What were the new administrative arrangements during this period?
Some important administrative posts were now hereditary that are as follows:
- Sometimes, one person held many offices.
- Important men probably had a say in administration.
What changes do you find in the army at this time?
Mention three authors who wrote about Harshavardhana.
What do you think Arvind would have to do if he was acting as Samudragupta?
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.
Do you think ordinary people would have read and understood the prashastis? Give reasons for your answer.
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.
Make a list of the occupations of the people who lived within the Mauryan empire.
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
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.
What kind of evidence from burials do archaeologists use to find out whether there were social differences amongst those who were buried?
What were the problems that Ashoka wanted to solve by introducing dhamma?
Why do you think ordinary people were attracted to Bhakti?
What were the questions that Upanishadic thinkers wanted to answer?
What were the main features of Bhakti?
How do archaeologists know that cloth was used in the Harappan civilisation?
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?
In what ways are the books we read today different from the Rigveda?
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.
Describe at least two ways in which you think the lives of kings would have been different from those of farmers.