There is no aspect of life, culture and activities of the Indians that is not reflected in inscriptions.” Discuss.

List some of the problems faced by epigraphists.

Discuss the notions of kingship that developed in the post-Mauryan period.

Discuss the evidence of craft production in Early Historic cities. In what ways is this different from the evidence from Harappan cities?

To what extent were agricultural practices transformed in the period under consideration?

Discuss the main features of Mauryan administration. Which of these elements are evident in the Asokan inscriptions that you have studied?

List the items of food available to people in Harappan cities. Identify the groups who would have provided these.

Explain why patriliny may have been particularly important among elite families.

Were the ideas of the Upanishadic thinkers different from those of the fatalists and materialists? Give reasons for your answer.

How do archaeologists trace socio-economic differences in Harappan society? What are the differences that they notice?

Discuss whether kings in early states were invariably Kshatriyas.

Summarise the central teachings of Jainism.

Would you agree that the drainage system in Harappan cities indicates town planning? Give reasons for your answer.

Compare and contrast the dharma or norms mentioned in the stories of Drona, Hidimba and Matanga.

Discuss the role of the begums of Bhopal in preserving the stupa at Sanchi.

List the materials used to make beads in the Harappan civilisation. Describe the process by which any one kind of bead was made.

List the items of food available to people in Harappan cities. Identify the groups who would have provided these.

Were the ideas of the Upanishadic thinkers different from those of the fatalists and materialists? Give reasons for your answer.

Look at Fig. 1.30 and describe what you see. How is the body placed? What are the objects placed near it? Are there any artefacts on the body? Do these indicate the sex of the skeleton?

Discuss how archaeologists reconstruct the past.

Discuss the development in sculpture and architecture associated with the rise of Vaishnavism and Shaivism.

Discuss how and why stupas were built.

Discuss the role of the begums of Bhopal in preserving the stupa at Sanchi.

List the materials used to make beads in the Harappan civilisation. Describe the process by which any one kind of bead was made.

This is what a famous historian of Indian literature, Maurice Winternitz, wrote about the Mahabharata: “just because the Mahabharata represents more of an entire literature ... and contains so much and so many kinds of things, … (it) gives(s) us an insight into the most profound depths of the soul of the Indian folk.” Discuss.

The following is an excerpt from the Mahabharata, in which Yudhisthira, the eldest Pandava, speaks to Sanjaya, a messenger:

Sanjaya, convey my respectful greetings to all the Brahmanas and the chief priest of the house of Dhritarashtra. I bow respectfully to teacher Drona ... I hold the feet of our preceptor Kripa ... (and) the chief of the Kurus, the great Bhishma. I bow respectfully to the old king (Dhritarashtra). I greet and ask after the health of his son Duryodhana and his younger brother ... Also greet all the young Kuru warriors who are our brothers, sons and grandsons ... Greet above all him, who is to us like father and mother, the wise Vidura (born of a slave woman) ... I bow to the elderly ladies who are known as our mothers. To those who are our wives you say this, “I hope they are well-protected”... Our daughters-in-law born of good families and mothers of children greet on my behalf. Embrace for me those who are our daughters ... The beautiful, fragrant, well-dressed courtesans of ours you should also greet. Greet the slave women and their children, greet the aged, the maimed (and) the helpless ...

Try and identify the criteria used to make this list – in terms of age, gender, kinship ties. Are there any other criteria? For each category, explain why they are placed in a particular position in the list.