Class 7 KIngs and kingdom NCERT (new)

 

1) Emergence of new dynasties

• Background: After the 7th century many local chiefs, landlords and warrior-chiefs acquired wealth, military strength and local support. They sometimes broke away from older overlords and founded independent kingdoms. Examples: Rashtrakutas in the Deccan, Gurjara-Pratihara in Rajasthan, Palas in Bengal and the Kadamba in Karnataka.
• Paths to power: Some were military leaders who seized opportunities; others (like Mayurasharman, Harichandra) were Brahmanas who took up arms and founded dynasties. Rituals and Brahmana endorsement (e.g., Dantidurga’s royal ritual) helped legitimise such claims.

2) Kings, titles and sharing power

• Rulers adopted grand titles (e.g., maharaja, chakravartin) but actual power was often shared with local elites: influential families, village assemblies, trader guilds and Brahmanas. Administration relied on local networks for revenue, troops and labour.

3) Revenue, taxation and functionaries

• Sources of state resources were peasants, pastoralists, artisans and traders. The state collected land revenue (kadamai), levies, cesses and forced services (vetti — labour). Chola inscriptions mention hundreds of fiscal terms, showing a very detailed and diversified fiscal system. Revenue officials and military officers were often recruited from influential families and many positions became hereditary.

4) Prashastis and land grants

• Prashastis (royal eulogies) praised rulers’ victories and virtues; while often exaggerated, they show how kings wanted to be seen. Land grants — recorded on copper plates — describe the land given to Brahmanas or temples, list resources (wells, canals, orchards, pastures) and spell out privileges (tax collection, irrigation rights). These documents are vital sources for historians.

5) Warfare, the tripartite struggle and raids

• Many wars were fought over wealthy and strategic regions (notably Kanauj, the prosperous city in the Ganga valley). The tripartite struggle between Gurjara-Pratiharas, Rashtrakutas and Palas was a long contest for control of that region and trade routes. Temples, being rich, were often targets (e.g., Mahmud of Ghazni’s raids on Somnath). Warfare combined political ambition with economic motives.

6) A closer look — the Cholas

• Origins: The Cholas rose from a minor family in the Kaveri delta (Vijayalaya captured Thanjavur).
• Expansion: Rajaraja I and Rajendra I expanded territory, reorganised administration, promoted irrigation and sculptural/craft centres, and led expeditions — even maritime ventures.
• Temples: Massive temple complexes (Thanjavur, Gangaikonda-cholapuram) became economic and cultural hubs: endowed with land, they supported priests, artisans, festival economies and craft workshops (notably bronze sculpture production).

7) Agriculture, irrigation and public works

• Kaveri delta developments: embankments, canals, tanks, wells and sluice gates increased wet-rice cultivation and allowed multiple crops. These works required planning, large labour input and rules for sharing water — often overseen by local councils and state authorities.

8) Village assemblies, town guilds and local governance

• Village councils and sabhas (examples: Uttaramerur) handled local administration, justice and irrigation. The Uttaramerur inscriptions describe committees for temples, irrigation and public works, secret-ballot-like procedures (name-draw lots), eligibility criteria for members and rules for removal / accountability. Trader guilds (nagaram, etc.) also played administrative roles in towns.

9) Social life and sources

• The chapter pairs inscriptions (formal administrative records) with literary texts (like Kalhaṇa’s Rājataraṅgiṇī and the Periyapuranam) to show both elite actions and everyday life — for instance, vivid descriptions of labouring communities in Tamil texts. These sources together give a fuller picture of medieval social and political life.

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Practice material (all answers included)

(After the chapter explanation above, here are the exercises you requested: 10 MCQs, 10 very short Q→As, 10 short Q→As (30–40 words), 10 long Q→As (50–60 words), 5 assertion–reason items, and 3 case studies — all with answers. Citations to chapter pages are given where appropriate.)

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A. Ten Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) — with answers

1. Which dynasty overthrew its Chalukya overlord in the Deccan and performed a royal ritual to claim sovereignty?
   A. Pala B. Gurjara-Pratihara C. Rashtrakuta D. Chola
   Answer: C.
2. What was the principal land tax term commonly mentioned in Chola inscriptions?
   A. Vetti B. Kadamai C. Shalabhoga D. Devadana
   Answer: B (kadamai — land revenue).
3. Which city was the focus of the “tripartite struggle”?
   A. Thanjavur B. Kanauj C. Pataliputra D. Ajmer
   Answer: B (Kanauj).
4. Chola temples are best described as:
   A. Mere religious shrines only
   B. Centres of economic, social and cultural life
   C. Military garrisons
   D. Isolated farms
   Answer: B.
5. A copper-plate grant usually recorded:
   A. A king’s battle tactics B. A land grant and its privileges C. A royal marriage D. A recipe for temple food
   Answer: B.
6. Which ruler raided wealthy temples in the early 11th century CE?
   A. Rajaraja I B. Mahmud of Ghazni C. Prithviraja III D. Dantidurga
   Answer: B (Mahmud of Ghazni).
7. The irrigation structure used to regulate flow from tanks into channels is called:
   A. Prashasti B. Sabha C. Sluice gate D. Vetri
   Answer: C (sluice gate).
8. Which of these was a criterion for sabha membership at Uttaramerur?
   A. Being under 20 years of age B. Owning land from which revenue was collected C. Being a trader only D. Being a monk
   Answer: B.
9. Vetti refers to:
   A. A temple festival B. Forced labour or service C. A sea voyage D. A musical instrument
   Answer: B.
10. Which craft associated with Chola temples became particularly famous?
    A. Pottery B. Bronze sculpture C. Textile weaving D. Iron-smelting
    Answer: B (bronze sculpture).

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B. Ten Very Short Question–Answers (one-line)

1. Q: What is a prashasti?
   A: A royal eulogy praising a king’s deeds.
2. Q: What is a copper-plate grant used for?
   A: To record land grants and privileges formally.
3. Q: Name one irrigation method in the Kaveri delta.
   A: Tanks (large water reservoirs).
4. Q: What does kadamai mean?
   A: Land revenue (tax).
5. Q: What was the tripartite struggle about?
   A: Control of Kanauj and the Ganga valley.
6. Q: What did vetti refer to?
   A: Forced labour or service owed to the ruler.
7. Q: Who recorded the Uttaramerur inscriptions?
   A: Chola period epigraphists (inscriptions on temple walls).
8. Q: Which craft was linked to Chola temples?
   A: Bronze icon (sculpture) making.
9. Q: Name one function of the village sabha.
   A: Managing irrigation and local public works.
10. Q: Why did kings give land grants to Brahmanas?
    A: To secure ritual endorsement, loyalty and administrative support.

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C. Ten Short Question–Answers (30–40 words each)

(Each answer below is between 30 and 40 words.)

1. Q: Explain how some local chiefs became kings after the seventh century.
   A: Wealthy chiefs used military skills, controlled trade routes and land, sometimes overthrew overlords and performed legitimising rituals. Support from Brahmanas, strategic alliances and successful raids allowed them to establish independent dynasties across different regions.
   (31 words)
2. Q: What does a copper-plate land grant tell historians?
   A: It records the grant’s boundaries, resources (wells, canals, orchards), privileges, and the recipient’s rights. Such plates reveal land use, irrigation, taxation privileges and rulers’ strategies of rewarding Brahmanas and temples to obtain support.
   (33 words)
3. Q: Why were temples targeted in warfare?
   A: Temples accumulated land, wealth and valuables; attacking them produced plunder and prestige. Controlling temple centres also meant gaining economic resources, local influence and symbolic legitimacy for conquering rulers.
   (30 words)
4. Q: Describe one reason the Cholas promoted irrigation works.
   A: Irrigation expanded wet-rice cultivation, increased agricultural surplus and revenue. Tanks, canals and sluices allowed multiple cropping and supported population growth, craft production and sustained temple endowments central to Chola economy.
   (33 words)
5. Q: How did the Chola temple support local economies?
   A: Temples owned land, employed many specialists, maintained workshops (bronze), sponsored festivals and markets. Their endowments circulated produce and wages, nurturing craft production and urban settlements around temple complexes.
   (30 words)
6. Q: What was the role of hereditary functionaries?
   A: Officials and military commanders from influential families held revenue or army posts, often inherited. This ensured continuity and local support but could also strengthen regional elites and limit central control.
   (33 words)
7. Q: Summarise Uttaramerur’s selection method for committees.
   A: Eligible names were written on palm-leaf tickets and drawn by lot from a pot; committees managed irrigation, temples and public works. Rules specified qualifications, rotation and removal to ensure competence and curb corruption.
   (36 words)
8. Q: What information do prashastis provide despite exaggeration?
   A: Prashastis show rulers’ self-presentation, claimed conquests, patronage and ideology. Even if hyperbolic, they indicate political aspirations, diplomatic claims and patterns of conflict and alliance useful for historians.
   (33 words)
9. Q: Explain vetti and its social impact.
   A: Vetti was forced labour owed by villagers to rulers or temples. It reduced free time for peasants, channelled labour into irrigation and public works, and tied communities into obligations supporting state and temple projects.
   (34 words)
10. Q: Why did rulers distribute land to Brahmanas?
    A: Grants secured ritual legitimacy, administrative support and cultural prestige. Brahmana settlements reinforced royal authority locally and the recipients often managed educational and temple functions, strengthening bonds between kings and priestly elites.
    (33 words)

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D. Ten Long Question–Answers (50–60 words each)

(Each answer below is 50–60 words.)

1. Q: How did ritual, military power and ideology combine to create new dynasties after the seventh century?
   A: Military leaders exploited local power vacuums and seized territory. Performing royal rituals and securing Brahmana patronage provided ritual legitimacy. Control of agriculture and trade routes funded armies and administration. These elements—force, ritual endorsement and economic control—helped transform chiefs into recognised kings who founded regional dynasties across medieval India.
   (54 words)
2. Q: Describe the administrative relationship between central kings and village institutions.
   A: Kings relied on village councils and local elites to collect revenue, maintain irrigation and enforce order. While the central state set broad policies and owned rights over land, local sabhas and rich peasants carried out administration, shared responsibilities, and ensured implementation—creating a layered governance where local institutions mediated between peasants and royal authority.
   (53 words)
3. Q: How do copper-plate grants and prashastis complement each other as sources?
   A: Prashastis celebrate royal achievements and public image; copper-plate grants record legal transactions, land boundaries and obligations. Together, they provide political claims and administrative detail: prashastis show ideology and claims to power, while plates reveal concrete landholding patterns, privileges and the economic basis of royal patronage.
   (53 words)
4. Q: Explain the economic role of Chola temples in local and regional life.
   A: Temples owned endowments and land whose produce supported priests and many specialists. They maintained workshops, patronised bronze sculpture, organised festivals that stimulated trade, and became centres around which towns and crafts developed. Temples thus channelled agricultural surplus into urban crafts, religious performance and public works.
   (52 words)
5. Q: Why was irrigation planning socially and politically important in the Chola empire?
   A: Irrigation increased agricultural yields and revenue, enabling population growth and craft specialisation. Building and maintaining tanks, canals and sluices required coordinated labour, taxes and dispute resolution; control over water resources strengthened local elites and tied villages to wider administrative structures, making irrigation central to political authority and economic stability.
   (53 words)
6. Q: How did taxation (kadamai, vetti and many levies) shape social obligations?
   A: A complex tax system extracted revenue in cash, kind and labour; kadamai produced fiscal income, while vetti obliged villagers to perform public work. Numerous specific levies regulated social and economic activities. This fiscal variety structured peasants’ obligations, supported state and temple expenditures, and integrated communities into administrative networks.
   (54 words)
7. Q: What does Uttaramerur tell us about local democracy and accountability?
   A: Uttaramerur inscriptions display selection by lot, strict eligibility, fixed service terms and removal for misconduct. Secret-style ballots and rotation prevented monopolies; rules on accounts and honesty enforced transparency. These measures indicate institutionalised checks, suggesting local governance had participatory and accountable features under Chola rule.
   (52 words)
8. Q: In what ways did warfare affect political and religious landscapes?
   A: Warfare reshaped borders, redistributed wealth and targeted temples that stored riches. Conquest and raids financed courtly splendour and temple-building, while defeats provoked regime change. Attacks on religious centres had both economic and symbolic effects: plunder financed new capitals or armies and undermined rivals’ prestige.
   (52 words)
9. Q: Discuss the role of hereditary office-holders in kingdom governance.
   A: Hereditary officials provided administrative continuity and local legitimacy but could concentrate power locally. Their entrenched positions ensured steady revenue collection and military leadership, while creating potential friction with central authority when local interests diverged—balancing efficiency with the risk of powerful regional elites.
   (52 words)
10. Q: How do literary texts and inscriptions together illuminate medieval life?
    A: Inscriptions document administrative and economic facts—land grants, taxes, committees—while literary works (Kalhaṇa, Periyapuranam) describe social life, values and criticism of rulers. Combining both gives a fuller view: formal records reveal institutions and transactions; narratives reveal public perceptions, everyday life and moral frameworks of the period.
    (56 words)

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E. Five Assertion–Reason items (choose: a) A and R true, R explains A; b) A and R true, R does not explain A; c) A true, R false; d) A false, R true)

1. A: The Rashtrakutas secured power by winning battles alone.
   R: They also performed rituals and sought Brahmana endorsement to enhance legitimacy.
   Answer: d — A false, R true.
   Explanation: Military success mattered, but ritual and Brahmana backing were crucial to legitimise rulership.
2. A: Chola temples were purely religious and did not influence local economy.
   R: Temples held land endowments and supported crafts, festivals and workers.
   Answer: d — A false, R true.
   Explanation: Temples were economic centres that stimulated craft production and urban growth.
3. A: Uttaramerur inscriptions show mechanisms to prevent corrupt officials from holding office.
   R: Ineligible persons and those who failed to submit accounts were barred from candidacy; corrupt members were removable.
   Answer: a — A and R true, R explains A.
4. A: Vetti always meant payment in cash.
   R: Vetti generally referred to forced labour or service rather than cash payments.
   Answer: d — A false, R true.
   Explanation: Vetti was a labour obligation, not a cash tax.
5. A: Copper-plate grants are unreliable and tell us nothing about administration.
   R: Though sometimes formulaic, plates record boundaries, privileges and obligations providing concrete administrative details.
   Answer: d — A false, R true.
   Explanation: While stylised, plates are valuable administrative sources.

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F. Three Case Studies (each with questions and full answers)

Case Study 1 — Under-used Rain Tanks in a Chola Village

Scenario: A village dependent on tank irrigation notices falling productivity because several tanks are silted and sluice gates broken. Farmers fear crop loss and reduced temple revenue.
Q1: Identify administrative and social reasons for this decline.
A1: Siltation and broken sluices indicate poor maintenance; responsibility likely fell on local committees or hereditary functionaries who neglected repair. Vetti/labour obligations may have declined or been redirected; local elites might dominate water sharing, causing unequal access.
Q2: Suggest remedies the village council could adopt.
A2: Convene the sabha to assess damage, mobilise vetti or paid labour for desilting, prioritise sluice repair, set water-sharing rules, seek royal or temple support for resources and institute regular maintenance schedules. Transparency and rotation of responsibilities can prevent elite capture.

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Case Study 2 — A Prashasti Claims Too Many Victories

Scenario: A newly discovered prashasti claims a local king defeated rulers across faraway regions. Some scholars suspect exaggeration.
Q: How should historians use such a prashasti responsibly?
A: Treat the prashasti as propaganda reflecting royal ideology and claims. Cross-check with other inscriptions, copper plates, foreign sources and archaeological evidence. Use it to understand political aspirations, networks and self-representation, but not as literal proof of all claimed conquests. Combine with administrative documents for balanced interpretation.

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Case Study 3 — Dispute Over Land Given to a Temple

Scenario: A family claims a landholding was wrongfully given away in a past copper-plate grant; they seek restitution. The temple claims uninterrupted rights and revenues.
Q1: What evidence would matter in resolving this dispute?
A1: The copper-plate text (boundaries, witnesses), local inscriptional records, genealogy and continuous revenue records matter. Testimonies about cultivation, tax receipts, and the presence/absence of challengers over time are relevant.
Q2: Likely administrative steps a king’s official would take?
A2: Officials would compare plates and inscriptions, interview local elders, inspect physical boundaries, verify revenue records, and adjudicate using customary law. If grant terms permitted, they might confirm temple rights or order partial restitution or compensation.

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