The fourth was responsible for horses, the fifth for chariots and sixth for elephants.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nActivities of second sub-committee were little bit varied. It arranged for bullockcarts to carry equipments, procuring fodder for animals and food for soldiers and recruiting artisans and servants to look after the soldiers. :<\/p>\n
(vi) Appointment of Dhamma Mahamatras : Ashoka tried to maintain unity within his empire. He did this by propagating Dhamma. Concepts of Dhamma were very simple and universal. He was of the view that obeying the Dhamma will be good for people in this world and beyond this world. That is why special officers called Dhamma Mahamatras were appointed. This activity is also mentioned in his inscriptions.<\/p>\n
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Question 7. \nThis is a statement made by one of the best known epigraphists of the twentieth century, D.C. Sircar : \u201cThere is no aspect of life, culture and activities of the Indians that is not reflected in inscriptions.\u201d Discuss. \nAnswer: \nA famous exponent of inscriptions, D.C. Sircar has rightly said that the inscriptions present a glimpse of every aspect of the Indian life. Regarding it, many examples can be cited, a few of which are as follows:<\/p>\n
(i) Determination of State Expansion : From the inscriptions, we come to know a lot about the expansion of states by the kings. The ancient kings got installed the inscriptions within the borders of their states. Hence, the areas where inscriptions were found are believed to be the part of his state.<\/p>\n
(ii) Names of Kings : From the inscriptions, we also come to know about the names of various kings. Earlier we were unable to know these names from any other source. For example, many titles like Devanampiya (beloved of the Gods) and Piyadassi (pleasant to behold) were used for king Ashoka. All these names are known from the inscriptions installed by him.<\/p>\n
(iii) Information about Historical Events : We also know a lot about historical events from the inscriptions. All the major events in the life of Samudragupta can be known from Allahabad Prashasti. The inscriptions of Ashoka throw light on the Kalinga war and its grave consequences. Similarly we know a lot about the ups and downs in the life of Chandragupta Vikramaditya, Raja Bhoj, Pulkeshin-II from various inscriptions.<\/p>\n
(iv) Information about the Character of Kings : The inscriptions also present a glimpse about the character of the kings. They tell us that Ashoka was a lover of his subjects. He did a lot for their welfare. All the inscriptions prove him to be a king, protector of animals and lover of the family system. Allahabad Prashasti presents Samudragupta as a great warrior and scholar.<\/p>\n
(v) Information About Land Systems and Administration : There are many important inscriptions which tell us about the land donated by the kings and the samants. They provide useful information about the system and administration of land in the ancient India. Most of these inscriptions were written on copper plates. They are found in almost all the ancient languages. They give detailed information about the villages, land and revenue given to the beggars, Brahmanas, Temples, jagirdars and officials.<\/p>\n
(vi) Time Line : The inscriptions contribute a lot in determining the historical dates and periods of war. We can determine their time from the script and style of writing on the inscriptions.<\/p>\n
(vii) Information about Historical Literature : From the language of the inscriptions we come to know about the level of literature. We also come to know in which parts of the country were spoken languages like Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Tamil and Telugu. The inscriptions also tell us about the status of these languages in the country.<\/p>\n
(viii) Information about Languages and Religion : The language of the inscriptions inform us about the religions of those times. In ancient times, Sanskrit language was identified with the Hinduism. Similarly, Prakrit language was associated with Buddhism.<\/p>\n
(ix) Information about Love for Art : The inscriptions have been prepared by engraving stones and caves, they tell us about the love for art. The inscriptions of Ashoka are the model of excellence of the Mauryan period.<\/p>\n
(x) Information about Social’ Classes : The inscriptions tell us a lot about the social classes of those times. We also come to know that during those times, there were not only the ruling class but also weavers, goldsmiths, washermen, ironsmiths, traders and farmers. Thus, we see that all the inscriptions were the mirror of the Indian life and culture.<\/p>\n
Question 8. \nDiscuss the notions of Kingship that developed in the post-Maiiryan period. \nAnswer: \nThe ideas which-were developed about Kingship in the post-Mauryan period had a very distinctive feature and that was \u2018Divine Theory of Kingship\u2019. Kings started to associate themselves with Gods and Goddesses to achieve higher status. Kushana rulers, who ruled from Central Asia upto western India, used this method in a better way. Kushana history was reconstructed through inscriptions and literary traditions. The notion of kingship which Kushanas wished to project is perhaps best evidenced in the coins and sculptures.<\/p>\n
I. Kushana Rulers : \n(i) Colossal statues of Kushana rulers have been found in Matt near Mathura. Some scholars are of \nopinion that Kushanas might have considered themselves God-like. Many Kushana rulers also adopted the title of Devaputra. They probably were inspired by Chinese rulers who called themselves as sons of heaven.<\/p>\n
(ii) A picture of king has been shown on coins of Kushana rulers. There is a picture of a deity on other side of this coin. This type of coins were issued to express their divine status.<\/p>\n
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II. Gupta Rulers : \n(i) Second development in the notion of Kingship took place during the Gupta age. Many evidences of large states have been found by the 4th century including the Gupta empire. Many of these empires depended upon Samantas who were those men who maintained themselves through local resources which included control over land. Samantas respected their kings and provided military support to the rulers. Few powerful Samantas became king as weak rulers were reduced to the position of subordinates.<\/p>\n
(ii) Literature, coins and inscriptions were used to reconstruct history of the Gupta rulers. Prashastis were used for this purpose as they were composed in praise of kings or their patrons. While historians generally try to draw facts from these compositions, those who composed and read them generally kept them as works of poets instead of accounts which are really true. For example, we can take the Prayaga Prashasti which is famous by the name of Allahabad Pillar Inscription. Its writer Harisena, described Samudragupta, his patron, as the most powerful Gupta ruler. This type of views express new ideas of Kingship.<\/p>\n
Question 9. \nTo what extent were agricultural practices transformed in the period under consideration ? \nOr \nExplain the agricultural practices followed by cultivatores to increase productivity from C.600 BCE to 600 CE (C.B.S.E 2017 (O.D.)) \nAnswer: \nThe demand for taxes by the kings had considerably increased during the period from 600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E. To fulfil this demand for more taxes, the farmers started finding all new means to increase the production of their crops. Consequently following changes took place in the means and methods of agriculture :<\/p>\n
(i) Prevalence of Ploughs : One method that helped in increasing the production was the popularity of plough. The use of a plough started in 6th century B.C.E. in the valleys of Ganga and Cauveri. The plough with an iron tip was used in areas which received ample rainfall. It was used in fertile land which resulted in increasing the production of paddy. No doubt the farmers had to work a lot to achieve this target.<\/p>\n
(ii) Use of Spade : Though plough helped in increasing the production yet its use was limited to only some areas. In Punjab and Rajasthan, which had less rainfall, the plough was used in the early period of the 20th century. Those farmers who lived in the north-east and mid-mountainous regions, used spade to dig the fields. The spade was quite useful in such areas.<\/p>\n
(iii) Artificial Irrigation : Another method to increase the production was artificial irrigation. For this purpose, the wells, tanks and canals were used. These were developed by the people individually. At some places, farmers also joined hands and worked collectively to develop these means of irrigation. However, kings and other dominating elite people developed wells, ponds and canals individually for irrigation of land.<\/p>\n
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Impact of the new Methods of Agriculture : \nThe production in the fields increased considerably because of these modern techniques but many differences also emerged among the people because of these new methods. In Buddhist stories, we find a mention of labourers, small farmers and big Zamindars. It shows diverse social classes and the position of different people in the society. In Pali language, the word for small farmers and<\/p>\n
Zamindars was Grihapati. The big Zamindars and village chiefs were considered very powerful and strong. They often had a control over small farmers. The post of village chief was often hereditary. The texts of Tamil Sangam also mention different classes of people in the villages. For example, there were Vellalar or big landlords, Halwaha or Ulwar and Das Animal. It is possible that these diverse positions were because of the differences in the ownership of land, labour and new technology. In such a situation, the ownership of land become quite important.<\/p>\n
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Map Work<\/strong><\/p>\nQuestion 1. \nCompare Maps 1 and 2, and list the Mahajanapadas that might have been included in the Mauryan empire. Have any Ashokan inscriptions been found in these areas ? \n \n \nAnswer: \nMahajanapadas were mainly expanded in North India. Whole of North India was included in the Mauryan empire. Probably all Mahajanapadas could have been included in Mauryan empire. It can be listed as follows :<\/p>\n
\nKamboj<\/li>\n Kandhar<\/li>\n Kuru<\/li>\n Panchala<\/li>\n Shurasend<\/li>\n Matsya<\/li>\n Koshala<\/li>\n Kashi<\/li>\n Malla<\/li>\n Vajji (Vriji)<\/li>\n Magadha<\/li>\n Vatsa<\/li>\n Chedi<\/li>\n Anga<\/li>\n Avanti<\/li>\n Ashmaka (at the banks of river Godavari in south India).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nInscriptions of Ashoka have been found at all these places.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Detailed, Step-by-Step NCERT Solutions for Class 12 History Chapter 2 Kings, Farmers and Towns: Early States and Economies Questions and Answers were solved by Expert Teachers as per NCERT (CBSE) Book guidelines covering each topic in chapter to ensure complete preparation. https:\/\/mcq-questions.com\/ncert-solutions-for-class-12-history-chapter-2\/ Kings, Farmers and Towns: Early States and Economies NCERT Solutions for Class 12 …<\/p>\n
NCERT Solutions for Class 12 History Chapter 2 Kings, Farmers and Towns: Early States and Economies<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nNCERT Solutions for Class 12 History Chapter 2 Kings, Farmers and Towns: Early States and Economies - MCQ Questions<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n