NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 9 The Making of Regional Culture
NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science History Chapter 9 The Making of Regional Culture contains the answers to the exercises given in the NCERT History book. These solutions are easy and accurate that help you to answer the questions asked in the examinations. NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 2 are prepared by our subject experts in very easy language. Practice these solutions regularly to ensure excellent marks in the exams.
NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science History Chapter 9
Question 1: Match the following:
| Anantavarman | Kerala |
| Jagannatha | Bengal |
| Mahodayapuram | Orissa |
| Lilatilakam | Kangra |
| Mangalakavya | Puri |
| Miniature | Kerala |
Answer:
| Anantavarman | Orissa |
| Jagannatha | Puri |
| Mahodayapuram | Kerala |
| Lilatilakam | Kerala |
| Mangalakavya | Bengal |
| Miniature | Kangra |
Question 2: What is Manipravalam? Name a book written in that language.
Answer: Manipravalam – literally meaning, “diamonds and corals” refers to the two languages, Sanskrit and the regional language. Lilatilakam is a text in Manipravalam.
Question 3: Who were the major patrons of Kathak?
Answer: The major patrons of Kathak were the Mughal emperors and the Nawabs of Lucknow, especially Wajid Ali Shah.
Question 4: What are the important architectural features of the temples of Bengal?
Answer: The important architectural features of the temples of Bengal were as follows:
- The most crucial architectural features of the temples were the double-roof (dochala) and the four-roof (chauchala).
- Temples were usually built on a square platform with a relatively plain interior.
- Outer walls of many temples were decorated with paintings, ornamental tiles or terracotta tablets.
Question 5: Why did minstrels proclaim the achievements of heroes?
Answer: Minstrels proclaimed the achievements and adventures of heroes in order to preserve their memory and inspire people to follow their example. Ordinary people were also attracted by these stories that depicted dramatic situations and various idealistic emotions like loyalty, friendship, valour, anger, etc.
Question 6: Why do we know much more about the cultural practices of rulers than about those of ordinary people?
Answer: We know much more about the cultural practices of rulers than about those of ordinary people because the cultural practices of rulers were carefully preserved in palaces for centuries. Ordinary men and women also painted on pots, walls, floors, cloth. But their work of art did not survive for long.
Question 7: Why did conquerors try to control the temple of Jagannatha at Puri?
Answer: Conquers tried to gain control over the Jagannatha temple at Puri because it would make their rule acceptable to the local people since the temple was important as a place of pilgrimage and was a center of authority in social and political matters.
Question 8: Why were temples built in Bengal?
Answer: Temples were built in Bengal because of the following reasons:
- Increase in religious faith.
- Mosques had already been built.
- Powerful people wanted to demonstrate their power and proclaim their piety.
- ‘Low’ people also participated in the temple building.
- New economic opportunities to people also helped in temple setting up.
- Support of Brahmanas to get idols placed in temples from huts.
Question 9: Describe the most important features of the culture of your region, focusing on buildings, performing arts and painting.
Answer: Most Important features of our culture and our region:
- Hindu culture
- Worship of gods and goddesses.
- Celebrations of numerous festivals the year-round.
- Huge temples.
- Bhajans and Kirtans.
- Paintings of gods and goddesses
Question 10. Do you use different languages for (a) speaking, (b) reading, (c) writing? Find out about one major composition in language that you use and discuss why you find it interesting.
Answer.
(a) Speaking: Khadi Boli
(b) Reading: Hindi
(c) Writing: Devnagari
Do this yourself with the help of your history teacher.
Extra Questions
Very Short Answer Questions
1. How are cultures identified with language and region?
Answer: It is quite common for us to identify a region with its language. Thus, if we call a person Bengali or Kannada it is based on the language he speaks— Bengali for West Bengal and Kannada for the state of Karnataka.
2. What do you know about Anantavarman?
Answer: Anantavarman was one of the rulers of Ganga dynasty in 12th century.
3. What is miniatures?
Answer: Miniatures are small-sized paintings, generally done in water color on cloth and paper.
4. Which dances are recognised as classical dances? Explain.
Answer: Six dances are recognised as classical dances:
- Kathak (North India),
- Bharat natyam (Tamilnadu),
- Kathakali (Kerala),
- Odishi (Odisha),
- Kuchipudi (Andhra),
- Manipuri (Manipur).
Short Answer Questions
1. What are regional cultures?
Answer: (i) Generally regional cultures are a product of intermixing of local culture with ideas from other areas of the subcontinent.
(ii) There are certain traditions which are specific to some regions, others flow from across regions and some others take a new shape while deriving roots from others and practices being followed in a particular area.
2. How did Cheras help in evolution of Malayalam?
Answer: (i) Language is quite closely connected to a region.
(ii) The Chera empire of Mahodayapuram, which was established in 9th century in south-western part of Kerala introduced the Malayalam language.
(iii) Malayalam was used in inscriptions and official records in the subcontinent.
(iv) The Cheras even drew upon Sanskritic traditions.
3. What were the great achievements of Malyalam literature?
Answer: (i) The initial literary works in Malayalam are indebted to Sanskrit in the 12th century.
(ii) Later, in 14th century, a text called Lilatilakam, dealing with grammar and poetics, took shape as Manipravalam, literally meaning “diamonds and corals” referring to the two languages, Sanskrit and the regional language.
4. How did Rajputs and women emerge with heroic traditions?
Answer: (i) From about the eight century, the present day state of Rajasthan was ruled by various Rajput families. Prithviraj Chauhan was one such ruler. Many poems and songs of Rajputs have been recorded.
(ii) Ordinary people were attracted towards the depiction of dramatic situations and a range of strong emotions—loyalty, anger, friendship, love, etc. in the poems and songs inspired by heroes of Rajasthan.
(iii) Likewise, at times, women were the cause of conflicts in Rajasthan. Women were given a heroic image since they committed sati or selfimmolation after the death of their husbands.
Long Answer Questions
1. What developments took place in Bengal in 16th century?
Answer: (i) From the 16th century, people migrated in large number from the less fertile western Bengal to the forested regions of south-eastern Bengal.
(ii) Migrants cleared forestland for rice cultivation.
(iii) Gradually, local fisherfolk and shifting agriculturalists, at times tribals, merged with the new peasant communities.
(iv) The early settlers got help from community leaders who acted as teachers and were sometimes even ascribed with supernatural powers. People called them as Pirs as a mark of respect.
2. Who were Pirs? What were the temple styles popular in Bengal?
Answer: (i) The word ‘pir’ included religious personalities, saints or sufis, defied soldiers, Hindu and Buddhist deities and even animistic spirits.
(ii) The pirs cult was popular in Bengal.
(iii) Many rulers got temples and religious structures built to show their power and earn their piety.
(iv) The social and economic position of many families improved with the coming of European trading companies.
(v) The double-roofed (Dochala) and four-roofed (Chauchala) structure of thatched hut was copied by temples. This led to the evolution of the typical style in Bengali architecture.
3. How did the tradition of kathak emerge?
Answer: (i) The term ‘kathak’ is derived from the word “katha” It is a Sanskrit word used for story and hence the word ‘kathak’ means a storyteller.
(ii) The kathaks initially were a caste of storytellers in North Indian temples, whose performances were accompanied with gestures and songs.
(iii) Kathak evolved as a distinct dance form in the 15th and 16th centuries with the spread of the Bhakti movement.
(iv) The legends of Radha–Krishan were enacted in folk plays known as Rasa-Lila.
4. How did fish become a popular food in Bengal?
Answer: (i) Food habits traditionally are based on the locally available item.
(ii) Being in the riverine plains, Bengal produced a lot of fish and rice.
(iii) Both the dishes figure prominently in the food of Bengalis.
(iv) Fishing has been an important occupation of Bengalis.
(v) Brahmins were not allowed to eat non-vegetarian food but the popularity of fish at the local level, as per the Brihaddharma Purana (13th century), permitted the local Brahmins to eat certain varieties of fish.
5. How were Rajputs special for Rajasthan?
Answer: (i) In the 19th century, the Rajasthan of today was termed Rajputana by the British.
(ii) Rajputs give a distinctive identity to the culture of Rajasthan.
(iii) Since 8th century, most of the Rajasthan was ruled by Rajput families.
(iv) These people fought bravely and believed in dying on the battlefield rather than being defeated.
6. What artistic style developed after decline of Mughals?
Answer: (i) When Mughal empire started declining, new artistic tastes developed in the regional court of Deccan and Rajput rulers.
(ii) Portraits of emperors and court scenes came to be painted.
(iii) Likewise, themes from mythology were portrayed in miniature in Mewar, Jodhpur, Kota, Bundi and Kishangarh.
(iv) By the late 17th century, miniature paintings had even affected the foothills of Himalayas, where a new and bold style of miniature painting called ‘Basohli’ developed.
7. How did Bengali grow as a regional language?
Answer: (i) It is generally perceived that Bengali as a language originated from Sanskrit language.
(ii) It led to strong cultural and linguistic influence from mid-Ganga valley in this region.
(iii) Bengali developed as a regional language while Persian became the language of administration.
(iv) By 15th century, the Bengali group of dialects were united by a common literary language.
(v) It was based on the language spoken in western part of Bengal called West Bengal.
Hots (Higher Order Thinking Skills)
1. How were miniatures part of traditions?
Answer: (i) Miniatures are small size paintings done in water colour on cloth or paper.
(ii) The Mughal emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan hired highly skilled painters to illustrate their manuscripts containing their accounts and poetry.
(iii) These were generally painted in bright colours and portrayed court scenes, scenes of battle or hunting and wedding.
(iv) These were even exchanged as gifts between the emperor and his close associates.
2. How is Bengali literature divided?
Answer: The Bengali literature is divided into two groups:
- The first, which owes its origin to Sanskrit, and
- The other which is independent of it.
Bengali Owes its Origin to Sanskrit
This includes translations of Sanskrit epics, the Mangalakavyas (poems dealing with local deities) and Bhakti literature like that of leaders of Vaishnava Bhakti movements like Chaitanyadeva. These texts are easily available as several manuscripts composed between late 15th and mid-18th centuries have been found.
Bengali is Independent of Sanskrit
This includes Nath literature like the songs of Maynamati and Gopichandra, stories dealing with the worship of Dharma Thakur and fairytales, folk tales and ballads. This source was popular in Eastern Bengal, where the influence of Brahmins was weak. This was circulated orally and has no precise date.
Class 7 History Chapter 9 NCERT Questions and Answers
CBSE Solutions for Class 7 Social Science History Chapter 9 The Making of Regional Culture are given above. All our solutions are updated as per the latest CBSE Syllabus and Guidelines. Download these NCERT solutions for free from our app and use offline.