New Kings And Kingdoms (Easy notes for class 7th)

Administration in Kingdoms:

• Kings adopted grand titles like maharaja-adhiraja (king of kings) and tribhuvana-chakravartin (lord of the three worlds).
• They often shared power with samantas (subordinate rulers) and associations of peasants, traders, and Brahmanas.
• Peasants, cattle-keepers, and artisans gave part of their produce as tax.
• Traders also paid taxes, which supported the king’s rule and funded the building of temples and forts.
• Wars were fought to gain wealth, land, and control over trade routes.
• Revenue collectors and army officers were usually from powerful families, and their positions were often hereditary.

Prashastis and Land Grants:

• Prashastis praised rulers, often exaggerating their qualities to show them as brave and victorious.
• These were written by Brahmanas, who sometimes also helped in administration.
• Kings rewarded Brahmanas with land grants, recorded on copper plates.
• In the 12th century, a Sanskrit poem by Kalhana narrated the history of Kashmir’s kings.
• Kalhana (author) used various sources, like inscriptions and documents, and unlike prashasti writers, he was often critical of the rulers and their policies.

Warfare for Wealth:

• Each ruling dynasty controlled its own region but tried to conquer others.
  • They especially wanted the city of Kanauj in the Ganga valley.
• The Gurjara-Pratihara, Rashtrakuta, and Pala dynasties fought for Kanauj. This led to the “tripartite struggle.”
• Rulers showed their power by building large temples. (imp. to note)
  • These temples often became targets during attacks because of their wealth.
• Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni (997-1030) raided rich temples, including Somnath in Gujarat.
• He used the plundered wealth (stolen goods) to build a grand capital in Ghazni.
• Mahmud also hired scholar al-Biruni to write about the subcontinent in Kitab-al Hind.
  • Al-Biruni consulted Sanskrit sources for this work.
• The Chahamanas (Chauhans) ruled around Delhi and Ajmer.
  • They fought to expand their territory.
  • They faced opposition from the Chalukyas and Gahadavalas.
• Prithviraja III (1168-1192) was the most famous Chahamana ruler.
  • He defeated Sultan Muhammad Ghori in 1191 but lost to him in 1192.

A Closer Look: The Cholas

From Uraiyur to Thanjavur

Uraiyur: It is the place near the modern city of Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. (one of the early capitals of the Chola dynasty)

Thanjavur: The place approximately 60 kilometers southwest of Uraiyur, Tamil Nadu.

Rise of the Cholas

• The Muttaraiyar family ruled the Kaveri delta.
  • Note: Muttaraiyar family was a local ruling family under the Pallava kings from Kanchipuram.
• However, in the 9th century, Vijayalaya Chola captured the Kaveri delta.
  • He built Thanjavur and a temple for Nishumbhasudini (a goddess in Hindu mythology) there.

Kingdom Expansion

• Vijayalaya’s successors conquered nearby areas.
  • They took over parts of the Pandyan and Pallava kingdoms.
• Rajaraja I (the grandson of Vijayalaya Chola) became king in 985 and expanded the kingdom.

Rajendra I’s Expeditions

• Rajendra I, Rajaraja’s son, continued expansion.
• He raided the Ganga valley, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia.
• He also built a navy for these raids.

Splendid Temples and Bronze Sculpture

Temples were very important to the Chola kingdom.

• The great kings Rajaraja and Rajendra built huge temples in Thanjavur and Gangaikondacholapuram.
• These temples have fantastic designs and eye-catching sculptures.
  • You can see carvings of gods and other interesting shapes.
• People liked to live near the temples, so small villages grew around them.
  • Temples became busy places.
• Kings gave land to the temples.
  • The food from this land helped support temple workers.
• Many people worked at temples.
  • There were priests, cooks, musicians, and dancers.
• Temples were not just for praying but also for gatherings and celebrations.
• The Cholas made beautiful bronze images.
  • Note: These statues are some of the finest in the world.
• Most statues showed gods, but some showed loving devotees too.
  • For Example: The statue of a devotee named Kalarikkal Puthan Purakkal Narayanan Namboodiri, known for his devotion to Lord Shiva. And Mirabai, a famous devotee of Lord Krishna.

New Developments in Agriculture

• The Cholas made great progress in farming.
  • They used irrigation techniques, such as
    • Digging wells, building tanks, constructing canals, and creating embankments
      • It ensured their crops received enough water for healthy growth.
  • Cholas made use of the fertile soil of the Kaveri River to grow crops, especially rice.
    • For Example:- They utilized the river’s channels, which overflowed and deposited rich soil, making agriculture successful in the region.
  • Moreover, Farmers began practicing crop rotation and growing multiple crops in a year, increasing productivity.
  • In order to bring more area under cultivation, they cleared forests and leveled land to make it suitable for agriculture.
  • Villagers and rulers actively took part and worked together to plan irrigation.
    • They organized resources and shared water.

Chola Administration:

Administration: It means the way a group of people, like a government, organizes and manages things to make sure everything works properly. This can include making rules, collecting money (taxes), and helping people solve problems.

• Villages became rich due to irrigation, and each village was called an “ur.”
• Groups of villages joined to form larger areas called “nadu.”
  • These helped in collecting taxes and providing justice.
• Wealthy farmers from the Vellala caste controlled the nadu.
  • They worked under the main Chola government.
• The Chola kings gave special titles, like muvendavelan and araiyar, to important landowners to help in running the empire.
• Brahmanas received land from kings.
  • These lands were managed by assemblies called “sabhas.”
    • Brahmana leaders in these sabhas made decisions about village life.
      • The sabha (a council of Brahmins) had different groups or committees to manage things like irrigation, gardens, and temples.
      • Names of people for these groups were written on palm leaves, and a young boy would pick them from a pot to choose the members. (Note: Source:- Inscriptions from Uttaramerur, Tamil Nadu)
    • They even wrote these decisions on temple walls.
• Traders also helped in managing towns and other work.
• In some places like Uttaramerur, leaders for sabha committees were picked by drawing names from a pot.