Medieval History Set 13 | MROY Class

Medieval History Questions & Answers (Set 13)

Under the Chola ruler Rajaraja I, the Chola navy was utilized to conquer not only the northern part of Sri Lanka but also which other island group? – The Maldives
In addition to conquering Madurai and capturing the Pandyan king, Rajaraja I attacked Quilon and destroyed the Chera navy at which location? – Trivandrum
Rajendra I’s famous military expedition to Bengal in 1022 followed, in reverse, the same route of which great ancient conqueror? – Samudragupta
The Chola naval expeditions against the Sri Vijaya empire led to the conquest of a prominent location in the Malay peninsula called: – Kadaram (Kedah)
When a Chola embassy of 70 merchants reached China in 1077, the Chinese government received their trade articles… using what specific term? – Tribute
The Cholas and the Later Chalukyas of Kalyani engaged in exhaustive wars for the overlordship of Vengi, the Tungabhadra doab, and the Ganga-ruled country located in which part of modern Karnataka? – Northwest Karnataka
Following the decline of the Chola empire in the early thirteenth century, their place in the south was taken by the Hoysalas and the: – Pandyas
Similarly, the Later Chalukyan empire in the Maharashtra area came to an end during the twelfth century and was replaced by the Kakatiyas and the: – Yadavas
In the Chola administrative system, a number of villages having close kinship ties were grouped into a nadu. These nadus were further grouped into larger units called: – Valanadus
In the context of Dravida temple architecture, what was the term used for the pillared hall with elaborately carved pillars and a flat roof, placed in front of the sanctum? – Mandap
The eighth-century Kailasanath temple, an early and fine example of the Dravida style, is located at: – Kanchipuram
Which three poets are regarded as the “three gems of Kannada poetry,” who, despite being influenced by Jainism, also wrote on themes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata? – Pampa, Ponna, and Ranna
The Telugu version of the Mahabharata was begun by Nanniah at the court of a Chalukyan king and was completed in the thirteenth century by: – Tikkanna
In Telugu literature, popular or folk themes that were not derived from Sanskrit and reflected rural sentiments and emotions were categorized as: – Desi
In some of the Dharamshastras written during the 800–1200 period, travel beyond certain areas was banned. Specifically, travel was prohibited beyond the areas where the black gazelle roams or where which type of grass does not grow? – Munja grass
According to the text, a fourteenth-century writer in Java noted that people came unceasingly in large ships to Southeast Asia from Jambudvipa (India), Karnataka, and which eastern Indian region? – Gaud (Bengal)
During the flourishing Indian Ocean trade, China imported massive quantities of goods. From where did the best ivory imported to China originate? – Africa
The presence of Indians in the Chinese Sea is highlighted by Japanese records, which credit the introduction of cotton to Japan to two Indians who were carried there by the: – Black current
Chinese ships of the period were massive and technologically advanced, utilizing the mariner’s compass. We are told these multi-storey ships could carry 400 soldiers and how many passengers? – 600 passengers
Vastupala and Tejahpala, who were reputed to be among the richest merchants of their times and builders of magnificent temples, served as ministers in which region? – Gujarat
The author of the Rajatarangini highlights economic disparities by noting that while courtiers ate fried meat and drank cooled wine, ordinary people had to be content with rice and a bitter wild vegetable called: – Utpala-saka
In the feudal-like society of the 800–1200 period, peasants were heavily burdened with taxes and had to render forced labor, which was officially termed: – Vishti
To legitimize their newly acquired power, Brahmans wrote genealogies for ruling Rajput families. For instance, the Gurjara-Pratiharas were linked to which mythological figure who had acted as a door-keeper? – Lakshman
According to the law-giver Yagyavalkya during this period, it was permissible for a Brahman to share food with his family friends, his farmer, his barber, and his: – Milkman
Although slavery existed during the 800–1200 period, a slave could become free and even be entitled to a share of his master’s property if he: – Saved his master’s life
The text mentions that women in Kashmir and Orissa ruled as queens in their own right. Prabhavati Gupta, who ruled for at least thirteen years as the mother of the yuvaraja, belonged to which dynasty? – The Vakataka dynasty
The Arab astronomer Abu Maashir of Balkh is noted in the text as having traveled to India to study science. Where did he study for ten years during the ninth century? – Banaras
A notable contribution to the study of politics and political morality, popular among the nobility during the 800–1200 period, was a text called: – Nitisara by Kamandaka
During this period, the text notes that some advance was made in the field of medicine through the use of minerals, especially: – Mercury
Although the practice of sati was heavily debated, the Arab writer Sulaiman observed that among the wives of kings, the practice was: – An option for them to exercise

MROY Class

Medieval History Set 13

Q: Under the Chola ruler Rajaraja I, the Chola navy was utilized to conquer not only the northern part of Sri Lanka but also which other island group?

The Maldives. Rajaraja I conquered the northern part of Sri Lanka and one of his naval exploits was the conquest of the Maldives.

Q: In addition to conquering Madurai and capturing the Pandyan king, Rajaraja I attacked Quilon and destroyed the Chera navy at which location?

Trivandrum. Rajaraja I destroyed the Chera navy at Trivandrum and attacked Quilon.

Q: Rajendra I's famous military expedition to Bengal in 1022 followed, in reverse, the same route of which great ancient conqueror?

Samudragupta. Rajendra I's expedition to Bengal followed in reverse the same route which the great conqueror Samudragupta had followed.

Q: The Chola naval expeditions against the Sri Vijaya empire led to the conquest of a prominent location in the Malay peninsula called:

Kadaram (Kedah). The expeditions against the Sri Vijaya empire led to the conquest of Kadaram or Kedah and other places in the Malay peninsula.

Q: When a Chola embassy of 70 merchants reached China in 1077, the Chinese government received their trade articles using what specific term?

Tribute. 'Tribute was the word used by the Chinese for all articles brought for trade.'

Q: The Cholas and the Later Chalukyas of Kalyani engaged in exhaustive wars for the overlordship of Vengi, the Tungabhadra doab, and the Ganga-ruled country located in which part of modern Karnataka?

Northwest Karnataka. The Cholas and later Chalukyas clashed for the overlordship of Vengi, the Tungabhadra doab, and the Ganga ruled country in northwest Karnataka.

Q: Following the decline of the Chola empire in the early thirteenth century, their place in the south was taken by the Hoysalas and the:

Pandyas. The place of the Cholas was taken by the Pandyas and the Hoysalas in the south.

Q: Similarly, the Later Chalukyan empire in the Maharashtra area came to an end during the twelfth century and was replaced by the Kakatiyas and the:

Yadavas. The later Chalukyas were replaced by the Yadavas and the Kakatiyas.

Q: In the Chola administrative system, a number of villages having close kinship ties were grouped into a nadu. These nadus were further grouped into larger units called:

Valanadus. In the Chola kingdom, nadus (groups of villages) were further grouped into valanadus.

Q: In the context of Dravida temple architecture, what was the term used for the pillared hall with elaborately carved pillars and a flat roof, placed in front of the sanctum?

Mandap. A pillared hall called a mandap, with elaborately carved pillars and a flat roof, was generally placed in front of the sanctum.

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📌 Chola Empire • Expansion

Q.1) Under the Chola ruler Rajaraja I, the Chola navy was utilized to conquer not only the northern part of Sri Lanka but also which other island group?

Ans > The Maldives

Imperial Naval Dominance: Under the visionary leadership of Rajaraja I, the Chola Empire aggressively transformed from a dominant land-based power into a highly formidable maritime empire. He fundamentally reorganized the Chola navy, turning the Bay of Bengal into a “Chola Lake” and establishing unprecedented maritime supremacy across the Indian Ocean to secure global trade routes.
Conquest of the Coral Atolls: Rajaraja I’s naval campaigns extended far beyond the mainland coast. After successfully conquering and annexing the northern half of Sri Lanka (which he renamed Mummudicholamandalam), he launched a massive, coordinated naval armada to successfully capture the strategically vital coral atolls of the Maldives and Lakshadweep.
Economic Warfare and Spice Routes: This specific conquest was a brilliant masterstroke of medieval economic warfare. The Maldives were the primary global source of cowrie shells, heavily used as a standard currency across the ocean. By maintaining strict control over these island territories, Rajaraja I effectively monopolized the maritime trade routes connecting Arabian merchants to Southeast Asia, allowing the Chola state to heavily tax all passing merchant ships.

📌 Chola Empire • Navy

Q.2) In addition to conquering Madurai and capturing the Pandyan king, Rajaraja I attacked Quilon and destroyed the Chera navy at which location?

Ans > Trivandrum

The Battle of Kandalur Salai: Rajaraja I’s very first major military campaign was directed against the traditional southern rivals of the Cholas. He launched a devastating strike against the Chera kingdom, culminating in the famous naval battle of Kandalur Salai (near modern Trivandrum), where he completely annihilated the Chera naval fleet.
Breaking the Tripartite Alliance: This aggressive military maneuver was essential to break a dangerous, long-standing tripartite alliance formed by the Cheras, the Pandyas of Madurai, and the Sinhalese rulers of Sri Lanka. By destroying the Chera navy and capturing the Pandyan king Amarabhujanga, Rajaraja effectively neutralized all organized southern resistance.
Monopoly Over the Western Coast: Following the destruction of the fleet at Trivandrum, Rajaraja’s forces rapidly advanced to attack the wealthy port city of Quilon (Kollam). This crucial victory stripped the Cheras of their historic maritime power and granted the Cholas absolute, uncontested control over the highly lucrative Malabar coast spice trade, bringing immense wealth into the imperial treasury at Tanjore.

📌 Chola Empire • Military

Q.3) Rajendra I’s famous military expedition to Bengal in 1022 followed, in reverse, the same route of which great ancient conqueror?

Ans > Samudragupta

The Grand March to the Ganges: In 1022 CE, Emperor Rajendra I launched one of the most audacious military expeditions in medieval Indian history. His massive army marched northwards through Kalinga (Odisha) and successfully reached the banks of the sacred river Ganga in Bengal, decisively defeating the local Pala ruler, Mahipala I.
Historical Parallels and Digvijaya: This monumental northern campaign essentially followed, in exact reverse, the famous southern military route (Dakshinapatha campaign) taken by the great Gupta Emperor Samudragupta centuries earlier. Like Samudragupta, Rajendra I undertook this expedition not primarily for territorial annexation, but as a grand ‘Digvijaya’ to demonstrably assert his absolute sovereign paramountcy over the subcontinent.
Establishment of a New Capital: To permanently commemorate this spectacular victory, Rajendra I proudly adopted the grand title ‘Gangaikondachola’ (The Chola who conquered the Ganga). He brought back massive pots of holy water from the Ganges, carried on the heads of the defeated northern kings, and poured it into the massive Chola-gangam tank at his newly constructed, magnificent imperial capital, Gangaikondacholapuram.

📌 Chola Empire • Southeast Asia

Q.4) The Chola naval expeditions against the Sri Vijaya empire led to the conquest of a prominent location in the Malay peninsula called:

Ans > Kadaram (Kedah)

The Sri Vijaya Trade Blockade: The powerful maritime empire of Sri Vijaya (based in modern Indonesia) controlled the highly strategic Malacca and Sunda straits. When they began imposing heavy, extortionate tolls and violently blockading South Indian merchant guilds attempting to trade directly with Song Dynasty China, the Chola empire was forced to retaliate militarily.
The Massive Naval Armada of 1025 CE: In an unprecedented display of trans-oceanic power projection, Rajendra I dispatched a massive, heavily armed naval armada across the Bay of Bengal in 1025 CE. This fleet successfully overwhelmed the Sri Vijayan defenses, resulting in the humiliating capture of their supreme king, Sangrama Vijayatunggavarman, directly from his capital at Palembang.
The Fall of Kadaram and Regional Dominance: Following the fall of the capital, the Chola forces systematically sacked and conquered several other vital, fortified trading ports across the Malay peninsula, most notably the wealthy city of Kadaram (modern Kedah in Malaysia). Rajendra I subsequently assumed the title ‘Kadaram-kondan’, ensuring that Chola merchant guilds could trade freely and profitably across Southeast Asia without foreign interference.

📌 Chola Empire • Trade

Q.5) When a Chola embassy of 70 merchants reached China in 1077, the Chinese government received their trade articles using what specific term?

Ans > Tribute

The Embassy of Kulottunga I: To further cement the highly lucrative commercial ties established by his predecessors, the Chola Emperor Kulottunga I dispatched a massive, official trade embassy comprising 70 prominent merchants to the imperial court of the Song Dynasty in China in 1077 CE. This highlights the immense scale of the medieval Sino-Indian maritime trade network.
The Chinese Tributary System: According to ancient Chinese imperial ideology, the Emperor was the “Son of Heaven,” and all foreign nations were considered culturally and politically inferior vassals. Consequently, the Chinese court protocol mandated that all international commercial trade be officially recorded and documented strictly as “tribute” brought by subservient states, rather than acknowledging an equal, peer-to-peer economic exchange.
Economic Exchange and Coinage: Despite the condescending diplomatic terminology, the actual exchange was deeply commercial and mutually profitable. The Chola merchants brought highly valued luxury items such as exquisite glassware, fragrant camphor, heavy brocades, rhinoceros horns, and ivory. In return for this “tribute,” the Chinese government bestowed a massive “gift” of 81,800 strings of copper coins, massively enriching the Chola merchant guilds.

📌 Medieval Kingdoms • Chalukyas

Q.6) The Cholas and the Later Chalukyas of Kalyani engaged in exhaustive wars for the overlordship of Vengi, the Tungabhadra doab, and the Ganga-ruled country located in which part of modern Karnataka?

Ans > Northwest Karnataka

The Geopolitics of the Raichur Doab: The political landscape of medieval South India was heavily defined by the bitter, unrelenting, and exhaustive warfare between the Imperial Cholas of Tanjore and their great northern rivals, the Later Chalukyas of Kalyani. A primary flashpoint was the Tungabhadra Doab (the highly fertile region between the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers), which both empires desperately sought for its immense agricultural wealth.
Vengi as the Buffer State: Another major theater of conflict was the coastal kingdom of Vengi (Eastern Chalukyas). The Cholas systematically exerted heavy political influence over Vengi through strategic matrimonial alliances (ultimately leading to the Chola-Chalukya combined bloodline of Kulottunga I), which deeply threatened the Kalyani Chalukyas, who viewed Vengi as their rightful ancestral domain.
The Exhaustion of the Empires: The third major zone of endless conflict was the ancient Ganga-ruled territory situated in Northwest Karnataka. The incessant, brutal military campaigns across these three zones for over two centuries ultimately drained the treasuries and military manpower of both the Cholas and the Later Chalukyas, setting the stage for their mutual decline and the rise of local feudatories.

📌 Medieval Kingdoms • Successors

Q.7) Following the decline of the Chola empire in the early thirteenth century, their place in the south was taken by the Hoysalas and the:

Ans > Pandyas

Internal Rebellions and Chola Decline: By the early 13th century, under the weak reigns of Rajaraja III and Rajendra III, the once-mighty Chola Empire began to rapidly disintegrate. Continuous external invasions, coupled with massive internal rebellions by powerful, ambitious local chieftains (like the Kadavas), severely crippled the central imperial authority based in Tanjore.
The Resurgence of the Pandyas: The immense geopolitical void left by the falling Cholas in the deep south was swiftly and violently filled by the resurgent Pandyas of Madurai. Under dynamic, aggressive rulers like Maravarman Sundara Pandya, they exacted brutal revenge for centuries of Chola subjugation, sacking Chola cities and establishing themselves as the absolute paramount power in the Tamil country.
The Hoysalas as Southern Arbiters: Simultaneously, the Hoysalas of Dwarasamudra, originally a subordinate feudatory power located in the Karnataka plateau, aggressively expanded their borders southward. Capitalizing on the political chaos, powerful Hoysala kings like Veera Ballala II actively intervened in Tamil politics, frequently acting as crucial power-brokers and military arbiters between the dying Cholas and the rising Pandyas.

📌 Medieval Kingdoms • Successors

Q.8) Similarly, the Later Chalukyan empire in the Maharashtra area came to an end during the twelfth century and was replaced by the Kakatiyas and the:

Ans > Yadavas

The Collapse of the Kalyani Chalukyas: Just as the Cholas fell in the south, their great northern rivals, the Later Chalukyas of Kalyani, suffered a catastrophic collapse during the final decades of the 12th century. The empire was fatally weakened by the continuous, exhausting southern wars and finally shattered under the weight of massive rebellions by their own ambitious provincial governors.
The Rise of the Yadavas of Devagiri: The extensive northwestern territories of the fallen Chalukyas, primarily encompassing the Maharashtra and northern Karnataka regions, were rapidly seized and consolidated by the Yadavas (also known as the Seunas). Establishing their formidable, heavily fortified capital at Devagiri (later renamed Daulatabad), the Yadavas emerged as a massively powerful, independent Deccan kingdom.
The Kakatiyas of Warangal: Simultaneously, the eastern domains of the Chalukyan empire, primarily located in the modern Telangana and Andhra regions, were aggressively taken over by another former feudatory, the Kakatiyas. Operating from their massive fortress capital at Warangal, the Kakatiyas, Yadavas, and Hoysalas would spend the next century locked in continuous, bitter warfare for supremacy over the Deccan plateau.

📌 Chola Empire • Administration

Q.9) In the Chola administrative system, a number of villages having close kinship ties were grouped into a nadu. These nadus were further grouped into larger units called:

Ans > Valanadus

Agrarian Foundation and the Ur/Sabha: The Chola administration was highly structured and deeply rooted in local agrarian autonomy. The fundamental unit of local governance was the village. A standard, non-Brahman agricultural village was governed by an assembly called the ‘Ur’, while exclusively Brahman-settled villages (Agraharas or Brahmadeyas) were meticulously managed by a highly organized assembly known as the ‘Sabha’.
The Role of the Nadu and Nattar: For administrative efficiency, clusters of these villages—often intimately bound together by shared irrigation sources, deep kinship ties, and common agricultural practices—were organically grouped together to form a larger territorial unit called a ‘Nadu’. The affairs of the Nadu were fiercely managed by an influential council of dominant land-owning peasants, collectively known as the ‘Nattar’.
Rajaraja’s Valanadu Reorganization: As the empire expanded exponentially, Emperor Rajaraja I executed a massive, systemic administrative overhaul. To vastly improve state revenue collection and centralize imperial control, he artificially grouped several traditional Nadus together into massive, newly created administrative districts called ‘Valanadus’. These Valanadus were then nested within the largest provincial divisions of the empire, known as ‘Mandalams’.

📌 Art & Culture • Architecture

Q.10) In the context of Dravida temple architecture, what was the term used for the pillared hall with elaborately carved pillars and a flat roof, placed in front of the sanctum?

Ans > Mandap

Evolution of Dravida Architecture: The Dravida style of structural stone temple architecture evolved rapidly under the patronage of the Pallavas and reached its absolute zenith under the Cholas. The core, sacred heart of the temple complex was the dark, unlit sanctum sanctorum (Garbhagriha) where the primary deity resided, always topped by a soaring, stepped pyramidal tower known as the Vimana.
The Structure of the Mandapa: Directly attached to and placed immediately in front of the sacred sanctum, architects constructed a spacious, flat-roofed pillared hall called the ‘Mandap’ (or Mandapam). These halls were heavily characterized by their massive stone pillars, which were completely covered in elaborately carved, intricate sculptures depicting mythological figures, rearing horses, and divine beasts (Yalis).
Socio-Cultural Significance of the Hall: The Mandap was not merely a transitional architectural space; it was the vibrant, beating socio-cultural heart of the temple. While the sanctum was restricted to priests, the Mandap served as a massive public assembly hall where devotees gathered, sacred Devadasi dances were performed, religious philosophical debates were held, and the great Hindu epics were publicly recited to the local community.

📌 Art & Culture • Architecture

Q.11) The eighth-century Kailasanath temple, an early and fine example of the Dravida style, is located at:

Ans > Kanchipuram

Pallava Architectural Patronage: Long before the Cholas perfected it, the foundational blueprint of the Dravida style of structural stone temples was heavily developed and refined by the powerful Pallava kings in the early 8th century, transitioning away from earlier rock-cut cave shrines.
Features of the Kailasanath Temple: The Kailasanath temple, constructed predominantly by the Pallava King Narasimhavarman II (also known as Rajasimha), stands proudly in their royal capital of Kanchipuram. Built entirely of sandstone, the magnificent temple is heavily celebrated for its distinctive pyramidal vimana, its massive rectangular enclosure wall lined with 58 beautifully carved sub-shrines, and its iconic pillars adorned with fierce, rearing mythical lions.
Inspiration for Future Empires: This specific 8th-century structure is widely considered one of the earliest and most breathtakingly fine masterpieces of early Dravidian architecture. It served as the direct, undeniable architectural inspiration for the later, much larger imperial Chola temples, most notably the colossal Brihadeeswara Temple built by Rajaraja I at Tanjore.

📌 Art & Culture • Literature

Q.12) Which three poets are regarded as the “three gems of Kannada poetry,” who, despite being influenced by Jainism, also wrote on themes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata?

Ans > Pampa, Ponna, and Ranna

The Golden Age of Kannada Literature: The 10th century is universally acknowledged by scholars as the absolute golden age of classical Kannada literature. This incredible literary flourishing was heavily sponsored and patronized by the powerful royal courts of the Rashtrakuta and Later Chalukya kings, who actively promoted regional languages over classical Sanskrit.
The Works of Pampa and Ponna: Pampa, Ponna, and Ranna are deeply revered as the ‘Ratnatraya’ (The Three Gems). Pampa, considered the father of Kannada poetry, famously authored the ‘Adipurana’ (a Jain text) and the epic ‘Vikramarjuna Vijaya’ (a localized retelling of the Mahabharata). Ponna, patronized by the Rashtrakuta King Krishna III, is celebrated for his magnum opus, the ‘Santipurana’.
Ranna and Jain-Hindu Synthesis: Ranna, the third gem, wrote the famous ‘Ajitapurana’ and the dramatic ‘Gadayuddha’. Remarkably, although all three poets were deeply devout followers of Jain philosophy and wrote extensive biographies of Jain Tirthankaras, they completely revolutionized literature by seamlessly adapting the great Hindu epics (Ramayana and Mahabharata) into secularized, highly accessible Kannada masterpieces that resonated with local culture.

📌 Art & Culture • Literature

Q.13) The Telugu version of the Mahabharata was begun by Nanniah at the court of a Chalukyan king and was completed in the thirteenth century by:

Ans > Tikkanna

The Genesis of the Andhra Mahabharatamu: The massive, generations-long project to translate the vast Sanskrit Mahabharata into the regional Telugu language was a monumental literary event that essentially formalized and established the grammatical foundations of the modern Telugu language itself.
The Trinity of Poets (Kavitrayam): The grand project was initially launched in the 11th century by the great court poet Nanniah, operating under the heavy patronage of the Eastern Chalukya King Rajaraja Narendra. However, Nanniah only managed to complete the first two and a half parvas (chapters) before his death, leaving the massive epic unfinished for centuries.
Tikkanna’s Monumental Contribution: The bulk of the remaining translation work was brilliantly resumed and executed in the 13th century by the masterful poet Tikkanna, who was patronized by the Nellore Cholas. Tikkanna single-handedly translated an astonishing 15 parvas. The final, remaining half-parva was eventually completed in the 14th century by the poet Yerrapragada, completing the revered Telugu ‘Kavitrayam’ (Trinity of Poets).

📌 Art & Culture • Literature

Q.14) In Telugu literature, popular or folk themes that were not derived from Sanskrit and reflected rural sentiments and emotions were categorized as:

Ans > Desi

The Elite Margi Tradition: Medieval Indian literature frequently exhibited a stark, highly defined bifurcation in its stylistic approach. Literary works that rigidly adhered to classical Sanskrit models, strictly followed complex rules of grammar, and utilized rigid metrical prosody (Chandas) were classified as ‘Margi’ (the classical or elite path).
The Rise of the Desi Movement: Conversely, as regional languages began to assert their independence, a powerful new literary movement emerged. Poetry and literature that deliberately broke away from oppressive Sanskrit traditions to embrace popular, indigenous folk themes, local deities, and genuine rural sentiments were proudly categorized as ‘Desi’ (native or rural style).
Bridging the Gap in Vernacular Poetry: In the Telugu literary tradition, the Desi style championed the use of accessible, everyday vocabulary and indigenous musical meters (like Dwipada). Pioneering poets like Nanne Choda heavily utilized the Desi style, ensuring that literature was not just confined to the highly educated Brahminical courts, but deeply resonated with the emotions and daily lives of the common rural masses.

📌 Society & Religion • Texts

Q.15) In some of the Dharamshastras written during the 800–1200 period, travel beyond certain areas was banned. Specifically, travel was prohibited beyond the areas where the black gazelle roams or where which type of grass does not grow?

Ans > Munja grass

Orthodox Reactions and Kalavarjya: During the highly conservative period between 800–1200 CE, orthodox Brahminical law-givers (Smritikaras) began to impose severe, rigid restrictions on social behavior and mobility. They categorized many previously acceptable practices as ‘Kalavarjya’—actions strictly forbidden in the degenerate current age of Kali Yuga, which notably included long-distance sea voyages (Samudrayanana-vedha).
The Concept of Aryavarta and Munja Grass: These Dharamshastras strictly decreed that an orthodox, ritually pure Hindu life could only be properly maintained within the sacred, narrowly defined geographical boundaries of Aryavarta (Northern/Central India). A highly specific ban was placed on traveling to alien regions where the sacred ‘munja’ grass (used in crucial Vedic rituals) did not naturally grow.
The Fear of Mlechchha Contamination: Furthermore, travel was forbidden beyond the natural habitat where the black gazelle (krishnasara) roamed. The underlying motivation for these bizarre geographical bans was a deep-seated xenophobic fear of ritual pollution; the orthodox elite believed that crossing these boundaries would lead to inevitable contact with ‘mlechchhas’ (impure foreigners and outcastes), resulting in an immediate, catastrophic loss of caste status.

📌 Trade & Commerce • Maritime

Q.16) According to the text, a fourteenth-century writer in Java noted that people came unceasingly in large ships to Southeast Asia from Jambudvipa (India), Karnataka, and which eastern Indian region?

Ans > Gaud (Bengal)

Defying the Travel Bans: In stark contrast to the strict Brahminical injunctions (Dharamshastras) forbidding sea travel, historical evidence proves that highly adventurous Indian merchant guilds (like the Manigramam and Ayyavole) completely ignored these religious bans. They remained a massively dominant economic force within the highly lucrative Indian Ocean maritime trade network throughout the medieval era.
The Majapahit Empire and Javanese Records: The sheer scale of this trans-oceanic Indian commercial activity is thoroughly corroborated by foreign sources. A prominent 14th-century text written in the powerful Majapahit empire of Java (modern Indonesia) provides a vivid, contemporary account of the massive, unceasing influx of foreign maritime merchants arriving continuously in massive cargo ships.
The Dominance of Gaud Merchants: The Javanese text specifically and explicitly identifies the origins of these ubiquitous traders. It notes that they arrived in massive numbers from Jambudvipa (the classical, generalized term for the Indian subcontinent), the western region of Karnataka, and most notably, the incredibly wealthy, textile-producing eastern region of Gaud (historical Bengal), highlighting Bengal’s critical role in medieval global trade.

📌 Trade & Commerce • Imports

Q.17) During the flourishing Indian Ocean trade, China imported massive quantities of goods. From where did the best ivory imported to China originate?

Ans > Africa

The Insatiable Chinese Luxury Market: During the economic boom of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, China acted as the massive, insatiable economic engine driving the entire Asian maritime trade network. The imperial court and the incredibly wealthy Chinese merchant elite constantly demanded vast quantities of exotic luxury goods imported from across the known world.
The Trans-Oceanic Ivory Route: While Indian merchants primarily exported vast quantities of fine cotton textiles and rare spices to Chinese ports like Quanzhou, Chinese imperial trade records specifically highlight a massive demand for high-quality ivory, which was extensively used in China for carving intricate art, religious statues, and decorating elite palanquins.
The Role of Arab and Indian Middlemen: According to their own meticulous documentation, the Chinese explicitly noted that the absolute “best of which came from Africa” (referring to the Swahili coast, known as Zanj). This highlights the incredible, staggering reach of the medieval trade networks, where Arab and Indian middlemen facilitated a trans-oceanic supply chain moving African ivory across the Indian Ocean directly into the heart of China.

📌 Trade & Commerce • Maritime

Q.18) The presence of Indians in the Chinese Sea is highlighted by Japanese records, which credit the introduction of cotton to Japan to two Indians who were carried there by the:

Ans > Black current

The Far Reaches of the Kuroshio Current: Indian maritime and mercantile activity during the medieval period was not strictly limited to the familiar waters of Southeast Asia and southern China. There is compelling historical and cultural evidence of Indian presence reaching as far east as the isolated Japanese archipelago, deeply penetrating the Pacific Ocean.
Indian Shipwrecks in Japan: Ancient Japanese historical traditions (such as entries in the Nihon Shoki) specifically document the accidental but highly consequential arrival of shipwrecked or drifting individuals from Tenjiku (the ancient Japanese name for India) around the late 8th century CE.
The Introduction of Cotton Cultivation: These Japanese records specifically give immense credit for the very first introduction of cotton seeds and cultivation techniques into Japan to two such Indian castaways. They were reportedly swept far off their intended maritime trade routes and carried directly onto the Japanese coast by the immensely powerful, warm Kuroshio Current, famously referred to in maritime lore as the ‘black current’ of the Pacific.

📌 Trade & Commerce • Maritime

Q.19) Chinese ships of the period were massive and technologically advanced, utilizing the mariner’s compass. We are told these multi-storey ships could carry 400 soldiers and how many passengers?

Ans > 600 passengers

Innovations in Chinese Naval Architecture: During the medieval period, Chinese naval architecture, engineering, and deep-sea navigation technology were unarguably the most highly advanced in the entire world. They heavily utilized revolutionary maritime innovations such as watertight bulkhead compartments (preventing sinking), highly efficient sternpost rudders, and they were the very first to widely deploy the magnetic mariner’s compass for reliable open-ocean navigation.
The Scale of Medieval Junks: Contemporary travel accounts by prominent Arab and Indian merchants (and later Europeans like Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta) frequently write with absolute awe regarding the terrifying sheer scale and massive displacement of the Chinese trade junks operating in the Indian Ocean.
Passenger Capacity and Military Defense: These multi-storeyed, wooden maritime behemoths functioned as floating cities. Historical texts record that a single massive junk was fully capable of carrying an astonishing 600 commercial passengers and merchants, along with their massive cargo holds, while simultaneously housing a dedicated, heavily armed protective garrison of 400 soldiers to violently repel pirate attacks in the dangerous Malacca Straits.

📌 Society & Economy • Administration

Q.20) Vastupala and Tejahpala, who were reputed to be among the richest merchants of their times and builders of magnificent temples, served as ministers in which region?

Ans > Gujarat

The Power of the Merchant Elite: In the highly commercialized, trade-dependent coastal regions of western India, wealthy merchants and guild leaders often wielded massive political and economic power, fundamentally blurring the lines between commerce and statecraft. They frequently rose to the absolute highest administrative and diplomatic positions within royal courts.
Vastupala and Tejahpala in Gujarat: The most famous examples of this phenomenon were the brothers Vastupala and Tejahpala. They were extraordinarily wealthy, highly devout Jain merchants who served as powerful Mahamatyas (Prime Ministers) in the 13th-century Vaghela royal court of Gujarat, leveraging the immense wealth generated from Arabian Sea maritime trade to govern the state.
Philanthropy and the Dilwara Temples: Beyond their political prowess, the brothers are immortalized in Indian history for their staggering religious philanthropy. They utilized their immense personal fortunes to commission and build some of the most magnificent, breathtaking architectural masterpieces in India, most notably the exquisitely carved, white marble Luna Vasahi (Dilwara Jain temples) located at Mount Abu, dedicated to the Jain Tirthankaras.

📌 Society & Economy • Literature

Q.21) The author of the Rajatarangini highlights economic disparities by noting that while courtiers ate fried meat and drank cooled wine, ordinary people had to be content with rice and a bitter wild vegetable called:

Ans > Utpala-saka

Kalhana’s Objective Historical Lens: Kalhana’s masterpiece, the ‘Rajatarangini’ (The River of Kings), written in the 12th century, is widely considered one of the very few genuinely objective, critically analyzed historical texts of early medieval India. Unlike highly sycophantic court poetry, it provides a stark, realistic, and often brutally honest look at the socioeconomic realities and political betrayals of Kashmir.
The Extravagance of the Ruling Elite: Kalhana uses his text to harshly criticize the severe, systemic economic disparities of his era. He explicitly notes the highly decadent, luxurious lifestyle of the ruling nobility, royal courtiers, and powerful feudal lords (Damaras), who heavily indulged in extravagant banquets featuring fried meats and expensive wines cooled in mountain ice.
The Dire Poverty of the Peasantry: He sharply contrasts this extreme royal decadence with the dire, crushing poverty of the ordinary Kashmiri citizens and heavily taxed peasantry. During harsh winters and frequent famines, the common people were reduced to surviving on meager rations of plain rice and ‘utpala-saka’, a notoriously bitter, wild-foraged vegetable (often the roots of water lilies), highlighting the tragic human cost of feudal exploitation.

📌 Society & Economy • Feudalism

Q.22) In the feudal-like society of the 800–1200 period, peasants were heavily burdened with taxes and had to render forced labor, which was officially termed:

Ans > Vishti

The Decentralization of State Power: The period between 800–1200 CE witnessed the rapid rise of a distinct, deeply entrenched feudal-like political structure (the Samanta system) across much of northern and central India. Central royal authority severely weakened, and vast administrative, judicial, and revenue-collection powers were heavily devolved to local landed aristocrats and religious institutions via widespread land grants.
The Burden of Vishti (Forced Labor): The common peasantry bore the absolute, crushing brunt of this decentralized system. In addition to paying heavy, often arbitrary agricultural land taxes (known as bhaga and bhoga), the peasants were legally compelled to provide unpaid, backbreaking manual labor to their local feudal lords, a highly oppressive system officially termed ‘Vishti’.
The Exploitation of the Peasantry: This vicious corvée labor system meant that peasants were routinely pulled away from their own crops to forcibly farm the personal estates of the landlord, construct defensive forts, clear forests, or act as unpaid baggage carriers for the lord’s army during military campaigns, leading to severe, widespread agrarian distress and immobility.

📌 Medieval Kingdoms • Rajputs

Q.23) To legitimize their newly acquired power, Brahmans wrote genealogies for ruling Rajput families. For instance, the Gurjara-Pratiharas were linked to which mythological figure who had acted as a door-keeper?

Ans > Lakshman

The Rise of the Rajputs and Agnikula: The early medieval period saw the rapid, aggressive rise of new martial tribes and pastoral families (collectively forming the Rajputs) to supreme political power. However, to rule legitimately according to orthodox Hindu tradition and command the obedience of the masses, they desperately required recognized Kshatriya status within the rigid Varna system.
The Need for Brahminical Legitimacy: To solve this crisis of legitimacy, royal court Brahmans were heavily patronized to fabricate grand, mythical genealogies (vamsavalis). These complex origin myths, including the famous Agnikula (fire-born) legend, intentionally linked these newly emergent tribal rulers to the highly revered, ancient solar (Suryavansha) and lunar (Chandravansha) dynasties of the epic era.
The Gurjara-Pratiharas and Lakshman: The powerful Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty utilized this exact strategy. Court bards strategically linked their lineage directly to Lakshman, the devoted brother of Lord Rama. The justification was purely etymological and symbolic: because Lakshman had loyally acted as the ‘door-keeper’ (pratihar) to Rama during their exile, the dynasty adopted the name Pratihara, instantly elevating their humble pastoral origins to divine Kshatriyahood.

📌 Society & Religion • Castes

Q.24) According to the law-giver Yagyavalkya during this period, it was permissible for a Brahman to share food with his family friends, his farmer, his barber, and his:

Ans > Milkman

The Rigidification of Caste Boundaries: During the early medieval period, the caste system became exponentially more complex. Social rules regarding ritual purity, physical pollution, endogamy (marriage), and commensality (inter-dining) became incredibly rigid, with orthodox texts strictly forbidding high-caste Brahmans from accepting cooked food from anyone outside their immediate Varna.
Yagyavalkya’s Pragmatic Concessions: However, the stark realities of deeply interconnected village life necessitated certain compromises. The highly influential legal text authored by the sage Yagyavalkya surprisingly provided a layer of pragmatic, necessary leniency against these strict orthodox dietary taboos, acknowledging the daily survival needs of the priestly class.
The Necessity of Agrarian Interdependence: Yagyavalkya officially decreed that it was socially permissible, and not a violation of caste purity, for a Brahman to share food with specific lower-caste individuals whose services were absolutely essential to his daily existence. This specific list included his tenant farmer, his family barber, his close family friends, and crucially, his milkman (gopa), highlighting the inescapable interdependence of the rural agrarian economy.

📌 Society & Economy • Slavery

Q.25) Although slavery existed during the 800–1200 period, a slave could become free and even be entitled to a share of his master’s property if he:

Ans > Saved his master’s life

The Institution of Medieval Slavery: Slavery (the Dasa/Dasi system) was a deeply established, legally recognized socio-economic institution in medieval Indian society. While fundamentally different from the brutal, large-scale agricultural plantation slavery of the Atlantic world, slaves were widely utilized for heavy domestic work, menial agricultural labor, and occasionally as armed military retainers.
Types of Slaves and Legal Codes: Legal texts from the period (such as the Mitakshara and Naradasmriti) meticulously classified over 15 different types of slaves, including those born into slavery, purchased in markets, captured as prisoners of war, or individuals who sold themselves due to extreme famine or crushing gambling debts.
The Heroic Path to Emancipation: These same legal texts also clearly outlined specific, legally binding conditions under which a slave could be permanently emancipated. Most notably, the law decreed that if a slave performed the extraordinary, selfless act of saving his master’s life from imminent peril, he not only instantly won his absolute freedom but was also legally adopted and entitled to inherit a share of his former master’s property as a son.

📌 Medieval Kingdoms • Women Rulers

Q.26) The text mentions that women in Kashmir and Orissa ruled as queens in their own right. Prabhavati Gupta, who ruled for at least thirteen years as the mother of the yuvaraja, belonged to which dynasty?

Ans > The Vakataka dynasty

Women Holding Sovereign Power: While early medieval Indian society was overwhelmingly and rigidly patriarchal, restricting women to the domestic sphere, there are outstanding, highly documented historical instances of royal women exercising supreme, uncontested political and military power, particularly seen in regions like Kashmir (under Queen Didda) and Orissa (under the Bhaumakara queens).
The Strategic Vakataka-Gupta Alliance: Prabhavati Gupta was the highly educated, incredibly powerful daughter of the great Gupta Emperor Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya). In a brilliant geopolitical move to secure his southern flank during his wars against the Shakas, Chandragupta arranged a diplomatic marriage for Prabhavati into the powerful Vakataka dynasty of the Deccan, marrying her to King Rudrasena II.
The Powerful Regency of Prabhavati Gupta: Following the sudden, premature death of her husband, Prabhavati Gupta did not step aside. She fiercely assumed total control of the vast Vakataka kingdom, ruling with absolute sovereign authority for at least thirteen years as the regent mother of the young crown prince (yuvaraja). She actively issued her own royal copper-plate inscriptions (the Pune and Riddhapur plates), heavily extending Gupta imperial influence deep into the Deccan.

📌 Art & Culture • Science & Education

Q.27) The Arab astronomer Abu Maashir of Balkh is noted in the text as having traveled to India to study science. Where did he study for ten years during the ninth century?

Ans > Banaras

The Abbasid Translation Movement: During the early medieval period, the rapidly expanding Islamic world, centered around the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad (the House of Wisdom), possessed an insatiable thirst for global scientific knowledge. This sparked a massive translation movement, leading to a significant influx of Arab scholars traveling to India to actively seek out advanced Sanskrit texts on astronomy, complex mathematics, and medicine.
Banaras as the Intellectual Hub: The most famous of these visiting scholars was the renowned Arab astronomer Abu Maashir of Balkh. Recognizing the superiority of Indian astronomical calculations (Siddhantas), he specifically traveled to India during the ninth century and chose to reside in the ancient, deeply venerated educational and religious center of Banaras (Varanasi).
Abu Maashir’s Decade of Study: Abu Maashir stayed in Banaras for a full, intense decade. He embedded himself within the academic community, intensely studying Indian astronomy and the revolutionary decimal numeral system directly from highly learned Brahmin scholars. He subsequently returned to the Middle East, acting as a crucial conduit in transmitting Indian scientific brilliance to the Islamic world, which would eventually pass it to Renaissance Europe.

📌 Art & Culture • Literature

Q.28) A notable contribution to the study of politics and political morality, popular among the nobility during the 800–1200 period, was a text called:

Ans > Nitisara by Kamandaka

Adapting Chanakya for Feudal Times: While Chanakya’s ancient, highly centralized ‘Arthashastra’ remained the foundational, undisputed master text on Indian statecraft, the decentralized, highly fractured early medieval period required new political manuals. Authors began writing texts that adapted classical Mauryan political theory to the messy realities of feudalism, powerful vassals, and constant regional warfare.
The Core Teachings of the Nitisara: The ‘Nitisara’ (Elements of Polity), authored by Kamandaka (likely around the 7th or 8th century), emerged as an incredibly popular and highly influential treatise on political morality. While heavily borrowing structural elements from the Arthashastra, it placed a much stronger emphasis on the complex dynamics of foreign policy (the Mandala theory), military strategy, and the moral duties (Rajadharma) of a king holding a fragile throne.
Its Popularity Among the Medieval Nobility: Unlike purely theoretical texts, Kamandaka’s Nitisara was a highly practical, readable manual providing actionable maxims on diplomacy (utilizing Saam, Daam, Dand, and Bhed), managing treacherous spies, and maintaining treasury wealth. Consequently, it became standard reading and was heavily referenced by the ruling Rajput nobility, regional kings, and ambitious ministers throughout the chaotic 800–1200 CE period.

📌 Art & Culture • Science

Q.29) During this period, the text notes that some advance was made in the field of medicine through the use of minerals, especially:

Ans > Mercury

The Transition from Herbs to Minerals: Indian medical science (Ayurveda) underwent a massive, revolutionary evolution during the early medieval period. While classical ancient texts like the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita focused almost entirely on herbal/botanical remedies and complex surgery, a radically new, highly specialized branch of medicine known as Rasashastra (Iatrochemistry) began to dominate.
The Tantric Quest for Immortality: This massive medical leap was heavily driven by esoteric Tantric and Nath Yogi religious traditions. These ascetic groups were obsessed with physical alchemy, seeking to create magical elixirs that would prevent bodily decay and achieve physical immortality (Jivanmukti), leading them to heavily experiment with volatile metals and minerals.
The Medical Processing of Mercury: The absolute most significant, revered, and heavily studied mineral in this new medical discipline was mercury (Parada). Medieval Indian alchemists developed incredibly complex, highly toxic laboratory processes to repeatedly purify (Shodhana) and calcine (Marana) heavy metals like mercury and sulfur, ultimately converting them into highly potent, quick-acting mineral ashes (Bhasmas) that were widely prescribed for severe chronic diseases.

📌 Society & Religion • Social Practices

Q.30) Although the practice of sati was heavily debated, the Arab writer Sulaiman observed that among the wives of kings, the practice was:

Ans > An option for them to exercise

Debates within Hindu Legal Texts: The grim practice of a widow burning herself alive on her deceased husband’s funeral pyre (sati) was a highly contentious, deeply debated issue among Hindu legal commentators of the early medieval period. While some orthodox writers glorified it as the ultimate act of wifely devotion, others, like the prominent commentator Medhatithi, strongly and explicitly condemned it, labeling it an unlawful form of suicide.
The Objective Observations of Sulaiman: The 9th-century Arab merchant and prolific traveler, Sulaiman, carefully observed and documented Indian social customs in his famous accounts (Silsilat-ut-Tawarikh, 851 CE). Because he was a foreign outsider, his writings provide a highly valuable, relatively objective sociological view of how the practice of Sati was actually implemented on the ground, specifically within royal households.
Sati as a Royal Privilege and Choice: Sulaiman explicitly recorded that while the wives of deceased Indian kings did sometimes immolate themselves, it was absolutely not a universally enforced, mandatory rule required by the state or the priesthood. Rather, he observed that it was legally considered a deeply personal option for the queens to voluntarily exercise, highlighting that the practice, at least in the 9th century, was driven more by extreme aristocratic social conditioning than rigid legal compulsion.

📌 Quick Summary — Medieval History Set 13

Chola Expansion: Rajaraja I utilized the Chola navy to conquer the Maldives.
Chera Defeat: Rajaraja I destroyed the Chera naval fleet at Trivandrum.
Northern Campaign: Rajendra I’s Bengal expedition followed Samudragupta’s route in reverse.
Southeast Asia: Chola naval forces conquered Kadaram (Kedah) from the Sri Vijaya empire.
Chinese Trade: The Chinese court officially recorded Chola trade goods as “Tribute”.
Deccan Wars: Cholas and Later Chalukyas constantly fought over northwest Karnataka.
Chola Successors: Pandyas and Hoysalas filled the southern power vacuum post-Cholas.
Chalukya Successors: The Later Chalukyas in Maharashtra were replaced by the Yadavas.
Chola Admin: In the Chola system, grouped nadus formed larger units called Valanadus.
Temple Architecture: The pillared hall in front of a Dravida sanctum is called a Mandap.
Early Dravida: The 8th-century Kailasanath temple is located in Kanchipuram.
Kannada Literature: Pampa, Ponna, and Ranna are the “three gems of Kannada poetry”.
Telugu Mahabharata: Begun by Nanniah, it was completed in the 13th century by Tikkanna.
Desi Literature: Rural, non-Sanskritic folk themes in Telugu are categorized as Desi.
Travel Bans: Dharamshastras banned travel to areas where Munja grass doesn’t grow.
Maritime Presence: Javanese records note merchants arriving from Gaud (Bengal).
Chinese Imports: China imported massive quantities of its best ivory from Africa.
Japanese Records: The “black current” carried Indians who introduced cotton to Japan.
Chinese Junks: Massive medieval Chinese trade ships could carry 600 passengers.
Merchant Ministers: Vastupala and Tejahpala were incredibly wealthy ministers in Gujarat.
Economic Disparity: ‘Rajatarangini’ notes the poor survived on the bitter utpala-saka vegetable.
Feudal Oppression: The forced manual labor demanded from peasants was termed Vishti.
Rajput Lineage: Gurjara-Pratiharas legitimized power by linking themselves to Lakshman.
Caste Exceptions: Yagyavalkya permitted Brahmans to share food with their milkman.
Slavery Rules: A slave could win freedom and property by saving his master’s life.
Women Rulers: Prabhavati Gupta of the Vakataka dynasty ruled as regent for 13 years.
Arab Scholars: Astronomer Abu Maashir spent ten years studying science in Banaras.
Political Texts: Kamandaka’s ‘Nitisara’ was a vital text on statecraft and morality.
Medical Advances: Medieval Indian medicine saw the rising use of minerals, especially mercury.
Sati Practice: Arab writer Sulaiman observed that sati was an option for queens, not mandatory.

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Medieval History Set 13

Q.1) Under the Chola ruler Rajaraja I, the Chola navy was utilized to conquer not only the northern part of Sri Lanka but also which other island group?

Q.2) In addition to conquering Madurai and capturing the Pandyan king, Rajaraja I attacked Quilon and destroyed the Chera navy at which location?

Q.3) Rajendra I’s famous military expedition to Bengal in 1022 followed, in reverse, the same route of which great ancient conqueror?

Q.4) The Chola naval expeditions against the Sri Vijaya empire led to the conquest of a prominent location in the Malay peninsula called:

Q.5) When a Chola embassy of 70 merchants reached China in 1077, the Chinese government received their trade articles using what specific term?

Q.6) The Cholas and the Later Chalukyas of Kalyani engaged in exhaustive wars for the overlordship of Vengi, the Tungabhadra doab, and the Ganga-ruled country located in which part of modern Karnataka?

Q.7) Following the decline of the Chola empire in the early thirteenth century, their place in the south was taken by the Hoysalas and the:

Q.8) Similarly, the Later Chalukyan empire in the Maharashtra area came to an end during the twelfth century and was replaced by the Kakatiyas and the:

Q.9) In the Chola administrative system, a number of villages having close kinship ties were grouped into a nadu. These nadus were further grouped into larger units called:

Q.10) In the context of Dravida temple architecture, what was the term used for the pillared hall with elaborately carved pillars and a flat roof, placed in front of the sanctum?

Q.11) The eighth-century Kailasanath temple, an early and fine example of the Dravida style, is located at:

Q.12) Which three poets are regarded as the “three gems of Kannada poetry,” who, despite being influenced by Jainism, also wrote on themes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata?

Q.13) The Telugu version of the Mahabharata was begun by Nanniah at the court of a Chalukyan king and was completed in the thirteenth century by:

Q.14) In Telugu literature, popular or folk themes that were not derived from Sanskrit and reflected rural sentiments and emotions were categorized as:

Q.15) In some of the Dharamshastras written during the 800–1200 period, travel beyond certain areas was banned. Specifically, travel was prohibited beyond the areas where the black gazelle roams or where which type of grass does not grow?

Q.16) According to the text, a fourteenth-century writer in Java noted that people came unceasingly in large ships to Southeast Asia from Jambudvipa (India), Karnataka, and which eastern Indian region?

Q.17) During the flourishing Indian Ocean trade, China imported massive quantities of goods. From where did the best ivory imported to China originate?

Q.18) The presence of Indians in the Chinese Sea is highlighted by Japanese records, which credit the introduction of cotton to Japan to two Indians who were carried there by the:

Q.19) Chinese ships of the period were massive and technologically advanced, utilizing the mariner’s compass. We are told these multi-storey ships could carry 400 soldiers and how many passengers?

Q.20) Vastupala and Tejahpala, who were reputed to be among the richest merchants of their times and builders of magnificent temples, served as ministers in which region?

Q.21) The author of the Rajatarangini highlights economic disparities by noting that while courtiers ate fried meat and drank cooled wine, ordinary people had to be content with rice and a bitter wild vegetable called:

Q.22) In the feudal-like society of the 800–1200 period, peasants were heavily burdened with taxes and had to render forced labor, which was officially termed:

Q.23) To legitimize their newly acquired power, Brahmans wrote genealogies for ruling Rajput families. For instance, the Gurjara-Pratiharas were linked to which mythological figure who had acted as a door-keeper?

Q.24) According to the law-giver Yagyavalkya during this period, it was permissible for a Brahman to share food with his family friends, his farmer, his barber, and his:

Q.25) Although slavery existed during the 800–1200 period, a slave could become free and even be entitled to a share of his master’s property if he:

Q.26) The text mentions that women in Kashmir and Orissa ruled as queens in their own right. Prabhavati Gupta, who ruled for at least thirteen years as the mother of the yuvaraja, belonged to which dynasty?

Q.27) The Arab astronomer Abu Maashir of Balkh is noted in the text as having traveled to India to study science. Where did he study for ten years during the ninth century?

Q.28) A notable contribution to the study of politics and political morality, popular among the nobility during the 800–1200 period, was a text called:

Q.29) During this period, the text notes that some advance was made in the field of medicine through the use of minerals, especially:

Q.30) Although the practice of sati was heavily debated, the Arab writer Sulaiman observed that among the wives of kings, the practice was:

📌 Quick Summary — Medieval History Set 13

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Q.1) Under the Chola ruler Rajaraja I, the Chola navy was utilized to conquer not only the northern part of Sri Lanka but also which other island group?

Q.2) In addition to conquering Madurai and capturing the Pandyan king, Rajaraja I attacked Quilon and destroyed the Chera navy at which location?

Q.3) Rajendra I’s famous military expedition to Bengal in 1022 followed, in reverse, the same route of which great ancient conqueror?

Q.4) The Chola naval expeditions against the Sri Vijaya empire led to the conquest of a prominent location in the Malay peninsula called:

Q.5) When a Chola embassy of 70 merchants reached China in 1077, the Chinese government received their trade articles using what specific term?

Q.6) The Cholas and the Later Chalukyas of Kalyani engaged in exhaustive wars for the overlordship of Vengi, the Tungabhadra doab, and the Ganga-ruled country located in which part of modern Karnataka?

Q.7) Following the decline of the Chola empire in the early thirteenth century, their place in the south was taken by the Hoysalas and the:

Q.8) Similarly, the Later Chalukyan empire in the Maharashtra area came to an end during the twelfth century and was replaced by the Kakatiyas and the:

Q.9) In the Chola administrative system, a number of villages having close kinship ties were grouped into a nadu. These nadus were further grouped into larger units called:

Q.10) In the context of Dravida temple architecture, what was the term used for the pillared hall with elaborately carved pillars and a flat roof, placed in front of the sanctum?

Q.11) The eighth-century Kailasanath temple, an early and fine example of the Dravida style, is located at:

Q.12) Which three poets are regarded as the “three gems of Kannada poetry,” who, despite being influenced by Jainism, also wrote on themes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata?

Q.13) The Telugu version of the Mahabharata was begun by Nanniah at the court of a Chalukyan king and was completed in the thirteenth century by:

Q.14) In Telugu literature, popular or folk themes that were not derived from Sanskrit and reflected rural sentiments and emotions were categorized as:

Q.15) In some of the Dharamshastras written during the 800–1200 period, travel beyond certain areas was banned. Specifically, travel was prohibited beyond the areas where the black gazelle roams or where which type of grass does not grow?

Q.16) According to the text, a fourteenth-century writer in Java noted that people came unceasingly in large ships to Southeast Asia from Jambudvipa (India), Karnataka, and which eastern Indian region?

Q.17) During the flourishing Indian Ocean trade, China imported massive quantities of goods. From where did the best ivory imported to China originate?

Q.18) The presence of Indians in the Chinese Sea is highlighted by Japanese records, which credit the introduction of cotton to Japan to two Indians who were carried there by the:

Q.19) Chinese ships of the period were massive and technologically advanced, utilizing the mariner’s compass. We are told these multi-storey ships could carry 400 soldiers and how many passengers?

Q.20) Vastupala and Tejahpala, who were reputed to be among the richest merchants of their times and builders of magnificent temples, served as ministers in which region?

Q.21) The author of the Rajatarangini highlights economic disparities by noting that while courtiers ate fried meat and drank cooled wine, ordinary people had to be content with rice and a bitter wild vegetable called:

Q.22) In the feudal-like society of the 800–1200 period, peasants were heavily burdened with taxes and had to render forced labor, which was officially termed:

Q.23) To legitimize their newly acquired power, Brahmans wrote genealogies for ruling Rajput families. For instance, the Gurjara-Pratiharas were linked to which mythological figure who had acted as a door-keeper?

Q.24) According to the law-giver Yagyavalkya during this period, it was permissible for a Brahman to share food with his family friends, his farmer, his barber, and his:

Q.25) Although slavery existed during the 800–1200 period, a slave could become free and even be entitled to a share of his master’s property if he:

Q.26) The text mentions that women in Kashmir and Orissa ruled as queens in their own right. Prabhavati Gupta, who ruled for at least thirteen years as the mother of the yuvaraja, belonged to which dynasty?

Q.27) The Arab astronomer Abu Maashir of Balkh is noted in the text as having traveled to India to study science. Where did he study for ten years during the ninth century?

Q.28) A notable contribution to the study of politics and political morality, popular among the nobility during the 800–1200 period, was a text called:

Q.29) During this period, the text notes that some advance was made in the field of medicine through the use of minerals, especially:

Q.30) Although the practice of sati was heavily debated, the Arab writer Sulaiman observed that among the wives of kings, the practice was:

📌 Quick Summary — Medieval History Set 13

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

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