A
How could Samantas declare themselves as Maha Samantas ?
With gaining more power and wealth, they rose to the status of Maha Mandeleshwar or Maha Samanta.
They also asserted their independence from their overlords.
Give an example of Samantas that rose to the power of Maha Samanta ?
Rashtrakutas in the Deccan. Initially
they were subordinate to the Chalukyas
of Karnataka. In the mid-eighth century,
Dantidurga, a Rashtrakuta chief,
overthrew his Chalukya overlord and performed a ritual called "Hiranya-Garbha"
Where did the gurjara pratiharas rule?
Delhi, Kannauj, Gujarat
Mention any two high sounding titles adopted by the Samantas ?
Maharaja-Adhiraja (great king, overlord of kings), Tribhuvana-Chakravartin (lord of the three worlds)
Assertion(A): There were many practises and rituals in the past which were done by Rajas or kings to stamp their authority.
Reason(R): One such practice was Hiranya garbha
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true
How many taxes did the Cholas collect? What were they about?
around 400 absurd taxes, on labour, on houses, on climbing ladders etc.
What was unique about the approach of the author
"Kalhana" ?
Unlike the writers of prashastis, he was often critical about rulers and their policies. And he was one of the rarest examples of critical feedback during those times.
On the other hand rest of the authors wanted to impress their rulers.
Who all helped the king in administration?
The samatas, associations of traders, farmers, revenue collectors
How did the Cholas rise to power?
Vijayalaya, who belonged to the ancient chiefly family of the Cholas from Uraiyur, captured the delta from the Muttaraiyar in the middle of the ninth century. He built the town of Thanjavur and a temple for goddess Nishumbhasudini there.
The successors of Vijayalaya conquered neighbouring regions and the kingdom grew in size and power.
Assertion(A): The priest, who composed the books, divided the people into four groups.
Reason(R): One of those groups was that of Kshatriyas who along with fighting battles and protecting people also imparted knowledge about the vedas from time to time.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true
c.
He won a victory over Chakrayudha (the ruler of Kanauj) ... He defeated the king of Vanga (part of Bengal), Anarta (part of Gujarat), Malava (part of Madhya Pradesh), Kirata (forest peoples), Turushka (Turks), Vatsa, Matsya (both kingdoms in north India) ...
The above statements are an example of ?
Explain the system that it signifies.
Prashastis.
These contain details that may not be literally true. But they tell us how rulers wanted to depict themselves – as valiant, victorious warriors, for example.
These were composed by learned Brahmanas, who occasionally helped in the administration.
"Chola temples often became the nuclei of settlements which grew around them"
Explain the statement
The produce of this land went into maintaining all the specialists who worked at the temple and very often lived near it – priests, garland makers, cooks, sweepers, musicians,
dancers, etc. In other words, temples were not only places of worship; they were the hub of
economic, social and cultural life as well.
What was the tripartite struggle? Who were the parties involved and why did it happen?
Rashtrakutas, Gurjara pratiharas and palas.
It happened for the control for Kannauj which was at a strategic trade route and a good center for controlling North India
Explain two features of the Chola empire.
The temples were the important centers of the towns
they had a strong army and navy
Assertion (A): The Cholas established a strong overseas empire in Southeast Asia to spread their culture
Reason (R): The Chola kings were very passionate about their culture as was evident through the temples and bronze statues that they made.
(a) (A) & (R) are right, (R) is the correct
explanation of A.
(b) (A) is right, (R) is wrong.
(c) (A) & (R) both are right.
(d) (A) & (R) both are wrong.
a.
Define hiranya - garbha
a ritual - ''the golden womb'' - it signified the rebirth of the person who performed the ritual into a Kshatriya
What did the Brahmanas receive for writing Prashastis?
land grants
Which ruler raided Indian temples 17 times?
Mahmud of Ghazni
The Chauhans were also known as?
Chahmanas
Assertion (A): Rulers were demonstrating their powers by building large temples. Reason (R): Temples were not targeted during an attack by other kingdoms.(a) (A) & (R) are right, (R) is the correct
explanation of A.
(b) (A) is right, (R) is wrong.
(c) (A) & (R) both are right.
(d) (A) & (R) both are wrong.
b.