NCERT 7th Class (CBSE) Social Science: The Medieval World

Question: Which century marked the beginning of the medieval period? Why?

Answer: The eighth century is generally taken as the beginning because society, economy, polity, religion and culture under went many changes during this century.

Question: What do you understand by the ‘Indian’ culture emerged in medieval India?

Answer: The coming of Muslims led to the growth of a mixed culture. There was interaction between North and South India and between the Hindus and the Muslims. The cultural exchanges led to the growth of a culture that was above regional and caste differences. It was an Indian culture.

Question: Why are coins and inscriptions important for the study of medieval period?

Answer: Coins: Coins are important for study as –

1. It tells us about the reigning periods of kings and give us dates of important political events.
2. It tells us about the economy of the kingdom and trade with other regions.

Inscriptions: Inscriptions are useful source of history because –

1. They record royal proclamations religious instruction and gifts given by rulers to temples and villages.
2. Inscriptions tells us  about  the important events in the kings life, about the people of particular time and even narrates the achievement of king.

Question: Who wrote Prithviraj – Raso? What does it tell us about?

Answer: Prithviraj – Raso was written by Chand Bardai. It describes the life and adventure of the Chauhan ruler, Prithviraj Chauhan.

Question: What did Hindustan stand for in medieval times?

Answer: The way we understand Hindustan today is quite different from what it was understood in medieval times.

1. According to some medieval scholars, Hindustan comprises territories that were a part of the Delhi sultanate on the other hand, Babur the founder of the Mughal Empire used the term Hindustan to describe the geography and natural vegetation of the subcontinent.
2. It was only in the nineteenth century, during the British Raj that Hindustan came to be used synonymous with India.