I. Fill in the blanks :
1. The Rajarajeshwara temple was built in early 11th century .
2. Ajmer is associated with the sufi saint Kwaja Muinuddin Chisti .
3. Hampi was the capital of the Vijaynagara Empire .
4. The Dutch established a settlement at Masulipatnam .
II. State whether true or false :
1. We know the name of the architect of the architect of the Raja-rajesvara temple from an inscription .
2. Merchants preferred to travel individually rather than in
3. Kabul was major centre for trade in elephants .
4. Surat was an important trading part on the Bay of Bengal .
Answers :
1. True 2. False 3. False 4. False.
III. Answer the following questions :
1) How was water supplied to the city of Thanjavur ?
Ans: Water supply for the city of Thanjavur came from wells and tanks .
2) Who lived in the ‘Black towns’ in cities such as Madras ?
Ans: Mercants , artisans , native traders and craft-persons lived in the ‘Black towns’ in cities such as Madras .
3) Why do you think towns grew around temples ?
Ans: Towns grew around temples due to the following reasons :
i) Temples represents a very important pattern of urbanization .
ii) A large numbers of priest ; workers , artisans , traders etc settled near the temple to cater to its needs and those of the pilgrims .
iii) Rulers endowed temples with grants of land and money to carry out rituals , feed , pilgrims and priests and celebrate festivals .
iv) Temple authorities used their wealth to finance trade and banking .
4) How important were craft-persons for the building and maintenance of temples?
Ans: Craft-person played an significant role in building and maintenance of temples by :
i) The Panchalas or Vishwakarma community consisting of gold smiths, bronze smiths, blacksmiths, masons and carpenters were essential to the building of temples.
ii) They also played an important role in the construction of palaces, big buildings, tanks and reservoirs.
iii) Weavers such as the Saliyar or Kaikkolars were prosperous communities. They made huge donations to the temples.
5) Why did people from distant lands visit Surat?
Ans: People from distant lands visit Surat because of following reasons :
i) Surat was the gateway for trade with West Asia via the Gulf of Ormuz.
ii) Surat has also been called the gate to Mecca because many pilgrim ships set sail from here.
iii) It was cosmopolitan and people of all caste and creeds lived there.
iv) The textiles of Surat were famous for their gold lace borders (zari) so there were several retail and wholesale shops selling cotton textiles.
v) In Surat, there were numerous rent houses to take care of the needs of people from all over the world who came to the city.
vi) There were magnificent buildings and innumerable pleasure parks.
6) In what ways was craft production in cities like Calcutta different from that in cities like Thanjavur?
Ans: The craft production in Thanjavur was in form of inlay work in copper and silver white in Calcutta was in the form of cotton textiles, jute textiles and silk textiles.
7) Compare any one of the cities described in this chapter with a town or a village with which you are familiar. Do you notice any similarities or differences?
Ans: Comparison between Surat and Delhi :
| Surat | Delhi |
| i) Emporium during the Mughal period due to the production of various goods.
ii) Gateway to west Asia due to the trade centre. iii) Cosmopolitan city. iv) Factories and warehouses. v) Known for cotton textiles. |
i) It was also emporium during the Mughal period.ii) Basically administrative town.
iii) Cosmopolitan city. iv) Factories and warehouses. v) Known for business, trade and commercial pursuits. |
8) What were the problems encountered by merchants? Do you think some of these problems persist today?
Ans: The merchants had to pass through many kingdoms and forests. They had fear of being robbed while passing through forests. Hence they usually travelled in caravans and formed guilds to protect their interests. No, these kind of problems are not faced by merchants nowadays.