CHAPTER 10: Traders, Kings and Pilgrims (Date : 26-07-2018)

Correct Answer : C

Explanation

• Statements (a), (b) and (d) are correct but (c) is not correct, because the traders used both the sea and land routes to carry these goods to Rome.
• Traders carried many of these goods to Rome in ships, across the sea, and by land in caravans. Traders explored several sea routes.
• There were others across the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, where sailors took advantage of the monsoon winds to cross the seas more quickly. So, if they wanted to reach the western coast of the subcontinent from East Africa or Arabia, they chose to sail with the south-west monsoon. And sturdy ships had to be built for these long journeys.

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Correct Answer : C

Explanation

Sangam poems mention the Muvendar. This is a Tamil word meaning three chiefs, used for the heads of three, the Cholas, Cheras, and Pandyas, who became powerful in south India around 2300 years ago.

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Correct Answer : C

Explanation

Both the above statements are correct.

• Each of the three chiefs; the Cholas, Cheras, Pandyas; had two centres of power: one inland, and one on the coast. Of these six cities, two were very important: Puhar or Kaveripattinam, the port of the Cholas, and Madurai, the capital of the Pandyas.
• The chiefs did not collect regular taxes. Instead, they demanded and received gifts from the people.
• They also went on military expeditions, and collected tribute from neighbouring areas. They kept some of the wealth and distributed the rest amongst their supporters, including members of their family, soldiers, and poets.

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Correct Answer : A

Explanation

• Around 200 years later a dynasty known as the Satavahanas became powerful in western India. The most important ruler of the Satavahanas was Gautamiputra Shri Satakarni.
• He and other Satavahana rulers were known as lords of the dakshinapatha, literally the route leading to the south, which was also used as a name for the entire southern region.
• He sent his army to the eastern, western and southern coasts.

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Correct Answer : D

Explanation

• Techniques of making silk were first invented in China around 7000 years ago.
• Some people from China who went to distant lands on foot, horseback, and on camels, carried silk with them. The paths they followed came to be known as the Silk Route.
• Sometimes, Chinese rulers sent gifts of silk to rulers in Iran and west Asia, and from there, the knowledge of silk spread further west.
• About 2000 years ago, wearing silk became the fashion amongst rulers and rich people in Rome. It was very expensive, as it had to be brought all the way from China, along dangerous roads, through mountains and deserts. People living along the route often demanded payments for allowing traders to pass through.

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Correct Answer : A

Explanation

• Some kings tried to control large portions of the route. This was because they could benefit from taxes, tributes and gifts that were brought by traders travelling along the route.
• In return, they often protected the traders who passed through their kingdoms from attacks by robbers.

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Correct Answer : C

Explanation

Statements (a), (b) and (d) are correct, but the statement (c) is incorrect.

• The best-known of the rulers who controlled the Silk Route were the Kushanas, who ruled over central Asia and north-west India around 2000 years ago.
• Their two major centres of power were Peshawar and Mathura. Taxila was also included in their kingdom.
• During their rule, a branch of the Silk Route extended from Central Asia down to the seaports at the mouth of the river Indus, from where silk was shipped westwards to the Roman Empire.
• The Kushanas were amongst the earliest rulers of the subcontinent to issue gold coins. These were used by traders along the Silk Route.

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Correct Answer : A

Explanation

• Kanishka, the most famous Kushan ruler organised a Buddhist council, where scholars met and discussed important matters.
• Ashvaghosha, a poet who composed a biography of the Buddha – the Buddhacharita, lived in his court. Ashvaghosha and other Buddhist scholars now began writing in Sanskrit.

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Correct Answer : C

Explanation

Both the above statements are correct. A new form of Buddhism, known as Mahayana Buddhism, now developed. This had two distinct features.

• Earlier, the Buddha’s presence was shown in sculpture by using certain signs. For instance, his attainment of enlightenment was shown by sculptures of the peepal tree. Now, statues of the Buddha were made. Many of these were made in Mathura, while others were made in Taxila.
• The second change was a belief in Bodhisattvas. These were supposed to be persons who had attained enlightenment. Once they attained enlightenment, they could live in complete isolation and meditate in peace. However, instead of doing that, they remained in the world to teach and help other people.

The worship of Bodhisattvas became very popular, and spread throughout Central Asia, China, and later to Korea and Japan.

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Correct Answer : C

Explanation

Both the above statements are correct.

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Correct Answer : B

Explanation

• The best-known of pilgrims are the Chinese Buddhist pilgrims, Fa Xian, who came to the subcontinent about 1600 years ago, Xuanzang (who came around 1400 years ago) and I-Qing, who came about 50 years after Xuan Zang. They came to visit places associated with the life of the Buddha as well as famous monasteries.
• Each of these pilgrims left an account of his journey. They wrote of the dangers they encountered on their travels, which often took years, of the countries and the monasteries that they visited, and the books they carried back with them.

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Correct Answer : B

Explanation

The magnificent statue, obtained from Erah, Madhya Pradesh is of a special form of Vishnu, the Varaha or boar. According to the Puranas, Vishnu took the shape of a boar in order to rescue the earth, which had sunk into water. There the earth was shown as a woman.

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Correct Answer : C

Explanation

• The worship of certain deities, became a central feature of later Hinduism, and gained in importance. These deities included Shiva, Vishnu, and goddesses such as Durga.
• These deities were worshipped through Bhakti, an idea that became very popular at this time. Bhakti is generally understood as a person’s devotion to his or her chosen deity.
• The idea of Bhakti is present in the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred book of the Hindus, which is included in the Mahabharata
• Those who followed the system of Bhakti emphasised devotion and individual worship of a god or goddess, rather than the performance of elaborate sacrifices.
• According to this system of belief, if a devotee worships the chosen deity with a pure heart, the deity will appear in the form in which he or she may desire. So, the deity could be thought of as a human being, lion, tree or any other form.
• Because the deities were special, these images of the deity were often placed within special homes, places that we describe as temples. Bhakti inspired some of the best expressions in art — sculpture, poetry and architecture.

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Correct Answer : A

Explanation

• About 2000 years ago, Christianity emerged in West Asia. Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, which was then part of the Roman empire.
• He was considered to be the Saviour of the world. He also taught people to treat others with love and trust others, just as they themselves wanted to be treated.
• The Christians of Kerala, known as Syrian Christians, because they probably came from West Asia, are amongst the oldest Christian communities in the world.

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