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The Revelation of Medieval India Questions & Answers
Question 1: What does Prithviraj-Vijaya largely speaks of?
Answer: Prithviraj Vijaya largely speaks of about the heroic deeds of several Rajputs and the military conquests of their martial heroes.
Question 2: State the two types of sources of history.
Answer: The two types of sources of history are: archeological sources and literary sources.
Question 3: Why is Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi considered an important source of history?
Answer: Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi is a valuable historical work which narrates the history of the Delhi Sultanate.
Question 4: Define a chronicle.
Answer: A Chronicle is a historical record of events arranged in a chronological order. For example – Rajatarangini by Kalhana is foremost amongst the chronicles in Sanskrit which deals with the history of Kashmir.
Question 5: What is epigraphy?
Answer: Epigraphy is the study and interpretation of ancient inscriptions.
Must Read: The Revelation of Medieval India Objective Type Questions & Answers
The Revelation of Medieval India Questions & Answers
Question 6: How did India gets its name?
Answer: The present-day name India was given to the country by the Greeks. It is derived from the Greek word, Indoi, meaning the region beyond the river Indus or Sindhu, the Sanskrit name of the river. They used the name of the Indus river to name the region.
Question 7: Name three terms used to refer coins.
Answer: The three terms used to refer coins were Jital, Dehliwal and Mohur.
Question 8: Why is a choronological record of the major events of medieval period available?
Answer: A choronological record of the major events of the medieval period is available because most of the monarchs employed court chroniclers who maintained profuse records of the activities happening during the reign. Most of these literary records are found in Persian, Sanskrit, Turkish and many other languages.
Question 9: Analyse the position of women during the medieval period of India.
Answer: The position of women deteriorated during the medieval period.
- Inhuman practices such as child marriage, Jauhar, devdasis, etc. had worsened the life of women.
- In spite of these conditions, some women possessed considerable power.
- But, that was largely restricted to the ruling class or the upper class. The journey was not easy for them too.
- Women such as Raziya Sultan, Chand Bibi, Jijabai, etc. have fought against all odds and left their mark in the history of medieval India.
Question 10: Why are sculptures and paintings regarded as an important archaeological source?
Answer: Sculptures are another important archaeological source of the period. These are made of bronze, stone and wood. The sculpture at the Brihadeshvara temple, Tanjavur can be regarded as the most matured example of Chola craftsmanship. A critical analysis of sculptures would help us to know about the growth and development of art, artists, patrons, history, geography, society, religion, culture, languages, literature.
Painting was another art form that was encouraged by medieval kings. The paintings exhibit prevalent customs, traditions, food habits, religious beliefs, social-cultural practices and court scenes, lifestyles of kings and the common people and various other topics.
The Revelation of Medieval India Questions & Answers
Question 11: Discuss the religious development of the medieval period.
Answer: Religion played a very dominant role in the medieval period. The period witnessed the advent of Islam, revival of Hinduism, many religious reforms in the form of Bhakti and Sufi movements. Further, the birth of Sikhism was another major development of the period.
Question 12: In what ways the term Hindustan was used during the medieval time?
Answer: India was known as Hind and Hindustan around 11th century CE to the Persians and the Arabs. Further, the rulers of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire began to call their Indian territory as Hindustan. Minhaj-us-Siraj, a medieval scholar, used the term Hindustan in the thirteenth century to describe the areas of modern Punjab, Haryana and the land between the two rivers, the Ganga and the Yamuna, which were a part of the Delhi Sultanate. In the early 16th century, Emperor Babur used the term Hindustan to denote the geography, the natural vegetation and the culture of the inhabitants of the subcontinent.
Question 13: The sources are important to study history. Give reasons.
Answer: History is the study of the past and to study the past, historians depend on a variety of sources. Historians reconstruct the past with the careful study of the sources. The authenticity and credibility of the sources are of a great help to draw accurate facts. Sources differ according to the period of their study and the nature of their investigation. Inscriptions, coins, religious and non-religious texts, government records are some examples of sources for history.
Question 14: Write about the society prevailed during the medieval period.
Answer: The developments in every sphere of life had its profound impact on the medieval society too. The society was largely divided into aristocrats, priests, peasants, traders, nobility, officers and soldiers, etc. The unique development of art and architecture gave birth to a new group of people called craftsmen and artisans. A number of sub-castes such as goldsmiths, potters, weavers, musicians, etc. proliferated. They were grouped into sub-castes (jatis) now. Most of the workers were classified as untouchables. There were also various tribal communities scattered all over India. The position of women deteriorated during the time, yet there were some women who possessed considerable power.
The Revelation of Medieval India Questions & Answers
Question 15: Observe the picture and answer the questions:
(a) Identify the type of a source shown in the picture.
Answer: Archaeological source
(b) Name the monument.
Answer: The Red Fort
(c) How do the monuments help in studying the history of medieval India?
Answer: The monuments speak about the grandeur, architectural skills, economic affluence, culture and religious beliefs of the period.
Question 16: Discuss the importance of numismatic material.
Answer: Numismatics is the study or collections of coins, medals, paper money, etc. Coins are of great help to study the medieval period. The writings on the coins give information about the language and the script, names of kings, titles, date and place of issue and emblem of the dynasties. The depictions of deities on coins furnish information about the religious policy and personal religious faith of the kings. Coins are often taken to study the types of metals used, artistic skills, economic prosperity, trade and financial condition of that period.
Question 17: The medieval period is known as the period of political turbulence. Give reasons.
Answer: The medieval period is known as the period of political turbulence because this period witnessed the rise and fall of several dynasties. The period marks the struggle for power between regional powers, namely, the Gurjara-Pratiharas, the Rashtrakutas, the Palas and the Cholas.
During this period, a group of people known as Rajputs rose to prominence. The late medieval period begins with the invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni and followed by Muhammad Ghori. The arrival of Turks laid the foundation of Delhi Sultanate. The disintegration of Delhi Sultanate led to the emergence of the Mughal Empire and various kingdoms in different parts of the country.
Question 18: Why are the accounts of foreign travellers important to study history?
Answer:
- Foreign travellers who visited during the medieval period left very valuable information regarding the political, social and economic condition of India.
- Ibn Batutah was one such traveller who wrote detailed information of his travels under the title Rihla (The Travelogue). It contains very useful accounts of geographical, judicial, political, military institutions, as well as social and economic conditions of India.
- Abdur Razzak’s travel accounts of the splendor of the Vijayanagara city, the king, the common people and the trade and commerce.
Question 19: Discuss the role of Indigenous literature in medieval India.
Answer: We also have noteworthy indigenous literature written in different languages such as Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, etc. The literature composed by the Bhakti and Sufi saints was primarily in the local languages providing ample scope for the historians to understand the existing religion and society. Tulsidas’s Ramcharitramanasa is an important literary work to study the cultural history of the medieval period.
So, these were The Revelation of Medieval India Questions & Answers.