NCERT 7th Class (CBSE) Social Science: The Growth of Regional Cultures

Question: Discuss the main features of Mughal Paintings.

Answer: Painting reached perfection under the Mughals.

1. The painting style that developed was a synthesis of Indian and Persian traditions.
2. The tradition of miniature painting reached high level of refinement under Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan.
3. These paintings were generally done on paper, but sometimes also on cloth.

Question: How did the regional kingdoms contribute to the development of music in medieval India?

Answer: With the coming of Turks, music prospered. There was a fusion of Persian- Arabic and Indian musical forms, resulting in the creation of a new style of music.

1. The rulers of Jaunpur and Gwalior were great patrons of music. Two works on music, Ghunyal- ul- Munyas and Sangeet Siromani were compiled in Jaunpur.
2. Sultan Husain Shah Sharqi of Jaunpur took great interest in music. He created many new ragas.
3. Raja Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior was also fond of music. He wrote the musical work, Man Kautuhal (curiosities of Raja Man).
4. A distinctive style of music developed in the kingdom of Kashmir.
5. Music also prospered in Gujarat and Malwa.

Question: Write short notes on – Music during the Mughal period, Literature in Medieval Bengal and Painting in Medieval Bengal.

Answer: Music during the Mughal Period – 

1. Music flourished under the Mughal Emperors. There were 36 musicians who played music in the court of Akbar. The most famous musician was Mian Tansen.
2. He composed many new ragas, the most popular among them being Raga Darbari and Raga Deepak.
3. Jahangir and Shah Jahan also employed many court musicians.
4. Aurangzeb nanned singing in court but not the playing of musical instruments. He himself was an accomplished Veena player.
5. Several books on classical Indian music were written in Persian during his reign.

Literature in Medieval Bengal – 

1. Many Sanskrit classics were translated into Bengali.
2. Sultan Alauddin Husain and Nusrat Shah were patrons of cultural activities. The former engaged scholars to translate the Ramayana and the Mahabharata into Bengali.
3. Maladhar Basu, a famous poet, translated Bhagavat Purana into Bengali. He also compiled Sri-Krishna-Vijaya.

Painting in Medieval Bengal – 

Hundreds of illustrated manuscripts from the Husain Shahi period have been found. The paintings of Bengal resemble the paintings of the Sultanate Period.