Long Questions: Buildings, Paintings and Books | NCERT Summary: UPSC PDF Download

Q1: Have you ever visited any place mentioned in this chapter? If yes, explain your thoughts.
Ans: The place which I have visited is Mahabalipuram. There were many monolithic temples built . I would love to go and visit this place again and would like to see those temples again. They have been carved from top to bottom. They are being maintained quite well now. Stone temples fascinate me, and I love to visit them. Also, it is close to the seashore, so seeing that area so close to the water was even more amazing.

Q2: Read the story of Monkey King. How do you think the story of chapter Kingdom, Kings and Early Republic different from the chapter New Empires and Kingdoms?
Ans: Between the monkey king and the kings we've read, there are some differences and some similarities.
Some of the commonalities between them include:

• The monkey king, like previous kings, recognised the public's needs.
• Like all rulers, the monkey king made every effort to safeguard his subjects and supporters.

Below are some of the differences between them:

• The monkey king and his people lived by eating mangoes. The monarchs, on the other hand, get to consume a lot of good cuisine.
• The monkey king did not declare war on the king or attempt to assassinate him. The other kings, on the other hand, usually go to war or try to capture others in order to fulfil their demands or demonstrate their strength.

Q3: How can we make the visiting of monuments and building easily available for differently abled people?
Ans: We can make visiting monuments and sites accessible to differently abled people in the following ways:

• There should be some type of wheelchair available in the complex, as well as individuals who can assist them with it.
• To have low-cost guides who can describe the monuments to them and make them feel as if they are actually experiencing them.
• There should be an unique entrance and services for persons who are differently abled.
• Any building or monument can be equipped with lifts to transport people up and down it.
• If at all possible, have some makeshift lifts that can transport people to the upper levels so that they may fully appreciate the monuments.

Q4: Discuss in short some of the earliest Hindu temples.
Ans:

• Along with the Buddhist stupas, we also find some of the earliest Hindu temples. Deities such as Vishnu, Shiva, and Durga were worshipped in these shrines. For example such temples are found at Bhitargaon in Uttar Pradesh.
• Bhitargaon’s Hindu temples were built about 1500 years ago. These temples were built of baked brick and stone.
• The most important part of the temple was the room known as the garbhagriha. Where the image of the chief deity was placed. It was here that priests performed rituals, and devotees offered worship to the deity.
• Generally, as at Bhitargaon, a tower, known as the shikhara, was built on top of the garbhagriha, to mark this out as a sacred place. Building shikharas required careful planning.
• Most Hindu temples also had a space known as the mandapa, where people could assemble.

In south India Mahabalipuram and Aihole, two towns were very famous for their temples. Some of the finest stone temples were built in these towns. Three of these temples are – (1) the Rathas, (2) Shore temple, (3) and Durga temple. These temples were built about 1400 years ago.
Monolith or single stone temples are also very beautiful and impressive. A temple that was carved out of a huge, single piece of stone (that is why, it is known as a monolith). Making temples such as this one was very different from building in brick. Brick structures are built up by adding layers from the bottom upwards, while in the case of this temple (monolith), the stone cutters had to work from top downwards.

Q5: Explain the meaning of the word Epics. Discuss two Tamil Epics.
Ans:

• Epics: Some of the best known epics were written during ancient Indian historical period. Epics are grand, long compositions, about heroic men and women and include stories about deities.
• Two Famous Tamil Epics:
  • The Silappadikaram: A famous Tamil epic, the Silappadikaram, was composed by a poet named Ilango, around 1800 years ago. It is the story of a merchant named Kovalm, who lived in Puhar and went to Madurai, where he was wrongly accused of theft by the court jeweller of the Pandya king, who sentenced him to death. Kannagi, who still loved him was full of grief and anger at this injustice, and destroyed the whole city of Madurai.
  • The Manimekalai: Second Tamil epic, the Manimekalai was composed by Sattanar around 1400 years ago. This describes the story of the daughter of Kovalan and Madhavi. These beautiful compositions were lost to scholars for several centuries till their manuscripts were rediscovered, about a hundred years ago.

Q6: Name the chapters in which you find mention of objects of metals.
Ans: Metal working or metal things were addressed in the following chapters:

• Buildings, Paintings and books - There are references to an iron pillar and gold jewellery.
• Traders, Kings and Pilgrims - Gold is mentioned in the context of presents.
• Vital villages and Thriving towns - Many iron implements are discussed here.
• Kingdoms, kings and early republic - Mines were mentioned by them.
• What Books and Burials Tells us - Golden jewellery, iron utensils, and iron weaponry are all listed here.
• In the earliest cities - Copper was used to produce tools. Ornaments were made of gold and silver.

Q7: Tell a story from any epics.
Ans: There are several stories that teach us valuable lessons and inspire us. The Mahabharatha contains one such narrative. Dronacharya, the Pandava and Kauravas' guru, once placed a wooden bird on a tree branch and instructed each of his followers to aim for the bird's eye. When he asked his students what they had seen, all of them, except Arjun, said they had seen a lot. Arjun was the only one who saw the bird's eye and nothing else. Arjun was able to do it right when Dronacharya instructed him to shoot the fowl in the eye. This demonstrates the level of focus required to complete any work successfully.

Q8: What is the meaning of the word Stupa? Mention certain common features of the stupa.
Ans:

• Meaning of the word Stupa: The word stupa means a mound. Stupas are Buddhist religious buildings. While there are several types of stupas, round and tall, big and small. These have certain common features.
• Common features of the Stupa:
  • Generally, there is a small box placed at the centre or heart of the stupa. This may contain bodily remains (such as teeth, hone or ashes) of the Buddha or his followers, or things they used, as well as precious stones, and coins. This box, known as a relic casket, was covered with earth. Later, a layer of mud brick or baked brick was added on. And then, the structure was sometimes covered with carved stone slabs.
  • Often, a path, known as the pradakshina patha, was laid around the stupa. This was surrounded with railings. Entrance to the path was through gateways. Devotees walked around the stupa, in a clockwise direction as a mark of devotion. Both railings and gateways were generally decorated with sculpture.