7. Medieval India (A) The Cholas
II. Short Answer
Questions
1. State two significant features of inscriptions for providing information about the Cholas:
o They tell us
about the Chola administration. For example, the Uttaramerur Inscription gives information
on the village administration taxation and land revenue.
o They record gifts
and endowments to temples and Brahmanas. Copper-plate inscriptions are the
records of grants of villagers, plots of lands or other privileges to
individuals or institutions by the cholas. For example, the Leyden grant of
Parantaka Chola and those of Parakesri Uttama Chola.
o Inscriptions on
temple walls served as the purpose of public registrations such as the record
of sales mortgages and other forms of transfer of property rights in village
lands.
2. Who established the rule of the Cholas? Name the capital of his empire.
o Vijayalaya Chola
established the Chola rule.
o The capital of
his empire was Thanjavur.
3. Why did Rajaraja undertake a naval expedition against Ceylon and Maldives?
The
coasts of Kerala and the Maldives had become rich through overseas trade.
Raj
Raja was aware of the importance of controlling the sea. He decided to show his
strength along the coasts of South India. So he took out a naval expedition and
attacked both Sri Lanka and the Maldive Islands. He conquered the northern half
of Sri Lanka.
4. Name any two great rulers of the Chola dynasty.
o Rajaraja Chola I
o Rajendra Chola I
5. Give any wo achievements of Rajendra Chola:
o He invited and
annexed the whole island of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka was not able to free herself
from the Chola control for another 50 years.
o He defeated the
Srivijaya king. As a result, Indian trade with South East Asia and Southern China
continued, thereby greatly enriching the Chola Kingdom.
6. Name the new capital built by Rajendra Chola. In which present-day state is it situated?
o The new capital
was Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
o It is situated in
present day Tamil Nadu.
7. Why did the Cholas build a strong naval fleet?
o To control trade
routes and expand their influence over Southeast Asia.
o To protect their
coastal territories and conduct successful naval expeditions.
8. What made the Chola administration strong and effective?
o A well-organized
system of Central Government, Provincial Government and Local Self-Government
with village assemblies.
o Efficient revenue
collection and military administration.
9. Name the two languages promoted by the Cholas.
o Tamil
o Sanskrit
10. Name any two features of temples built by the Cholas.
o The temples were
a centre for education, the priests being the local teachers. The schools were
run in the temple courtyard.
o The temples were
also the biggest employers after the State, providing work and means of
livelihood to a large number of people.
11. Which is the best example of Chola temples? Give one reason.
o The best example
of Chola Temples is the Brihadeshwara Temple, also known as Rajarajeshwara temple,
Located at Thanjavur. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is of the best
specimens of Dravidian style of architecture. It is the finest monument of a
splendid period of South Indian. It has been declared as a World Heritage Site
by UNESCO.
o It is known for
its grand architecture, including a 66-feet-high vimana (tower) made of a
single granite block, weighing 80 tons.
12. What is known as the ‘gopuram’? Name another feature of temples built during the Chola period.
o Gopuram is the gateway
of the Brihadeshwara temple.
o The main shrine
was known as the ‘garbhgriha’.
III. Structured
Questions
1. With reference to the sources of information about the Cholas, briefly answer the following:
a. List the forms of Chola inscriptions:
o Copper plate grant
inscriptions
o Stone
inscriptions
o Inscriptions made
on the walls and pillars of temples
b. What was the special feature of the inscriptions? Who conceptualized the idea? Name one temple built by him.
o The special
feature of the inscriptions was the idea of prefixing the main achievements of
the Kings reign.
o The idea was
conceptualized by Rajaraja Chola I.
o Brihadeshwara
Temple in Thanjavur was built by him.
c. Mention the significance of Brihadeshwara Temple:
o It is a UNESCO
World Heritage site known for its fine Dravidian architecture.
o It has the first
ever instance of. a royal portrait (of Rajendra Chola), paying obiesance to
Lord Nataraja.
o Carvings of
dancers showing 81 of hundred and 8 karanas (synchronized hand and feet
movements) in Bharatnatyam, shows that the temple was a platform for talented
dancers to showcase their talent.
o The inscriptions
at the temple mention the different kinds of jewels used in the Chola period. A
total of 23 different types of pearls, 11 varieties of diamonds and rubies are
mentioned in the inscriptions.
o It is one of the
few temples having Ashta-dikpaalakas (guardians of the eight directions) idols.
2.
With reference to the Chola period, explain the
following:
a. Taxes
imposed by the Cholas:
The revenue of the Chola Kingdom came from-
o Taxes on land
o Taxes on the
produce of the land
o Taxes on the
trade
Part
of the revenue was kept for the king. The rest was used on public works like
building roads and tanks, on salaries of officials, on paying for the upkeep of
the army and on the building of temples. The taxes on land were collected by
the officials from village councils.
b. Administration of the Kingdom:
The administration was run by means of
o Central Government - King was the supreme
authority. He had council of ministers to advice and officials to work. The
central government looked after external defence, internal peace and order,
promotion of general prosperity and cultural progress of the empire.
o Provincial
Government - The empire was divided into Mandalam (province) → Valanadu
(district) → Nadu (sub-district) → Grama
(village). Royal princes were governors of provinces.
o Local
Self-Government – In many villages, the administration was carried out by
villagers themselves.
c. The three types of village assemblies:
o Villages had
three types of assemblies –
§ The Ur – It was the
common type of Assembly of the villages where the land was held by all classes
of people who were, therefore, members of the local assembly.
§ The Sabha – It was an
exclusively Brahmin Assembly of the villages, where all the land belonged to
the Brahmins.
§ The Nagaram – It was an
assembly of merchants and belonged to localities where traders and merchants
were in a dominant position.
3. With reference to the Chola Administration, write short notes on:
a. The King, the chief administrator:
King
was the supreme in the Chola administration. All the authority rested in his
hands. He had council of ministers to advice and officials to work. He often
went on tours in order to keep a check on the administration.
b. Local Self-Government:
o Cholas had an
advanced system of local self-government. Villages had three types of
assemblies-
§ The Ur – It was the
common Assembly of the villages where the land was held by all classes of
people who were, therefore, members of the local assembly.
§ The Sabha – It was an
exclusively Brahmin Assembly of the villages, where all the land belonged to
the Brahmins.
§ The Nagaram – It was an
assembly of merchants and belonged to localities where traders and merchants
were in a dominant position.
Villagers
who owned land were chosen by a vote to the council. The life and the work of
the villagers were discussed in these councils. All village affairs like, collection
of taxes, settlement of disputes and allocation of water were looked after by
committees.
c. Temples as centres of social activity:
Temples
in the Chola Kingdom were not only a place of worship, but also a place of
social activity. The temples of Chola kingdom were very rich. They had huge
resources of land and gold. The temples were also the biggest employers after
the state, providing work and means of livelihood to a large number of people.
The temples had the patronage of the Chola Kings. The temples were centres of
education, with many of them having schools for teaching Sanskrit, Tamil, and
other subjects. The temples also sponsored cultural activities such as music,
dance, and drama, which helped to promote the arts and foster a sense of
community. The temples provided a range of social welfare services such as
hospitals, orphanages, and shelters for the poor and the homeless. They also
served as centres for resolving disputes and conflicts in the community.
4. Study the picture and answer the following questions:
a. Name the temple given in the picture. Who built this temple? Where is it located?
o The temple is Brihadeshwara
Temple.
o It was built by Rajaraja
Chola I.
o It is located in Thanjavur,
Tamil Nadu.
b. To which deity is the temple dedicated? Mention two special features of this temple.
o It is dedicated
to Lord Shiva.
o Special features:
§ The 66 metre-high
vimana is one of the tallest in the world. It is crowned by a massive dome
consisting of a single block of stone, 7.6 meter high and weighing about 80
tons.
§ The shrine houses
a gigantic Shiva Lingam cut in a monolithic rock about 8.87 meter high. The
temple has many structures, like Nandi Pavilion, uploaded portico and a large
assembly hall.
Comments