Chapter 10: Changing Times

Choose the correct alternative and write the complete sentence.

The history of Indo-Greeks is known through their ______.

OPTIONS

literature
inscription
coins
pottery

SOLUTION

The history of Indo-Greeks is known through their coins.

Gupta dynasty was founded by ______.

OPTIONS

Sri Gupta
Ghatotkach
Samudragupta
Ramgupta

SOLUTION

Gupta dynasty was founded by Sri Gupta.

After accession by defeating the Shakas, ______ took up the title of ‘Vikramaditya’.

OPTIONS

Chandragupta II
Ramgupta
Chandragupta I
Kumaragupta

SOLUTION

After accession by defeating the Shakas, Chandragupta II took up the title of ‘Vikramaditya’.

Find the incorrect pair from set B and write the correct ones.

Set ‘A’	Set ‘B’
(1) Kshaum	Linen cloth
(2) Pushpapatta	Cotton cloth
(3) Dukul	Silk cloth
(4) Amshuka	Muslin cloth

SOLUTION

Set ‘A’	Set ‘B’
(2) Pushpapatta	Floral designs

Explain the following statement with reasons.

During the Gupta period the power was concentrated in the hands of local landlords.

SOLUTION

During the Gupta period, lands were granted to civil and military officers instead of salaries.
The roots of the feudal system can be found in this period.
It is believed that the feudal economy brought about the decline of urban centres.
Because of revenue tax exemption on the donated land, the revenue too decreased and the royal treasury depleted.
It was concentrated in the hands of locals' landlords. Because of this the king no longer remained in the centre of power.

Every tide of Huna invasion made the Gupta rule weaker.

SOLUTION

During the period of Kumargupta son of Chandragupta II, the Huna in India began.
Kumargupta withheld the attacks of Hunas.
After Kumargupta, the succeeding kings proved to be incapable of protecting their kingdom.
Finally, the Gupta empire disintegrated into many and small kingdoms.

State your opinion.

Samudragupta performed Asvamedha sacrifice after Digvijaya.

SOLUTION

Samudraguptas ambition was to rule entire India as a unified empire.

Samudragupta first conquered neighbouring kingdoms.

After the conquest in the North, he carried out an expedition in the south to conquer the southern kingdoms. The rulers of the regions beyond this conquered area became his feudatories.

He made them accept his suzerainty.

After this conquest (Digvijay) Samudragupta performed the Ashwamedha Sacrifice and proclaimed himself as Chakravarti king.

Write Short notes.

Gupta Sculpture

SOLUTION

The human figure was the central theme of the sculptures in the Gupta period.
Human sculptures and images of deities were created during this period.
Sculptures belonging to this period are found in many places such as Sarnath, Devgadh, Ajanta.
During this period, Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious icons were made of stone, metals, and terracotta.

Indo-Roman Trade

SOLUTION

The Periplus of Erythrean Sea written in the mid 1st century C.E mentions about the Red sea and the sea routes connecting coastal line, ports, provinces, goods exchanged in trade.
Items like textiles, black pepper, precious stones, ivory and animals such as monkey, parrot and peacock for entertainment were exported from India.
Gold coins were the medium of exchange. Coral and liquor were items of import.
A large amount of these gold coins found in south India gives an extent of the trade.
The growing trade between Rome and India saw the rise of several markets and cities. Ter, Nevasa, Bhokardan were some of the places where commodities were stored.
The port of Sopara and Kalyan were important centres of Indo-Roman trade.

Answer the following question with the help of given points.

How did the standardisation in various sections during the Gupta period take place?

division of Gupta administration
changes in economic structure economy of agriculture
Development of Gupta coinage

SOLUTION

a. Division of Gupta Administrations :

During the Gupta period, the king was the centre of administration. The Prince, Amatya (ministers) and advisors helped him. Many times, the prince was appointed as viceroy who looked after the provincial administration.
Every province was subdivisions These subdivisions were called Vishaya There was an independent administrator appointed to these Vishayas. They were known as 'Vishayapath'.
'Kumaramatya' were the provincial officers and 'Ayuktak' were the officials who looked after the affairs of the districts.
Gupta administration was decentralised. Many decisions were taken.

b. Changes in the economic structure, economy of agriculture :

The economic structure of the agricultural system was changed by the Gupta kings.
They preferred giving land to local farmers for tilling. Land donations were also made for the cause of religion and learning. These lands were tax-free.
They were called Agraharas
The civil and military officers were granted land grants instead of salaries. Because of revenue tax exemption on the donated land.
The power was concentrated on the local landlord
Sugarcane and wheat were cultivated in the northwest province of the Gupta empire while the rice was cultivated in Magadha and eastern regions.

c. Development of Gupta Coinage :

Gold Smiths enjoyed a high social status in this period.
The gold coins are excellent examples of their skills.
A beautiful and realistic portrayal of various aspects of the king is the characteristic of Gupta Coins.

Balbharati Solutions for History 11th Standard Maharashtra State Board

• Chapter 1: First Farmers

• Chapter 2: First Cities of India

• Chapter 3: Chalcolithic Villages in India

• Chapter 4: Vedic Period

• Chapter 5: Janapadas and Republics

• Chapter 6: Second Urbanisation in India

• Chapter 7: India and Iran (Persia)

• Chapter 8: India during Mauryan period

• Chapter 9: Post Mauryan India

• Chapter 10: Changing Times

• Chapter 11: Kingdoms in South India