The Making Of Regional Cultures - Class 7 History - Extra Questions

What distinguished Kangra painting from the other paintings?

Soft colours including cool blues and greens, and a lyrical treatment of themes distinguished Kangra painting from other paintings.


Choose one state each from north, west, south, east and central India. For each of these, prepare a list of foods that are commonly consumed, highlighting any differences and similarities that you notice.

States List of Foods
  • Punab (North)
Makke ki roti, Sarason ka saag, Rajma-chawal, Dal-chapatis
  • Rahasthan (West)
Dalia, dal and Churma, Mama Kachori
  • KErala (South)
Rice and fish, Idli-Sambhar, Dosa, Dhokla
  • West Bengal (East)
Rice and fish
  • Madhya Pradesh (Central)
Dal-chapatis, chawal-dal


What are the chief food items of the Bengalis?

Rice and fish are the chief food items of the Bengalis. 


Why was the second category of the early Bengali literature not written down?

The second category of the early Bengali literature was circulated orally and therefore it was not written down.


Why were the Bengal Brahmanas allowed to eat fish?

The Bengal Brahmanas were allowed to eat fish because fish was the main item in the local diet.


Give a detailed description of Kathak, a popular classical dance form of north India.

The term Kathak is derived from Katha, a word used in Sanskrit and other languages for story. The Kathaks were originally a caste of story-tellers in temples of north India, who beautified their performances with gestures and songs. Kathak began evolving into a distinct mode of dance in the 15th and 16th centuries with the spread of the Bhakti movement. the legends of Radha-Krishna were enacted in folk plays known as rasa lila, which combined folk dance with the basic gestures of the Kathak story-tellers. Kathak was performed in the Mughal court. Here, it acquired its present features and developed into a form of dance with a distinctive style. Afterwards, it developed in two traditions known as gharanas-one in the courts of Rajasthan, Jaipur and the other in Lucknow. Kathak grew into a major art form only under the patronage of Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh. By the third quarter of the 19th century it was firmly established as a dance form not only in these two regions but also in the adjoining areas of present-day Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Emphasis was laid on intricate and rapid footwork, elaborate costumes as well as on the enactment of stories. Although most British administrators never favoured Kathak, it survived and continued to be performed by courtesans. It was recognised as a classical dance form after the country got independence.


How did Bengali develop as a regional language?

Bengali is said to have been derived from Sanskrit but early Sanskrit texts derived it. Now the question 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.
By the 15th century, the Bengali group of dialects came to be united by a common literary language based on the spoken language of the western part of the region, now known as West Bengal. Thus, although Bengali is derived from Sanskrit, it passed through several stages of evolution. A wide range of non-Sanskrit words, derived from tribal languages, Persian and European language, have become part of modem Bengali.


Mention the role of the Cheras in the development of Malayalam.

The Chera kingdom of Mahodayapuram was established in the ninth century in the south-western part of the peninsula, part of present-day Kerala. It is likely that Malayalam was spoken in this area. The rulers introduced the Malayalam language and script in their inscriptions.


How did regional cultures evolve?

Regional cultures today are often the product of complex processes of intermixing of local traditions with ideas from other parts of the sub-continent. Some traditions appear specific to some regions, others seem to be similar across regions and yet others derive from older practices in a particular area, but take a new form in other regions.


Who were the major partron of kathak?

The mughals were the major patrons of Kathak.


What are the important architectural features of the temples of Bengal?

Important architectural features of the temples of Bengal are:
  • Temples of Bengal began to copy the double-roofed structure of the thatched huts.
  • In a comparatively more complex four-roofed structure, four triangular roofs were placed on the four walls to move up to converge on a curved line or a point.
  • Temples were usually built on a square platform
  • The interior was relatively plain but the outer walls of many temples were decorated with paintings, ornamental tiles or terracotta tablets.


Write a brief note on early Bengali literature.

There are two categories of early Bengali literature :
  • The first includes translations of the Sanskrit epics, the Mangalakavyas, auspicious poems, dealing with local deities, and Bhakti literature such as the biographies of Chaitanyadeva, the leader of the Vaishnava Bhakti movement.
  • the second includes Nath literature such as the songs of Maynamati and Gopichandra, stories concerning the worship of Dharma Thakur, and fairy tales, Folk tales and ballads. The texts belonging to the first category are written while those belonging to the second category circulated orally.


How did the Cheras draw upon Sanskritic traditions?

The temple theatre of Kerala borrowed stories from the Sanskrit epics. The first literary works in Malayalam, dated to about the 12th century, are directly indebted to Sanskrit. The Lilatilakam, a fourteenth century text, dealt with grammar and poetics and was composed in Manipravalam - literally, diamonds and corals' referring to the two languages namely Sanskrit and the regional language.


What is the significance of fish in Bengal?

Bengal is a riverine plain which produces abundant rice and fish. These two items are important foods of the Bengalis. Fishing has always been an important occupation and Bengali literature contains several references to fish. What is more, terracotta plaques on the walls of temples and viharas depict scenes of fish being dressed and taken to the market in baskets. 
Due to the popularity of fish in the local diet the Bengal Brahmanas also started eating fish. The Brihaddharma Purana, a thirteenth-century Sanskrit text from Bengal, permitted them to eat certain varieties of fish. 


Define the term Kathak. 

The term Kathak is derived from Katha, a word used in Sanskrit and other languages for the story. 


Why did minstrels proclaim the achievements of heroes?

Minstrels used to recite poems and songs which depicted the stories of the "Rajputs" heroic deeds. By reciting such poems and songs these minstrels inspired others to follow the examples of Rajputs. Ordinary people were also attracted by these stories.


Why were temples built in Bengal? 

Temple building in Bengal from the late 15th century gained momentum in the 19th century. Individuals or groups built temples to demonstrate their power and affluence. Some of the temples got constructed with the support of several low social groups. Some families belonging to these social groups availed of the new economic opportunities with the arrival of the European trading companies with the improvement in their social and economic position they also built temples to show their status. The local deities once worshipped in thatched huts in villages were now gained recognition of the Brahmanas. This recognition shifted them from the thatched huts to brick-built temples. 


Class 7 History Extra Questions