NCERT 7th Class CBSE SST: New Kings and Kingdoms

Question: Write a short note on the regional kingdoms of the Deccan. The Deccan.

Answer: Region between the river Narmada and Krishna is known as the Deccan.

The Rashtrakutas:

1. The Rashrakutas rose to power in the 8th century under Dantidurga.
2. Dantidurga and his successor Krishna I consolidated the rule in the region of present day Maharashtra.
3. Malkhed, near modern Sholapur in Maharashtra, was the capital city.
4. Continuous wars weakened the Rashtrakutas considerably. They were finally overthrown in the 10th Century.
5. They were patrons of art, architecture and literature. The famous Kailasa Temple at Ellora, Rock-cut caves at Elephanta were carved during the reign of Rashtrakutas.

Yadav of Devagiri:

1. Bhillama founded the kingdom in 12th century.
2. The Yadavs consolidated themselves in the region between Godavari and Narmada rivers.
3. Flourishing trade made the kingdom rich and prosperous.
4. In fourteenth century, the Khalji rulers annexed their territories.

Chalukyas of kalyani:

1. The Chalukyas of Kalyani were also known as later Chalukyas or the western Chalukyas.
2. The greatest ruler was Vikramanka.
3. He and his successors built many temples Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal.

Kabatiyas of warangal (ruled in 12th and 13th century):

1. The Kabatiyas ruled in the 12th and 13th centuries.
2. Their kingdom lay between Godavari and Krishna rivers.
3. Kabatiyas rulers were followers of Shaivism, though Jainism and Vaishnavism also flourished.
4. The rulers patronized Sanskrit and Telugu.
5. The kingdom was conquered by Sultan of Delhi in the early 14th century.

Hoysalas of Dvarasmudra:

1. The Hoysalas ruled the region covered by present day Karnataka.
2. The most powerful king Vishnuvardhan.
3. The kingdom was later absorbed into Delhi Sultanate.

Question: Who were known as Samantas?

Answer: Big landlords or warrior chiefs who were subordinates to a king are called samantas.

Question: Who were Rashtrakutas?

Answer: They were subordinate to the Chalukyas of Karnataka. Later they became independent started their own dynasty.

Question: Do you think being born as a Kshatriya was important in order to become a ruler during this period? Give examples.

Answer: No. It was not important to be a Kshatriya in order to become a ruler in that period. For example:

1. Dantidurga, a Rashtrakuta chief, overthrew his Chalukya overlord and performed a ritual called hiranya-garbha to establish his kingdom.
2. Kadamba Mayurasharman and the Gurjara-Pratihara Harichandra were Brahmanas who gave up their traditional professions and took to arms, successfully establishing kingdoms in Karnataka and Rajasthan respectively.

Question: Name the famous caves having a wall carving of Vishnu as Narasimha, the man-lion done during Rashtrakutas period.

Answer: Ellora caves

Question: What is vetti and kadamai?

Answer: These terms are taxes during Chola period. Vetti was the most common tax which means forced labour. Kadamai refers to land revenue.