Introduction: Tracing Changes Through a thousand Years

1: Dvarsamudri was the language spoken in ________________.

Answer: Karnataka

2: Into how many periods does the British historians divided the
history of India?

Answer: three periods

3: India got its name in the 13th century. True/ False

Answer: True

4: In which century the teachings of the holy Quran first came to

India?

Answer: 7th century

5: According to Sanskrit Prashasti, the eastern limit of Giyasuddin

Balban’s Empire was extended to Bihar. True/ False

Answer: True

6: Name the language that was considered as the elite class

language.

Answer: Sanskrit

7: Name the two sects of Islam.

Answer: Shia and sunni

8: Who is Cartographer?

Answer: Cartographer is the one who makes maps and analyses them
and thus helps us in understanding the spread of trade and empire.

9: Who was Al-Idrisi?

Answer: An Arabic geographer

10: Minhaj-us-Siraj used the term ‘Hindustan’ to refer the areas

of Punjab, Haryana and __________.

Answer: Doab of Ganga-Yamuna

11: Babar used the term ‘Hindustan’ to specify geography, flora,

fauna and cultures of the entire Indian subcontinent. True/ False

Answer: True

12: What does the term ‘foreigner’ meant in the past?

Answer: The one who was not a part of a specific social unit like village or
city etc

13: Name some sources that gave information about our past.

Answer: coins, inscriptions, accounts of travellers, art and architecture

14: When did Ziyauddin Barani first wrote his chronicle?

Answer: 1356

15: Amir Khusrau described Mabari as the language of ______.

Answer: Tamil Nadu

16: What is archives?

Answer: Archives are the place where all old and new documents and
manuscripts are kept.

17: In early medieval period, manuscripts were copied by

___________.

Answer: Hands

18: Between 700 to 1750, various socio-cultural changes took

place, what was the important reasons for this?

Answer: Interaction with people from different parts of the world

19: Early medieval period saw worship of new ____________.

Answer: Deities

20: Who divided the history of India into Hindu period, Muslim
period and British period in19th century?

Answer: British historians

21: Name the paintings that were used in manuscripts.

Answer: miniature paintings

22: Babar used the term ‘Hindustan’ in political sense. True/False

Answer: false

23: Guillaume de l’Isle belonged to ________________.

Answer: France

24: The ‘Persian wheel’ was used in ________.

Answer: Irrigation

25: What was the meaning of term Shikaste?

Answer: a writing style

26: Name the Sultan of Delhi, who was praised in the prashasti
written in Sanskrit.

Answer: Balban

27: Who were the Ulemas?

Answer: Theologians and Jurists

28: Name the state where Awadhi is predominantly spoken.

Answer: Uttar Pradesh

29: Name the state where Dvarsamudri is spoken.

Answer: Karnataka

30: Ajnabi is a _________ word.

Answer: Persian

31: Name the Hindi word used to describe a foreigner.

Answer: Pardesi

32: The learned theologians and jurists in Islam are known as

______.

Answer: Ulama

33: Name the famous poet who used the word ‘Hind’ for the first
time.

Answer: Amir Khusrau

34: According to khusrau, Telangani is spoken in the state of

___________.

Answer: Andhra Pradesh

35: Name the eastern extent of the empire of Ghiyassuddin

Balban.

Answer: Bengal

36: Name the state where Ma Bari language is spoken.

Answer: Tamil Nadu

37: Why forest dwellers were forced to migrate?

Answer: due to the change in their habitat.

38: What was the ancient name of Bengal?

Answer: Gauda

39: Name the book written by Shihabuddin Umari.

Answer: Masalik al- Absar fi Mamalik al- Amsar

40: Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi, a major work on medieval India was

written by ____________.

Answer: Ziauddin Barani

41: Name the warrior clan that became popular between 8th and
14th centuries.

Answer: Rajputs

42: Define a patron?

Answer: An influential wealthy individual who supports another person –

an artist, a crafts person, a learned man, or a noble is called a patron.

43: Who made Maps in 1154 AD?

Answer: The Arab geographer Al-Idrisi made maps in 1154 AD.

44. What does a Cartographer do?

Answer: A Cartographer makes maps.

45. What are the two main sects of Islam?

Answer: The two main sects of Islam are Shia and Sunni.

46. Who was Al-Idrisi?

Answer: Al-Idrisi was the Arab geographer who made map in 1154 CE.

47. What do you mean by archive?

Answer: Archive is a place where documents and manuscripts are stored.

48. Who was called the patron?

Answer: A patron is an influential, wealthy individual who supports

another person – an artiste, a craftsperson, a learned man, or a noble.

49. Who used the term ‘Hindustan’ for the first time and when?

Answer: Minhaj-i-Siraj, a chronicler used the term ‘Hindustan’ for the first
time in the thirteenth century.

50. Who were scribes?

Answer: Scribes were the people who copied manuscripts by hand before
the invention of automatic printing.
Short Extra Questions and Answers

1. How did scribes copy down the manuscripts? What was its
drawback?

Answer: There was no printing press in those days so scribes copied

manuscripts by hand. As scribes copied manuscripts, they also introduced
small changes – a word here, a sentence there.

2. List some of the technological changes associated with this

period.

Answer: Some of the technological changes associated with this period

were the Persian wheel in irrigation, the spinning wheel in weaving, and
firearms in combat.

3. What does the term pan-regional empire mean?

Answer: Pan regional empire means empire spanning diverse

regions. Dynasties like the Cholas, Khaljis, Tughluqs and Mughals were
able to build an empire that was pan-regional.

4. Which century marked the beginning of the medieval period?

Why?

Answer: The eighth century is taken as the beginning of the medieval

period because society, economy, politics, religion and culture underwent
many changes during this century.

5. What do you know about jati panchayat?

Answer: Jatis framed their own rules and regulations to manage the
conduct of their members. These regulations were enforced by an
assembly of elders, described in some areas as the jati panchayat.

6. What was the extent of Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban’s

empire?

Answer: Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban’s empire stretched from Bengal

(Gauda) in the east to Ghazni (Gajjana) in Afghanistan in the west and
included all of south India (Dravida).

7. How Brahmanas earned lot of respect in the society?

Answer: Their knowledge of Sanskrit texts earned the Brahmanas a lot of

respect in society. Their dominant position was consolidated by the
support of their patrons – new rulers searching for prestige.

8. How do Sunni and Shia Muslims differ?

Answer: There were the Shia Muslims who believed that the Prophet
Muhammad’s son-in-law, Ali, was the legitimate leader of the Muslim
community, and the Sunni Muslims who accepted the authority of the
early leaders (Khalifas) of the community, and the succeeding Khalifas.

9.How are travelogues an important literary source?

Answer: Many foreign travellers visited India during the medieval period.
Their writing or travelogues gives lot of information about the places they
visit and the people they met. They give a detailed account about political
trade, events and commerce of that place.

10. Define the following terms.

Numismatics, Epigraphy, Manuscript and Medieval Period

Answer: Numismatics – The study of coins is called Numismatics.

Epigraphy – Study of inscription is called epigraphy.

Manuscript – The original script written by the author in his/her own

handwriting.

Medieval Period – A period of Indian History from 700AD to 1750AD.

11. How have historians divided the history during the middle of
the 19th century?

Answer: In the middle of the nineteenth century British historians divided

the history of India into three periods: “Hindu”, “Muslim” and “British”.
This division was based on the idea that the religion of rulers was the only
important historical change, and that there were no other significant
developments – in the economy, society or culture.

12. Mention the manner in which history was divided by

historians during the middle of the 19th century.

Answer: In the middle of the nineteenth century British historians divided

the history of India into three periods: “Hindu”, “Muslim” and “British”.
This division was based on the idea that the religion of rulers was the only
important historical change, and that there were no other significant
developments – in the economy, society or culture.

13. Who was considered a “foreigner” in the past?

Answer: In the medieval period a “foreigner” was any stranger who

appeared, say in a given village, someone who was not a part of that
society or culture. A city-dweller, therefore, might have regarded a forest-
dweller as a “foreigner”, but two peasants living in the same village were
not foreigners to each other, even though they may have had different
religious or caste backgrounds.
14. Compare the value of paper in the thirteenth and fourteenth
century?

Answer: Value of paper in the thirteenth and fourteenth century

 In the middle of the thirteenth century a scholar wanted to copy a

book. But he did not have enough paper. So he washed the writing
off a manuscript he did not want, dried the paper and used it.

 A century later, if you bought some food in the market you could be
lucky and have the shopkeeper wrap it for you in some paper.

15. Why was there a dramatic increase in the variety of textual

records between 700 to 1750 CE?

Answer: During this period, paper became cheaper and widely available.
This resulted in a dramatic increase in the variety of textual records
between 700 to 1750 CE. People started using paper to write holy texts,
chronicles of rulers, letters and teachings of saints, petitions and judicial
records and for registers of accounts and taxes.

Long Extra Questions and Answers

1. Which group became important during medieval period?

Enumerate various changes which this group has undergone.

Answer: One group of people who became important in this period were
the Rajputs, a name derived from “Rajaputra”, the son of a ruler. Between
the eighth and fourteenth centuries the term was applied more generally
to a group of warriors who claimed Kshatriya caste status. The term
included not just rulers and chieftains but also soldiers and commanders
who served in the armies of different monarchs all over the subcontinent.

2. Why do you think that there were many literary sources of

medieval period?

Answer: The number and variety of textual records increased

dramatically during this period. They slowly displaced other types of
available information. Through this period paper gradually became
cheaper and more widely available. People used it to write holy texts,
chronicles of rulers, letters and teachings of saints, petitions and judicial
records, and for registers of accounts and taxes. Manuscripts were
collected by wealthy people, rulers, monasteries and temples. They were
placed in libraries and archives.

3. What do you know about chronicles?

Answer: A chronicle is a record of the rule of the kings and life at the
court. Most kings had court chroniclers who wrote in detail about what
happened during their reign. Some important chronicles of the medieval
period are:

 Rajatarangini by Kalhana, which is a history of the king of Kashmir.

 Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi by Zia-ud-din Barani, which describes the history

of the Sultans of Delhi till the reign of Firoz Shah Tughluq.

 Tarikh-e-Ferishta by Ferishta, which is a record of the history of the

Delhi Sultans, from the time of Turks till the seventeenth century.

4. Our information about the medieval period is much more than

the ancient period. Give reason.

Answer: The number and variety of textual records increased

dramatically during this period. They slowly displaced other types of
available information. Through this period paper gradually became
cheaper and more widely available. People used it to write holy texts,
chronicles of rulers, letters and teachings of saints, petitions and judicial
records, and for registers of accounts and taxes. Manuscripts were
collected by wealthy people, rulers, monasteries and temples. They were
placed in libraries and archives.

5. What are the archaeological sources of the medieval period?

Answer: Archaeological sources of the medieval period are:

 Inscriptions –Writings or drawings found on stones, pillars, clay or

copper tablets and walls of caves, temples and monuments.

 Archaeological remains and Monuments – Ancient ruins, remains

and monuments recovered as a result of excavation and exploration.

 Coins – Ancient coins were mostly made of gold, silver, copper or

lead. Some of the coins contain religious and legendary symbols
which throw light on the culture of that time. Coins also contain the
figures of kings and gods.

6. What are the difficulties historians face in using manuscripts?

Answer: The difficulties historians face in using manuscripts:

 There was no printing press in those days so scribes copied

manuscripts by hand which was sometime difficult to read and
understand.

 As scribes copied manuscripts, they also introduced small changes –

a word here, a sentence there. These small differences grew over
centuries of copying.
  Original manuscript of the author is rarely found today. So, they
have to depend upon the copies made by later scribes. As a result
historians have to read different manuscript versions of the same
text to guess what the author had originally written.

7. What were some of the major religious developments during

this period?

Answer: Some of the major religious developments during this period

were:

 It was during this period that important changes occurred in

Hinduism. These included the worship of new deities, the
construction of temples by royalty and the growing importance of
Brahmanas, the priests, as dominant groups in society.

 There was emergence of the idea of bhakti among the people.

 This was also the period when new religions appeared in the
subcontinent. Merchants and migrants first brought the teachings of
the holy Quran to India in the seventh century.

 Many rulers were patrons of Islam and the ulama – learned

theologians and jurists.

8. Why are coins and inscriptions important for the study of

medieval period?

Answer: Coins are important for study as –

 It tells us about the reigning periods of kings and gives us dates of

important political events.

 It tells us about the economy of the kingdom and trade with other
regions.

Inscriptions are useful source of history because –

 They record royal proclamations, religious instruction and gifts given

by rulers to temples and villages.

 It tells us about the important events in the king’s life, about the
people of particular time and even narrates the achievement of
king.

9. Write a short note on foreign travellers who visited India

during Medieval Period.

Answer: Foreign travellers who visited India during Medieval Period

  Ibn Batuta- He came from Morocco in the 14th century AD wrote
about the reign on Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq.

 Nicole Conti – He came from Venice and gave an account of the

kingdom of Vijaynagar and its war with Bahmani kings.

 Abdur Razzaq – He came from Persia and visited the kingdom of

Vijaynagar.

 William Hawkins – He came from England and visited the court of

Jahangir. His narrative describes the magnificence of the Mughal
court.

 Al-Beruni – He came from Central Asia in the 11th century AD and

wrote Tahqiq-i-Hind giving a wealth of information on the culture and
economy of medieval India.

10. How were the affairs of jatis regulated?

Answer: Affairs of jatis were regulated in the following ways:

 As society became more differentiated, people were grouped into

jatis or sub-castes and ranked on the basis of their backgrounds and
their occupations.

 Ranks were not fixed permanently, and varied according to the

power, influence and resources controlled by members of the jati.
The status of the same jati could vary from area to area.

 Jatis framed their own rules and regulations to manage the conduct
of their members. These regulations were enforced by an assembly
of elders, described in some areas as the jati panchayat. But jatis
were also required to follow the rules of their villages.

 Several villages were governed by a chieftain. Together they were

only one small unit of a state.

11. What are the Literary Sources of History of Medieval India?

Answer: Literary Sources of History of Medieval India are:

 Biography – It is an account of someone’s life written by someone

else. Some important biographies of medieval period are Prithviraj
Raso by Chandbardai, Akbarnama by Abu Fazal.

 Autobiography – It is a self-written account of the life of

oneself.Important autobiography of medieval period are Futuhat-I-
Firoz by Firozshah Tughlaq, Baburnama by Babur and Tuzuk-i-
Jahangiri by Jahangir.
  Travelogue – It is written account about the places visited by or
experiences of a traveller. Example: Al-beruni wrote Tahqiq-i-hind,
Ibn Batuta wrote Rihla.

 Chronicle – It is a factual written account of important or historical

events in the order of their occurrence. Example: Rajtarangini by
Kalhan, Tughluqnama by Amir Khusrau.

12. In what ways has the meaning of the term “Hindustan”

changed over the centuries?

Answer: Meaning of the term ‘Hindustan’ changed over the centuries.

 In the thirteenth century by Minhaj-i-Siraj, a chronicler who wrote in

Persian, he meant the areas of Punjab, Haryana and the lands
between the Ganga and Yamuna. He used the term in a political
sense for lands that were a part of the dominions of the Delhi
Sultan. The areas included in this term shifted with the extent of the
Sultanate but the term never included south India.

 In fourteenth-century poet Amir Khusrau used the word “Hind”.

 In the early sixteenth century while using this term meant the
geography, the fauna and the culture of the inhabitants of the
subcontinent.

 While the idea of a geographical and cultural entity like “India” did
exist, the term “Hindustan” did not carry the political and national
meanings which we associate with it today.

13. Compare the map made by Al-Idris and that of French

cartographer.

Answer: Map made by Al-Idris (Map 1)

 Map 1 was made by the Arab geographer Al-Idrisi.

 It was made in 1154 CE (Christian era).

 In this map south India is where we would expect to find north India
and Sri Lanka is the island at the top.

 The names of places are marked in Arabic and there are some
popular places of Uttar Pradesh like Kanauj (spelt as Qanauj).

Map made by French cartographer (Map 2)

 Map 2 was made by a French cartographer.

 It was made in the 1720s, i.e. 600 years after Map 1.

  This map seems more familiar to us and the coastal areas in
particular are surprisingly detailed.

 It was used by the European sailors and merchants on their

voyages.

14. How do historians divide the past into periods? Do they face
any problems in doing so?

Answer: Historians look to economic and social factors to characterise

the major elements of different moments of the past.

Problem faced by historians in dividing the past into periods are:

(i) These thousand years of Indian history witnessed considerable change.

After all, the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries were quite different from
the eighth or the eleventh. Therefore, describing the entire period as one
historical unit is not without its problems.

(ii) Moreover, the “medieval” period is often contrasted with the “modern”
period. “Modernity” carries with it a sense of material progress and
intellectual advancement. This seems to suggest that the medieval period
was lacking in any change whatsoever. But ofcourse we know this was not
the case.

(iii) During these thousand years the societies of the subcontinent were
transformed often and economies in several regions reached a level of
prosperity that attracted the interest of European trading companies.