V5.

Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities

Ans. At present,grain is transported from
IMPORTÁNT YEARS OR PERIODS villages to cities in lorries, trucks, trains, et
1523: Ahoms annexed the kingdom of The present-day method of grain transportation
Chhutiyas. is much faster than the method of Banjarae
1565: The Mughal forces under Asaf Khan who used bullock-carts for grain transportation
attacked Garha Katanga. Rani Texthook Page No. 57
Durgawati opposed them. Q. Discuss why the Mughals
1581: Ahoms annexed the kingdom of Koch interested in the land of the Gonds.were
Hajo. Ans. (i) The territory of Gonds was in
1591: Raja Man Singh, Akbar's famous central part of the subcontinent.
general attacked and defeated the (iü) Mughals ruled over the northern part,
Cheros of Bihar. They wished to expand their control over the
l662: The Mughals uncer Mir Jumla attacked southern kingdoms of the subcontinent.
the Ahom kingdom of Assam. (üi) In order to do that, they first had ta
take control in the central part of the
IMPORTANT TERMS subcontinent which was ruled by Gonds.
1. Clan : Aclan is a group of families or (iv) Therefore, Mughals were interested in
the land of the Gonds.
households claiming descent from a Textbook Page No. 58
common ancestor. Tribal organisation is
often based on kinship or clan Q. Why do you think the Mughals
2. Nomads and itinerant groupsloyalties.
:Nomads tried to conquer the land of the Ahoms ?
are wandering people. Many of them are Ans. (i) Ahoms ruled the north-east region
pastoralists who roam from one pasture to of the subcontinent, Mughals in order to expand
another with their flocks and herds. their domain in the entire subcontinent, tried
Similarly, itinerant groups, such as, crafts to conquer the land of Ahoms.
persons, pedlars and entertainers travel (ü) Als0, the land of Ahoms was a rich
from place to place practising their different source of forest produce and animals such as
occupations. Both nomads and itinerant elephants were war animals. They also led to
groups often visit the same places every year. the Mughal attack on the land of Ahoms.
3. Shifting cultivation : Trees and bushes Textbook Page No. 59
in a forest area are first cut and burnt. Imagine
The crop is sown in the ashes. When this Q. You are a member of a nomadic
land loses its fertility, another plot of land community that shifts residence every
is cleared and planted in the same way. three months. How would
4. Paiks : Those people who were forced to your life ?
this change
work for the state were called paiks. Ans. (i)Ithink, due to a nomadic life, my
NTEXT QUESTIONS education would be highly disturbed otherwise
Iwould have to live in a hostel. That
Textbook Page No. 50 result in the separation of the family. would
Q. On a physical map of the sub (ii) I would get a chance to see
many new
continent, identify the areas in which places, to go through unknown, unexplored
tribal people may have lived. forests.
Ans. [Hint : According to the book, tribes Therefore, my life would be changed in
both positive and negative
used to live in forests, hills, deserts and places manners.
different to reach. Therefore, you can search
such areas on the physical map of the EXERCISES
subcontinent and shade them. Also see Map 1 Let's Recall
on Text Book Page 51.] Q. 1. Match the
Textbook Page No. 53 garh following khel
:
Q. Find out how grain is
transported
from villages tocities at present. In what
tanda chaurasi
wAys is this similar to or different from
labourer
clan caravan
the ways in which the Banjaras Sib Singh Garha Katunga
functioned? Ahom state
(18)
Durgawati paik
 OUR PASTS -I| (HISTORY)i19
Ans. garh chaurasi
tanda caravan
Q. 6. What changes took place in
labourer paik varna-based society ?
clan khel Ans. The following changes took place in
Sib Singh Ahom state varna-based society :
(i) Smaller castes or jatis
Durgawati Garha Katanga Varnas. emerged within
o. 2. Fill in the blanks :
(iü) Many tribes and social
Ia) The new castes emerging within taken into caste-based society and groups were
varnas .Were called given the
status of jatis.
(6) were historical works written (iü) Specialised
by the Ahoms. and masons were artisans-smiths, carpenters
also recognised as separate
(c) The mentions that jatis by the Brahmanas.
Carha Katanga had 70,000 villages. (iv) Jatis rather than varna, became the
() As tribal states became bigger and basis for organising society.
stronger, they gave land grants to (U) Among the Kshatriyas, new Rajput
and clans became powerful by the eleventh and
Ans. (a) jatis, (6) buranjis, (c) Akbar twelfth centuries.
Nama, (d) poets, scholars. Q. 7. How did tribal societies change
O. 3. State whether true or false : after being organised into a state ?
(a) Tribal societies had rich oral Ans. The tribal societies changed in the
traditions. following manner :
(6) There were no tribal communities (i) They began to evolve a centralised
in the north-western part of the sub administrative system.
continent. (iü) Some social divisions within a tribal
() The chaurasi in Gond states society also took place.
contained several cities. (iiü) Tribal kings began to grant land to
() The Bhils lived in the north-eastern Brahmanas, poets and scholars.
part of the subcontinent. (iv) Tribal kings also wished to be
Ans. (a) True,(b) False,(c) False, (d)False. recognised as other famous kings of the
subcontinent, such as.
Q. 4. What kinds of exchanges took
place between nomadic pastoralists and (u) Tribal kingdoms began to annex smaller
settled agriculturists ? neighbouring kingdoms. For example, Ahom
Ans. The following kinds of exchanges took annexed kingdoms of Chhutiyasand Koch-Hajo.
(vi) In order to build a large state, Ahoms
place between nomadic pastoralists and settled used firearms.
agriculturists. (vii) Literary development such as
() They exchanged milk, other pastoral translation of Sanskrit work into local language
products such as, wool, ghee, etc. and writing history in Ahom language were
(i) Agriculturists gave them grain, cloth, also new developments.
utensils and other products. Let's Discuss
Let's Understand Q.8.Were the Banjaras important for
Q.5. How was the administration of the economy?
the Ahom state organised ? Ans. Yes, the Banjaras were important for
Ans. The administration of the Ahom state the economy in the following ways :
was organised in the following manner (i) Banjaras were trader-normads.
() The Ahom state depended upon forced (iü) Under Sultan Alauddin Khaiji,
labour or paiks. Banjaras used to transport to the city markets.
(ü) The census of the population was taken. (iiü) According to Emperor Jahangir,
(iü) Each village had to send a number of Banjaras carried grain on their bullocks from
different areas and sold it in towns.
paiks by rotation.
(iu) People from heavily populated areas (iv) Banjaras transported food grains for
Were shifted to less populated places. Ahom the Mughal army during military campaigns.
clans were thus broken p. Q. 9. In what ways was the history of
(u) By the frst half of the 17th century, the Gonds different from that of the
e administration became quite centralised. Ahoms ? Were there any similarities ?
 28 18 3(13 9(6) lived. and of
they mentioned
Foradministrative
systems. causesimilarities :
themsocial Mughals cultivation. e Brahmaputra
forcedthMyanmar. from
Let'sDo lands. predomi-nant
wasreligion.
Hinduism methods labour.
king introduced was mig-rants
valley alliances. not ofwar their the 20/
Khasis,
Cheros,
Khonds, Balochis,
Khokhars, Ans.livelihood
() i) Yes, society
Ahom(vi) Under(u) (iv)
hoA (üi) AhomsKoch-Hajo.
(ü)
Koragas,Arghuns,
Jaitwas,
Vetars, the any Q. (iü) Both(ü) expanded
Ahoms ()
10. of more dependent The Chhutiyas
have against rule historyAns. CP
environment two,
Both status, their Both Sib Ahoms GUIDE
Plot at Ahom present-day
Ahom
3 9 of them, different
of
in the developed. became by There
of
Kacharis,
Mundas, was in Brahmanas, pleasedby ofthe marriageThey kingdoms
discuss these decline. tribal wedging
this the Singh,Ahom m were
Baigas, 1613 9
) and state
Ahoms were (ALL
Maravars, suited methodsrice new uponnot did and
Janjuhas,
Berads,Sammas, location
chapter tribes
not
a migrants. of SUBJECTS)
Bhils, whether
states Gonds
times. cultivation. Ahoms. unequal
further
cultivation.
introduce labour. forced wit.h had and
influenced In and
2 2) 29 of orderto shiftingGonds
(vii) (vi) (v) (iv) (üi) (ü)
tollowing
Gonds,
Santals, evolved order Gonds()
Ahoms, the to were as
Gond Gond dependent
Gonds Gond
state
was marriage Gonds
the This Gonds recognition,
Rajputs. :
9 'area on of had developed social Gonds SOCIAL
Gakkhars, enjoy attacked divided to
)
29 Badagas,
6geograpbytheir the
the centralised raised society society ofthe
Katkaris, Langahs, became followingpractised did were gain bydifferences:
0raons,
Koyas, granting upon alliances Rajputs.
Nagas,Kochs, Kolis, where mode tribes
map. classes.
new
as
was into was rice not the not theypower were SCIENCE-VII
by a in
ffaloes,
amels,
Dhangars
Gujarat).
etc. Bhotiyas,
(Rajasthan), nomadic
are-Guijars subcontinent. by day seatswhichpolicy
keep these.
about
government
populations matched riceriver It in thetheir forestspart
agriculture ARABIAN( O
Ans.these (Hint-You Ans. Q. north-east.
also SEA
nomadic Q. cultivators.flows (2)area (1)
? 12.ensure in of occupation of
11. had Ahom and
pastoralSome Which educational
groups government Students, to where he INDIAN
tBhil-
These
arashtra) Find in
Monpas (J Find the plenty
this The
andfertile
subcontinent 14
Banjaras them and
can policies
- Bhils
& of are
pastoral
What out geography
Therefore, hunting-gathering. The they
ralists groups out area. area suited land. Indian
Tribes
Major
K), the ? and discuss
a do
organise ofAhom used
(north-east), the more water lived.
prescribed yourselves.
for about Andreceived OCEAN
Gaddis main of animals
areas government toBhils to
(Central Scheduled towards
and the groups about the
ofAhom people the which live
their as BENGAL
their were
a BAY
OF
present-day
subcontinent
keep(Himachal), present-day heavy
Brahmaputra geography oE in
aldharis frequented reservatioD discussion people used th e
do number occupation engaged was MA
NDA
present area.
Raikas
sheep:India), injobs.J Tribes tribal rainfall Therefore western
they to full
the were live
ulture.forested Jumlainvasions
kingdoms.
trapping state. rich (d) (c) (a)
Assertion
(6) AssertionReason
answer attacked
Ahoms?
general attacked
Ans.Reason 8.
Reason Assertion
2. Reason(R) AssertionAssertion.
(A) 1,
Both Assertion. 8 adopt Questions
Multiple
Choice
Reason BethReason Both There Ans. Jumla
(c) Mi(ar) Kamal
Khan
General
6.(cDyre
) (a) 6.
Todar
Mal
(c)
NarainBi(ar) 4. 3.
clans Himalayan
? tribe?
Assertion
attackedAssertion (A) : ()Punjab Chalukyas
(c) (a) Hunas
(c) (a)Gakkhars
Khokhar
2.(c) (a) 1,
Raja Which The Who Mainly
1. region from and Assertion Assertion Assertion as 1. All The Islam Which ADDITIONAL
QUESTIONS
Which
(a): (R) is is per (A) are (6); Man Garhname was
North-West of
(R) exporting wild is
2. called th e correct not 2. one these of
practised : the the and twO the
as in
one
(6);
Gonds : (A) the :
It (d);
Singh Katanga their the
south-west. and the and. and
codes of of which
Ahom The earned çorrect Reason
statements son of
Gondwana. : and 3. the Mughal
3. Gonds : Garha
Reason correct Reason Reason followingare
Mughals Ahoms faced
many (d); Sangram
Gangadhar
Shah(d) Rao(6) Frontier
of religion? the
(c) Reason given following
kingdom 4.(d)Khan r Asaf(6) was Rani Sind(6) areas Gaddis
(d) (6)
Asaf(6) JumlaMi(d)Khan Chandelas
(d) (b) Santal
1662.in elephants
muchKatanga following
lived explanation are (R).
are
explanation are (a);Both
general All
below:marked
Mark Durgawati?
5. did of
under incorrect. is correct correct
plantation in wealth incorret. (); (a) Mughal them
to tribes Rajput
a other was your 6.and who is
vast Mir but and as (a). (6) a
by a of of
earlyChhutiyas
Despiteunderfromthe evensubjugated bhuiyanspresent-day
thirteenth
a suppressing
century, valley
from answer Study Case
Myanmar
Ans. Ans. 1523.
Ans. In (iüi) Ans. region
defeated.
Ans. large
ket.followingCorrect
njaras :Gondwana.region trader
4.callednomads. Fill (iv) () The l.Read
AhomsThe(v) ü) Answer However,
Choose Ans. 4. The 3. 2. 1. make as
1. in south-westfromthe The When
Brahmaputra of Ahoms
the How 1662. kingdom
inMir When?
state, Ahoms the
(a) The Tribes could their Mir
th e they
the Chhutiyas. older Jumla south-west.
But Jumla (landlords).
(1523) century. the
and did highquality many the following
Sultan 1. AhomsdidAhoms created did the not
blanks directbrave the 1530s. and annexed
migrated AhomsThesource
the Khokars; Gonds
to Incorrect
weretribe in political Ahoms Mir last attacked Ahoms fother
or and older OUR
nsport correct attackedfollowing They
the a defence, By this
Alauddin were were faced new
Jumla Mughal long. gunpowderIn tribes. During ofpolitical PASTS
lived divided valley system faced thKoch-Hajo
e they the createda questions to given
thirteenth
migrated create
2. annex th1662,
e Myanmartheinthe
Statements the state the 1660s kingdoms -I|
statements clans; in from from many questions
attack control tAhom he many used The
grain the
Brahmaputra
system below (HISTORY)
amost into of aAhom the and Ahoms new
Khalji the the by new Ahoms firearms
they (1581) :
vast Punjab. suppressing sixteenth
present invasions the kingdom. invasions
Mughais cannons. state
3.important century. kingdom
bhuiyans. kingdom over of of and
to the to state Ahom could built 121
Banjaras;
forested : were and the the by
used from
the the as
day ?
city the the
cieties
tribal? Longgeneration.
to customs
writtensocieties
tribal
societies.
? tribalinto the
. know (iü) (ii) the
societies ? khels. or
Short
Answer8. Ans. Q.7. Ahoms ?
These Brahmanas
numerous Ans. Q. Katanga?Garh
Durgawati
about social Ans. Ans. Durgawati Rani ?Gaddi. Very (d). 5.’
What Historians and
records. Q.
Ans. Q. Ans.
Answer 6. 5. following
Match
the
Banjaras clans.
(i) How-
The 4. Q.Ans. Q. Ans.Jatis 5.
Buranjis Ahoms
4. cultivation.
were oral The What Ahom How Mir 3. 2. Short 3. Rani 2. 22/
wereType tribal rules 1. Gonds 1. Ans. (d) (c)
Which AsafWhich The What
The Durgawati Column A (6) CP
do societies
unequal Jumla was Name 1.
traditions. tribal and Type Garha The
Questions used passed But we was society was Khan Answer ’ to(a) Banjaras GUIDE
societies.
the and name was transport
Mughal Mughal Bir Himalayan (c); Sultan caravan
comne which a (ALL
these societ:ies
they rituals Questions
meant attacked
Ahom attacked Narain. Himalayan 2. Katanga
main which was the
down classes of Brahmaputra smaller
valley castes
Type cultivation
shifting
’ (e) (d) (c) Katuga
Garha
(6) (a)
Alauddin SUBJECTS):
preserved to were name (a); Arramera
Column Bgrain of
oral society
divided general general the historical practised
eatures to did by Ahoms. Garha Questions
shepherd Banjaras
did know prescribed 3. was
were not son to
traditions each not the of ’
not tribe. the
Khaljí a SOCIAL
divided
divided
into attacked the (e);
about called attacked
Katanga. of city poor
new richkeep follow tribal 4. words wAs
of clans son tribe
Rani ’ used shifting
by market. state. SCIENCE-VII
called
? of is (b);
in the
following:livelihoods.
the Work their
performed
Map merchants.
wandering ropes, travelled
prosperous
people.
animals
activities
following households
Ans.
Panipat (6) (a) On
: pastures resources fromactivitiesgatherers
herders. from
orkinshipfeatures :
bonds.
(v) (iv) (iiü) (iü)
Area (i) Ans. Q.
(iii) (ii) () Ans.
There reeds, Many
(u) one (iv)
an Sometimes Different
They 9. ASome agriculture. Members
in from such TheWhat jointly Most Many
outline place of to The
under according tribal
differentwere strawmade
village pastoral as
different
the often
tribes make tribes tribal
Awadh Panipat a to
castes did and
group area of
castes matting cattle another.
the map
mendicants and tribesmen
were full obtained each societies
Awadh (c) towns to tribesdifferentdivided to in Others
tribes Area
the
Ahomunder Ahom village.
sold of
of and tribes retained its nomadicwhich use tribe
of
entertainers and petty
and reared own
India, wares horses these combined of weretheir were had
tribes tribes they
INDIA villages
coarse pedlars
used rules. the the
acted land and
such and amongst lived. livelihoounited
hunter. followin,
locate to moved natura)
sacks. to do these
who the sold and
for as as also do ? b
 B. Devotional Paths to the Divine
IMPORTANT YEARS OR PERIODS poet is set free from sorrow, birth, death and
illusion. He believes that nobody can separate
sth century : Shankara was born in Kerala. him from God.
1469 : Guru Nanak was born. Textbook Page No. 64
1539 : Guru Nanak died. Q. Try and find out more about the
1604 : GuruArjun compiled the compositions ideas of Shankara or Ramanuja.
of Guru Nanak and his three Ans. Some of the major ideas of Shankara
Gurus. successor are as under :
1606 : Jahangir executed Guru Arjun. (i)His teachings aimed at cleansing Vedic
1699 : Guru Gobind Singh established philosophy of its obscurities and inconsistencies
Khalsa. and thereby making it intelligible and acceptable
1706 : Guru Gobind Singh authenticated the to the common man.
compilation and named it GuruGranth (ü) According to him, Brahman was only
Sahib, the holy scripture of Sikhs. an existence without any quality by which it
could be described.
IMPORTANT TERMS (üii) It was pure consciousness, not a subject
knowing an object.
1. Hagiography : Writing of saints' lives. (iv) Maya was neither an existence nor a
2. Hospice : House of rest for travellers, non-existence and was therefore indescribable.
especially one kept by a religious order. (v) His ideas were based on Upanishads
3. Bhakti : Bhakti is a person's devotion to and some of them were borrowed from
his or her chosen deity. Buddhism.
Textbook Page No. 65
INTEXT QUESTIONS Q. What is the temple that Basavanna
is offering to God ?
Textbook Page No. 62 Ans. Basavanna is offering the temple of
0. You can observe this process of his body to his beloved God. According to him,
local myths and legends receiving wider his legs are pillars, his body the shrine, and
acceptance even today. Can you find head a Cupola of gold.
some examples around you ? Textbook Page No. 66
Ans. (i) Hinduism, the religion of the Q. Discuss the ideas about the social
majority of the citizens of India, is a varived order expressed in these compositions.
faith whose local manifestations are diverse. Ans. The ideas expressed by these
(ü) Folk religion in Hinduism may explain compositions are as follows:
the rationale behind local religious practices, (i) Lower caste people were a rejected lot
and contain local myths that explain the of society.
existence of local religious customs or the (ii) They were beaten.
location of temples. (iiü) They had to eat left-0ver food.
(üü) One such example is as under : (iv) But there were few people who
India possesses a large body of heroic identified the beaten and battered people.
ballads and epic poetry preserved in oral Tukaram calls such people as saints.
tradition. One such oral epic, telling the story (v) Saints treated a slave as his own son.
of Pabuji, has been collected by Dr. John Smith It can be concluded that the social order
from Rajasthan. It isa long poem in the had mixed people.
Rajasthani language, traditionally told by Textbook Page No. 72
professional storytellers, known as Bhopas. Q. Why do you think Mirabai left the
They deliver it in front of a tapestry that depicts Rana's palace ?
the characters of the story and functions as a Ans. Mirabai left the Rana's palace
portable temple, accompanied by aravanhattho because there she had to face restrictions and
iddle. Rana's opposition in her devotional activities.
Textbook Page No. 63 Textbook Page No. 73
Q. How does the poet describe his Q. In what ways are the ideas in this
relationship with the deity ? poem similar to or different from those of
Ans. The poet feels the presence of his Basavanna and Jalaluddin Rumi ?
lord inside his body. Due to this presence, the Ans. The central ideas of Kabir, Basavanna
 24/CP GUIDE (ALL
SUBJECTS) : SOCIAL SCIEN achieve Salvation, they advoated
through
(u) To mind and bodyexercises
Rumi emphases that bethe God intense training of the
and Jalaluddinone's found breathing
resides within heart. It cannot practices like yogasanas,
and meditation. ideas
anywhere else on this earth. were the majorexpress
Q. 4. What did he
Textbook Page No. 76 expressed by Kabir ? How
Imagine are.attending a meeting where these ? Kabir were as
Q. You system. Ans. The major ideas of
saint is discussing the caste
a follows: Supreme God
Relate the conversation.
critically examine the (i)He believed in a formless
only path to Salvation
Ans. (i)Saint would and preached that the or devotion.
caste systen1. disadvantage and was through bhakti were based on a complete,
(ü)He would present itsexamples. (iü) Histeachings
the major
prove them with suitable
suggest ways in which indeed vehement, rejection of
(it)He would also reformed. Otherwise religious traditions.
all forms´of
the caste system can becaste system and ask (iiü) He openly ridiculed Brahmanical
he wouid denounce the from it. external worship of both
his followers to brcakawaythe path of Bhakti
Hinduism and Islam.
pre-eminence of
(ie)ie would suggest to his (iv) He also ridiculed the
(personal devotion to beloved God) the priestly classes and the caste system. of
ideas, he used a form
foliowers. songs (u) To express his
(v) He would sing devotional spoken Hindi.
(bhajan) to end the meeting. Let's Understand
major beliefs and
EXERCISES Q. 5. What were the?
practices of the Sufis
Let's Recall outward religiosity
Ans. (i) Sufis rejecteddevotion
Q. 1. Match the following : to God and
and emphasised love and human beings.
Ans. questioned social compassion towards all fellowelaborate rituals
The Buddha (iü) They often rejected the
differences demanded by Muslim
- namghar and codes of behaviour
Shankaradeva religious scholars.
Nizamuddin Auliya Sufi Saint Shiva much as
(iiü) They sought union with God
Nayanars - worship of a lover seeks his beloved with a
disregard for
Alvars
worship of Vishnu
the world.
Q. 2. FilI in the blanks : and prose
(iv)Sufi saints composed poems fables.
(a) Shankara was an advocate of literature including anecdotes and
(6) Ramanuja was influenced by the
were (u) They believed that the heart can be
and
(c)
advocates of Virashaivism. trained to look at the world in a different way.
(vi) They developed elaborate methods of
(d) Was an important centre training using zikr (chanting of a sacred
Maharashtra.
of the Bhakti tradition inVishishtadvaita, formula), contemplation, sama (singing), raqs
Ans. (a) Advaita, (6)
Akkamahadevi, (dancing).
(c)Basavanna, Allama Prabhu, (viü) The Sufi saints held their assemblies
(d) Pandharpur. practices in their khanqahs or hospices.
Q. 3. Describe the beliefs and
and Yogis. Q. 6. Why do you think many teachers
of the Nathpanthis, Siddhas of the rejected prevalent religious beliefs
Ans. The beliefs and practices were as and practices ?
Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis Ans. It has the following reasons
under : and other aspects (i) The social order had many unequal
i) They criticised the ritual social castes. The lower castes were oppressed
and the social order.
ofconventional religion
simple and logical arguments by the upper castes.
(ü)They usedthoughts. (iü) The teachers of Bhakti or Sufism
God and
wanted to free the right of worship rituals
topresent theiradvocated renunciation of the to
(iiü) They simplify it by abandoning elaborate
be
world. them Salvationcould please God.
(iv) Acoording to
on the formless
ultimate (iiü) They believed in the power of personal
attained by meditation
realisation of oneness with
it. devotion.
reality and
 OUR PASTS -I (HISTORY) /25
(iv)The upliftment of lower castes and neighourhood. Visit any one of these and
equality among social castes could be attained by describe what you see and hear.
rejection of prevalent religious beliefs and Ans. Students, do it yourselves.
practices. (Hint : There wouldn't be any pícture or
9, 7. What were the major teachings idol of any God. The religious shrine would be
Nanak ?
of Baba Guru devoted to some saint, ete.]
Ans. The major teachings of Baba Guru Q. 11. For any of the saint-poets whose
Nanak were as under: compositions have been ineluded in this
) He emphasised the importance of the chapter, find out more about their works,
worship of one God. noting down other poems. Find out
(i) Heinsisted that caste, creed or gender whether these are sung, how they are
WAs irrelevant for attaining liberation. sung, and what the poets wrote about.
(i) His idea of liberation was not that of
Ans. Students, do it yourselves.
a state of inert bliss but the pursuit of active (Hint : You can look for Kabir's poems in
life with a strong sense of social commitment. Hindi textbooks.]
(ip) He, himself, used the terms nam,elan Q. 12. There are several saint-poets
and insan for the essence of his teachings which whose names have been mentioned but
actually meant right worship, welfare ofothers their works have not been included in
and purity of conduct, the chapter. Find out more about the
() He directed to the importance of right
belief and worship, honest living and helping language in which they composed,
others.
whether their compositions were sung,
Let's Discuss and what their compositionswere about.
Ans. Students, do it yourselves.
9.8.For either the Virashaivas or the [Hint : You can search internet for the
sants of Maharashtra, discuss their subcontinental Bhakti and Sufi literature of
attitude towards caste.
varioussaints and Sufi masters. Also, you can
Ans. The attitude of Virashaivas towards discuss with your History teacher.]
caste was as follows :
(i) They reacted to the temple worship. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
(ü) The Virashaivas argued strongly for
the equality of all human beings. Multiple Choice Questions
(ü) They rejected Brahmanical ideas about 1. What was the source of idea of
caste and the treatment of women. Bhakti or devotion?
Q. 9. Why do you think ordinary (a) Bhagavadgita (b) Charak Samhita
people preserved the memory of Mirabai? (c) Arthashastra (d) Aryabhattam
Ans. Due to the following reasons, the 2. Which of the following Gods were
ordinary people preserved the memory of worshipped by Bhaktas?
Mirabai : (6) Vishnu
(0) She was a queen and devotee of (a) Shiva
Krishna. (c) Durga (d) All of them
3. Who were Alvars and Nayanars?
(iü) She composed innumerable bhajans (a) Shiva and Parvati
expressing her intense devotion to his beloved
Lord. (b)Vishnu and Shiva
(üü)She left her husband's palace in order (c) Vishnu and Laxmi
to follow the path of devotion. (d) Brahma and Saraswati
(iv) She even drank poison, sent by her 4. Who wrote Ramcharitmanas in
husband, but she did not die. This popularised Awadhi?
her as being saved by Lord. Thus, her (a) Kalidas (6) Mahadevi Verma
authenticity as a true devotee was proved. (e) Tulsidas (d) Valmiki
(v) Her songs openly challenged the norms 5. Which of the following is the
of the "upper" castes and became popular with composition of Surdas?
the masses in Rajasthan and Gujarat. (a) Sursagara (6) Meghdutam
Lets Do (c) Ramcharitmanas (d) Rachanavali
Sakhis and
Q. 10. Find out whether in your 6. Where can we find the
neighbourhood there are any dargahs, pads of Kabir?
(a) Guru Granth Sahib () Panch Vani
gwudoaras or temples associated with (d) All of them
saints of the bhakti tradition in your (c) Bijak