Chapter 9 - Vital Villages, Thriving Towns
Question 1: Fill in the blanks:a) ______________ was a word used for large landowners in Tamil.
b) The ‘gramabhojaka’ often got his land cultivated by the _______________.
c) Ploughmen were known as _______________ in Tamil.
d) Most ‘grihapatis’ were __________.
Answer:
a) Vellalars was a word used for large landowners in Tamil.
b) The ‘gramabhojaka’ often got his land cultivated by the slaves and workers.
c) Ploughmen were known as uzhavar in Tamil.
d) Most ‘grihapatis’ were small landowners.
Question 2: Describe the functions of the ‘gramabhojaka’. Why do you think he was powerful?
Answer: The functions of the Gramabhojaka:
• In the northern part of India, the village headman was known as the gramabhojaka.
• He owned a very large piece of land and got it cultivated by his slaves and hired workers.
• He used to collect taxes from the village, by the order of the king.
• He also functioned as a judge and sometimes as a policeman.
Gramabhojaka as a powerful man:
• His post was hereditary. Usually, men from the same family held the position for generations.
• The gramabhojaka was generally the largest landowner.
• Generally, he had slaves and hired workers to cultivate the land.
• Besides, as he was powerful, the king often used him to collect taxes from the village.
• The gramabhojaka also functioned as a judge and sometimes as a policeman.
Question 3: List the crafts persons who would have been present in both villages and cities.
Answer: The list of craftspersons who would have been present in both villages and cities is:
• Goldsmiths
• Blacksmiths
• Weavers
• Carpenters
• Garland makers
• Statue makers
• Perfumers
Question 4: Choose the correct answer:
a) Ring wells were used for:
1. bathing
2. washing clothes
3. irrigation
4. drainage
Answer: 4. drainage
b) Punch marked coins were made of:
1. Silver
2. gold
3. tin
4. ivory
Answer: 1. Silver
c) Mathura was important:
1. village
2. port
3. religious centre
4. forested area
Answer: 3. religious centre
d) ‘Shrenis’ were associations of:
1. rulers
2. crafts persons
3. farmers
4. herders
Answer: 2. Crafts persons
Question 5: Which of the iron tools shown on page 87 (of the NCERT textbook) would have been important for agriculture? What would the other tools have been used for?
Answer:
Question 6: Compare the drainage system in your locality with that of the cities mentioned in the lesson. What similarities and differences do you notice?
Answer: In our locality, the drainage system includes pipes and drains. In the lesson, it is mentioned that irrigation system that were built during the time include ring wells and drains.
• Similarities
→ We live in a city. Our locality has a good drainage system. Every individual house or building also has a good drainage system. Archaeologists have also found some drains and garbage dumps in each of the city/town or site mentioned in the chapter and in an individual house.
• Differences
→ Nowadays, everything (project or work) is well- maintained and made up of good raw materials. But in early cities mud bricks and thatch had been used which might not have been survived long. We use separator and filters with modem technology which was not there earlier.
Question 7: If you have seen craftspersons at work, describe in a short paragraph what they do.
[Hint. How do they get the raw materials, what kind of equipment do they use, how do they work, what happens to the finished product.]
Answer:
→ Different crafts persons work in villages and cities. Example: blacksmiths, goldsmiths, etc.
→ Craftsmen get the raw material from villages, nearby cities, and even import from far regions of India as well as from other countries.
→ Crafts persons use different types of equipment, as required for their crafts. Example: a potter uses potter’s wheel, spade, a stick, a spin-thread, a bright-fire burning or furnace, heating, and beating metal rods. A blacksmith uses iron and other metals, a furnace, a hammer, a big-iron rod, etc. A weaver uses a spinning wheel, cotton, needle, scissors, dye-colors, dying-vessels, etc. A carpenter uses wood, iron, a hand-ax, borer, iron-blade, nails.
→ Most of the craftsmen worked at their own cottage or home. Other family members used to help him. Many craftspersons formed associations known as Shrenis. Shrenis of crafts persons provided training, procured raw material, and distributed the finished product.
→ After keeping a small part by the craftspersons for their own or their family’s use, they took the remaining part of production (or surplus production) to local markets or neighbour-merchants. These merchants or traders used to take the products to those parts of the country or to other countries where they were demanded by the people or foreign traders or nationals.
Question 8: List (the functions performed by men and women who live in your city and village. In what ways are these similar to those performed by people who lived in Mathura? In what ways are they different?
Answer:
→ In our city (or in our village) different types of functions such as domestic, officials, related with government posts or departments are performed by men and women as their daily routine.
→ Mathura - It was (and even today) an important religious city about 2500 years ago. It was also important because this city was located at the two main trade and travel routes. The city is known for several temples and shrines. Farmers and herders from adjoining areas provided food items etc. to the citizens who lived in the city.
Similar
• In our city or village, people work as traders or merchants or farmers, as the men of the old city of Mathura performed. The women did a lot of work at home as the domestic wives or ladies perform in modem cities and villages.
Differences
• People in Mathura did work for the kings and their family-members but now in cities or villages people do work to meet their daily needs or expenses.
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