What were the problems that Ashoka wanted to solve by introducing dhamma?
There were a numerous problems that troubled ashoka and he wanted to solve those problems. These were as follows :
- People in the empire followed different religions, and this sometimes led to various problems out there.
- Animals were sacrificed or killed.
- Slaves and servants were badly treated.
- There were quarrels in families and amongst neighbourhood.
What were the means adopted by Ashoka to spread the message of dhamma?
Why do you think slaves and servants were ill-treated? Do you think the orders of the emperor would have improved their condition? Give reasons for your answer.
State whether true or false:
(a) Ujjain was the gateway to the north-west.
(c) Chandragupta’s ideas were written down in the Arthashastra.
(d) Kalinga was the ancient name of Bengal.
(e) Most Ashokan inscriptions are in the Brahmi script.
Make a list of the occupations of the people who lived within the Mauryan empire.
Complete the following sentences:
(a) Officials collected ———————— from the area under the direct control of the ruler.
(b) Royal princes often went to the provinces as ———
(c) The Mauryan rulers tried to control ———————— and ———————— which were important for transport.
(d) People in forested regions provided the Mauryan officials with ————————
Match the following
Stupa Place where the image of the deity is installed
Shikhara Mound
Mandapa Circular path around the stupa
Garbhagriha Place in temples where people could assemble
Pradakshina patha Tower
1. Complete the sentences:
(a) Hunter-gatherers chose to live in caves and rock shelters because ————————.
(b) Grasslands developed around ———————— years ago.
Match the following:
Narmada Valley The first big kingdom
Magadha Hunting and gathering
Garo hills Cities about 2500 years ago
Indus and its tributaries Early agriculture
Ganga Valley The first cities
How do archaeologists know that cloth was used in the Harappan civilisation?
Match the columns
Sukta Stone boulder
Chariots Sacrifice
Yajna Well-said
Dasa Used in battles
Megalith Slave
Describe the ways in which the Buddha tried to spread his message to the people.
Fill in the blanks:
(a) ———————— was a word used for large landowners in Tamil.
(b) The gramabhojaka often got his land cultivated by the ————————
(c) Ploughmen were known as ———————— in Tamil.
(d) Most grihapatis were ———————— landowners.
Match the following:
Muvendar Mahayana Buddhism
Lords of the dakshinapatha Buddhacharita
Ashvaghosha Satavahana rulers
Bodhisattvas Chinese pilgrim
Xuan Zang Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas
1. State whether true or false:
(a) Harishena composed a prashasti in praise of Gautamiputra Shri Satakarni.
(b) The rulers of Aryavarta brought tribute for Samudragupta.
(c) There were twelve rulers in Dakshinapatha.
(d) Taxila and Madurai were important centres under the control of the Gupta rulers.
(e) Aihole was the capital of the Pallavas.
(f) Local assemblies functioned for several centuries in south India.
Fill in the blanks:
(a) ———————— was a great astronomer.
(b) Stories about gods and goddesses are found in the ————————
(c) ———————— is recognised as the author of the Sanskrit Ramayana.
(d) ———————— and ———————— are two Tamil epics.
Match the following
Stupa Place where the image of the deity is installed
Shikhara Mound
Mandapa Circular path around the stupa
Garbhagriha Place in temples where people could assemble
Pradakshina patha Tower
List one major difference between manuscripts and inscriptions.
Read the story on page 122. In what ways is the monkey king similar to or different from the kings you read about in Chapters 5 and 10?
Why were metals, writing, the wheel, and the plough important for the Harappans?
Do you think ordinary people would have read and understood the prashastis? Give reasons for your answer.
List 3 ways in which the lives of farmers and herders would have been different from that of hunter-gatherers.
Why do archaeologists think that many people who lived in Mehrgarh were hunters to start with and that herding became more important later?
What were the main features of Bhakti?
List three ways in which hunter-gatherers used fire (see page 15). Would you use fire for any of these purposes today?
What were the questions that Upanishadic thinkers wanted to answer?