Important Questions: The Making of Regional Cultures | Social Studies (SST) Class 7 PDF Download

Ans: Small paintings known as miniatures are frequently created on paper or clothing using coloured water. These miniatures were first painted on the leaves of palm trees. During the Mughal era, this genre of art grew greatly in the following ways:

• The well-known Mughal emperors Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan, encouraged and supported talented artists.
• As a result, these painters began using tiny paintings to portray manuscripts that included poetry and historical information.
• Paintings like this were created to depict court events, war scenes, and other facets of social and political life.
• During the Mughal era, these paintings were more common and well-known. They were regularly given to the emperors as presents, and only they and their close nobility were permitted to view these miniatures.

Q3: Describe the Rajput tradition.
Ans: Historians frequently recognise the Rajputs of Rajasthan as having contributed to the region’s distinctive culture. Here are some ways to characterise their culture:

• Rajput kings’ views, beliefs, and goals are connected to their cultural traditions.
• One of their key goals was to spread the notion of bravery.
• They liked the concept of brave warriors battling.
• Even after losing on the battlefield, it is customary for them to demand death rather than forgiveness.
• Prithviraj is one such Rajput monarch who is well-known for his courage and gallantry.

Q4: What importance does fish play in Bengal?
Ans: According to Bengal, fish is important in the following ways:

• The state of Bengal is located on a plain with rivers. As a result, Bengalis receive an abundance of fish and rice. Therefore, these two foods are considered typical Bengali fare and even the less fortunate Bengalis eat them.
• Despite fish and other non-vegetarian foods typically being forbidden for Brahmanas, Bengali Brahmanas often consume rice and fish. Because fish is so important to Bengali culture, the thirteenth-century Sanskrit classic “Brihaddharma Purana” permitted them to eat fish.
• Moreover, Bengalis work mostly in the fishing industry.
• Finally, terracotta tablets depicting images of fish being decorated and sold at markets may be seen on the walls of temples in Bengal.

Q5: Write a short note on Pirs.
Ans: The following is a description of Pirs:

• The term “Pir” refers to a person who serves as a spiritual mentor.
• They were thought to have superhuman abilities.
• People who identified Pirs expressed fondness and respect for them.
• Saints and Sufis are two examples of Pirs, along with colonisers, warriors who have been revered, animistic spirits, and others.

Q6: Briefly describe Bengali literature.
Ans: There are two main categories in Bengali literature:

• The first section covers Bengali translations of Sanskrit epics, auspicious poetry, the Mangalkavyas, and other works of bhakti literature.
• The second section covers Nath literature, including folktales, Gopichandra hymns, ballads, and tales of Dharma Thakur devotion.

Q7: How did the Bengalis create their regional language?
Ans: Bengali, a language said to have descended from Sanskrit, emerged as a distinct regional tongue in the way that:

• During the fourth and third centuries BCE, trade relations between the states of Bengal and Magadha began to grow. Sanskrit became prevalent as a result of the trade that took place between these two locations.
• The Gangetic plains’ cultural and linguistic impact intensified when the Gupta kings took control of Bengal, and Brahmana villages expanded there.
• As time passed, a Chinese traveller named Xuan Zang noticed that people in the whole Bengal area spoke Sanskrit-derived languages in the seventh century.
• Bengali underwent complete regional evolution from the seventh to the sixteenth centuries, a period of dominance in Bengal by the Palas, Sultans, and Mughal emperors Akbar. A well-known literary language used in West Bengal by the fourteenth century brought together wide varieties of the Bengali language.

As a result, it may be said that Bengali is a dialect of Sanskrit. It did, however, go through several phases of development. In the process, vocabulary from tribal, European, and Persian languages was incorporated into the Bengali language.

Q8: What do you know about Rajput tradition of heroism? Write in brief [V. Imp.]
Ans: Rajputs are closely associated with the culture of Rajasthan. It is they who made this culture distinctive. The cultural traditions of Rajasthan were linked with the ideals and aspirations of rulers. From about the eighth century, most of the present-day Rajasthan was ruled by various Rajput families. The name of Prithviraj is worth-mentioning because he was one of the ablest Rajput rulers. These Rajput rulers ares known for their bravery and sense of sacrifice. They cherished the ideal of the hero who fought valiantly, often choosing death on the battlefield rather than face defeat. Stories about Rajput heroes were recorded in poems and songs, which were recited by specially trained minstrels. These preserved the memories of heroes and were expected to inspire others to follow their examples. Ordinary people also liked these stories which often depicted dramatic situations and a range of strong emotions in the forms of loyalty, friendship, love, valour, anger etc.

Q9: How did Bengali develop as a regional language? [Imp.]
Ans:Bengali is said to have been derived from Sanskrit but early Sanskrit texts derived it. Now the Q:arises how did this language develop. From the fourth-third centuries BCE, commercial ties developed between Bengal and Magadha which may have led to the growing influence of Sanskrit. During the fourth century the Gupta rulers established political control over north Bengal and began to settle Brahmanas in this area. Thus, the linguistic and cultural influence from the mid-Ganga valley became stronger. In the seventh century the Chinese traveller Xuan Zang observed that languages related to Sanskrit were in use all over Bengal. From the eighth century, Bengal became the centre of a regional kingdom under the Palas. Between the 14th and 15th centuries Bengal was ruled by Sultans. In 1586, when Akbar conquered Bengal, it formed the nucleus of the Bengal Suba, While Persian was the language of administration, Bengali developed as a regional language.

Q10: Why were temples built in Bengal?
Ans: The arrival of European trading companies gave Bengal new economic prospects. The construction of temples was a result of social and economic progress. Several “low” socioeconomic groups, such as the Kolu (oil pressers) and the Kansari, contributed to the construction of many of Bengal’s humble brick and terracotta temples (bell metal workers). When local deities, who had previously been worshipped in huts made of thatch in villages, won the respect of the Brahmanas, their statues started to be kept in temples.

Q11: What is Manipravalam? Name a book written in that language.
Ans: The two languages, Sanskrit and the regional language, are referred to as “diamonds and corals” in the name Manipravalam. Lilatilakam is a book published in Manipravalam that discusses grammar and poetry.

Q12: Why did conquerors try to control the temple of Jagannatha at Puri?
Ans: In the twelfth century, Anantavarman, one of the most significant kings of the Ganga dynasty, decided to build a Purushottama Jagannatha temple in Puri. Then, in 1230, monarch Anangabhima III declared himself to be God’s “deputy” and consecrated his whole realm to God. The temple’s influence on social and political issues grew along with its prominence as a pilgrimage site. To win the support of the local populace, the Mughals, Marathas, and English East India Company invaded Orissa and made an effort to seize possession of the temple.

Q13: Who were the major patrons of Kathak? 
Ans: With the growth of the bhakti movement, Kathak started to develop into a distinctive dance style in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Rasa Lila, a type of folk theatre, is a traditional blended dance with the fundamental gestures used by kathak storytellers to depict the stories of Radha-Krishna. Kathak was usually performed in the court of the Mughal emperors and their nobility, where it took on its current characteristics and evolved into a dance style. Later, it evolved into two customs, or gharanas: one in the Rajasthani courts (Jaipur) and the other in Lucknow. It developed into an effective art form with the support of Wajid Ali Shah, the final Nawab of Awadh.

Q14: Why do we know much more about the cultural practices of rulers than about those of ordinary people?
Ans: The cultural practices of rulers are more known than those of commoners for the following reasons:

• The financial and material means needed by common people to preserve their memories and cultural traditions were lacking.
• Kings could only support the cost of historians, minstrels, and documentation.
• In their palaces, rulers could safely store their records.
• It used to be difficult for regular people to make a living.

Q15: What are the important architectural features of the temples of Bengal?
Ans: Bengal saw a surge in temple construction from the late fourteenth century through the nineteenth century. Several “low” socioeconomic groups, such as the Kolu (oil pressers) and the Kansari, contributed to the construction of many of Bengal’s humble brick and terracotta temples (bell metal workers). When local deities, who had previously been worshipped in huts made of thatch in villages, won the respect of the Brahmanas, their statues started to be kept in temples. The temples started to imitate the thatched houses’ double-roofed (dochala) or four-roofed (chauchala) architecture. As a result, the traditional Bengali style of temple building developed. Temples were often constructed on square platforms and had very basic interiors, but many of them also had painted exteriors or exteriors with decorative tiles or clay tablets. Such embellishments attained perfection in a few temples, notably at Vishnupur in the Bankura region of West Bengal.