Ratna Sagar History Solutions for Class 6 Social science Chapter 11 - The Gupta And The Post Gupta Period

Answer:

The correct answer is option (a).

Explanation: Information about the Gupta period is available from both archaeological and literary sources. The most important archaeological source of the Gupta period is the Allahabad Pillar inscription. It also gives the details of Samudragupta's military expeditions.

Answer:

The correct answer is option (c).

Explanation: Chandragupta I was the first ruler of Gupta dynasty and he adopted the title of Maharajadhiraja, which means "the king of kings". 

Answer:

The correct answer is option (b).

Explanation: ​During the reign of Skandagupta, the Hunas threatened the Gupta empire. They were the nomadic tribes of Central Asia. They practically ended the rule of Guptas in India.

Answer:

The correct answer is option (c).

Explanation: Hiuen Tsang visited India during the reign of Harsha. He wrote in detail about the administration of Harsha after spending eight years in his court.

Answer:

The correct answer is option (d).

Explanation: Harshavardhan was a Shaivite but in his later life, he became a Buddhist. He organised a grand assemble at Kannauj in 641 AD to basically popularise the Mahayana sect of Buddhism.

Answer:

The correct answer is option (c).

Explanation: Pulakeshin II was a Chalukyan king. Ravikirti was his court poet. He informed us that Pulakeshin II defeated Harsha and checked his advance into the Deccan.

Answer:

The correct answer is option (a).

Explanation: The continuous military conflicts between Pallavas and other rulers weakened the Pallava domination in the south. Finally, in the ninth century, the Cholas replaced the Pallavas.

Answer:

The correct answer is option (d).

Explanation: The kingdom was divided into provinces or bhuktis. Princes were appointed as the governor of the provinces and there were several other officers to assist them.

Answer:

Ans. 

Answer:

The correct match is as follows:
 

Answer:

The various sources that tell us about the Gupta period are as follows:

• Archaeological Sources

1. Allahabad Pillar inscriptions
2. Inscriptions on temples, coins and paintings

• Literary Sources

1. Literary works of Kalidas, Fa Hien and It-sing

Answer:

Prasashti was a written account of a king and his rule. These written accounts were later engraved on pillars for the common man to read. Prasashtis were usually written by court poets to glorify the rule of the king. The term Prasashti, meaning in praise of, proves that these accounts were rather biased or exaggerated accounts of a king's rule. Samudragupta's prashasti is the finest example of such an historical source.

Answer:

The military campaigns of Harsha can be listed as follows:

• He conquered Punjab, eastern Rajasthan and Ganga valley till Assam.
• He attacked Chalukyan king, Pulakeshin II but was defeated.
• He did not annex every territory he conquered. At some instances, the defeated ruler was allowed to still govern his territory only after having accepted Harsha as his overlord.

Answer:

The main sources of revenue were as under:

• Agriculture was the prime source of revenue.
• Land tax was also one of the source.
• Merchants and traders paid taxes too.
• Craftsmen also paid tax.

• to ensure good administration
• give grants
• maintain large scale army consisting of horses, soldiers and chariots

Answer:

Archaeological and literary sources are the major sources that provide information about the Gupta Empire. The Allahabad Pillar Inscriptions provide details about Samudragupta's military campaigns. These campaigns are as follows:

• In the north, Samudragupta annexed four major kingdoms. All these kingdoms were directly administered by him.
• In the south, he defeated 12 rulers but he did not annex them. They were asked to pay annual tribute. They accepted the overlordship of Samudragupta.
• Samudragupta annexed many kingdoms in the East such as Nepal, Assam and Bengal. They were also asked to pay annual tribute.
• He defeated forest tribes of Vindhayas and they offered him gifts and tributes.

Answer:

Harshavardhan was a great patron of art and learning and this is visible from the fact that he himself wrote three books, i.e. Ratnavali, Nagnanda and Priyadarshika. In his court, there were some great patrons of art like Banabhatta, Dandin and Subandhu present. He encouraged various forms of art and architecture. He was a Shaivite but in his later life, he was influenced by Buddhist ideas so he started propagating ideas through large assemblies. One such assembly was held at Kanauj where several Buddhist scholars had gathered. He gave full support in the development of Nalanda university, which became an important centre of learning.

Answer:

Hiuen Tsang was a Buddhist traveller who came to India during the reign of Harsha. He spent more than eight years in India and wrote a detailed account about polity of Harsha - his administration and his people. 

He wrote that though traders and craftsmen lived in the towns, the main occupation of people in villages was agriculture. The people in India were honest and hospitable people who lived mostly on vegetarian diet and avoided garlic and onion. He further goes on to explain about the rigidity of caste structure where the society was divided into several castes. The chandals or the untouchable people lived outside the villages. 

Answer:

The new development in administration that took place during this period were as follows:

• Firstly, the administration became decentralised. Local officers were appointed who took their decisions independently.
• Secondly, these officers were paid through land grants and not cash. They were supposed to collect revenue and submit a part of it to the ruler.
• Thirdly, these positions became hereditary where son succeeded his father.

Answer:

Prashasti is a Sanskrit term, which means 'in praise of'. The term in itself says that it is something that praises the king or the ruler. In my opinion, the prashasti does not provide accurate information about the ruler. It is because the court poets, with the intention of impressing the ruler, would often write exaggerated accounts of the king's achievements. Hence, these prashastis cannot be relied upon blindly.

Answer:

Since iron age, the term Dakshinapath was used to describe the southern highway connecting Pataliputra to southern Godavari kingdom. ​Samudragupta was a powerful king who wanted to expand his glory and power by making a powerful kingdom. He attacked the rulers of Dakshinapath but later he restored them to their kingdoms after they accepted his suzerainty and overlordship. 
Samudragupta's decision was driven not only by generosity but also by strategic motives. He estimated that in the absence of proper transportation link between the north and south India, governing such a wide kingdom would be impossible. From his centre of power in the north, efficiently managing the far flung Dakshinapath would have been really difficult. That is why he gave up his idea of directly controlling the Dakshinapath.

Answer:

The fears associated with an administrative post becoming hereditary are as follows:

• Once the post becomes hereditary, the person holding the post would gradually become independent of the ruler or the king.
• When the ruler appoints some person for the post, he thoroughly inquires about his qualities and potentials. Only the eligible could come to the seat. However, in the absence of this criteria, the hereditary seat often gets transferred to the weak or the non-eligible candidate.