NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Chapter 9 - The Making Of Regional Cultures

1. Match the following:

Ans: 

2. What is Manipravalam? Name a book written in that language.

Ans: Manipravalam is a hybrid language. It literally means “diamonds and corals” but it is a fusion of two languages; Sanskrit and regional language. 

A book named Lilatilakam is written in this language.

3. Who were the major patrons of Kathak?

Ans: The Mughal emperors and the Nawabs of Lucknow, particularly Wajid Ali Shah, were important patrons of Kathak.

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

Ans: The double-roof and four-roof were major architectural elements of Bengali temples. Four triangular roofs put on the four walls travel up to converge on a curved line or a point in a more sophisticated four-roofed building. The majority of temples were constructed on a square platform. Many temples had murals, decorative tiles, or clay tablets adorning their outside walls. Such embellishments achieved a high level of perfection in several temples, notably in Vishnupur in West Bengal's Bankura district.

5. Why did minstrels proclaim the achievements of heroes?

Ans: Poems and melodies about Rajput warriors were written down and performed by particularly trained minstrels. These poems and songs were written to commemorate heroes and to encourage others to follow in their footsteps. These stories, which typically showed dramatic events and a spectrum of powerful emotions like loyalty, friendship, love, valour, and rage, were very appealing to ordinary people.

6. 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 known widely than about those of ordinary people because:

1. Ordinary people lacked the financial and material resources to retain their memories and cultural traditions.

2. Only rulers could afford the cost of documentation, minstrels and historians.

3. Rulers could keep their documents safely in their palaces.

4. Ordinary folks used to have a hard time making a living.

7. Why did conquerors try to control the temple of Jagannatha at Puri?

Ans: Conquerors sought possession of the Jagannatha temple at Puri because it would make their rule respectable to the local people because the temple was significant as a pilgrimage site and the temple was also a center of power in social and political affairs.

8. Why were temples built in Bengal?

Ans: In Bengal, temples were constructed to accommodate local deities who had received respect from the Brahmanas. Several “low” socioeconomic groups, such as the Kolu (oil pressers) and the Kansari (bell metal workers), contributed to the construction of many of Bengal's humble brick and terracotta temples. 

Another reason is the arrival of European commercial firms. It opened up new economic prospects, which many families from various socioeconomic classes took advantage of. They built temples to proclaim their rank as their social and economic status strengthened.

NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science – Free PDF Download

You can now download all the solutions for Class 7th History Chapter 9 from the official website of Vedantu. The NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 9 PDF can be a convenient resource for quick revision of the entire chapter without connecting to the internet. Just download and save them on your device and refer to them whenever in doubt.

Chapter 9 – The Making of Regional Cultures

NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science Chapters

Introduction

In the medieval period, many languages and various literature emerged. In general, people tend to associate a region with a specific language. Along with language, each region has its own form of dance, style of clothing, poetry, music, painting, and other forms of art.

Cheras and Development of Malayalam

In this section of NCERT Class 7 History Chapter 9, the evolution of the Malayalam language is described. The Malayalam language was introduced by the Chera empire in the 9th century. They belonged to the Mahodayapuram area in the southwestern part of Kerala. The rulers of Chera introduced the Malayalam language and its script in their inscription. The first work of literature in Malayalam is traced back to the 12th century and sprung mainly from the Sanskrit language.

Rulers and Religious Traditions – The Jagannatha Cult

In many parts of India, regional culture is strongly linked with religious traditions. The cult of Jagannatha (or lord of the world), which is another name for Vishnu, is the best example of this tradition. Initially, local people made a wooden image of the deity but later Anant Varman, who was a powerful ruler of the Ganga dynasty in the 12th century, established the famous temple for Lord Jagannatha in the city of Puri. The temple eventually became a pilgrimage centre.

The Rajputs and The Tradition of Heroism

You will learn about the Rajput culture in this portion of ch 9 History Class 7. What we know as Rajasthan today was called Rajputana in the 19th century when Britishers ruled India. Rajputs are identified with valiant warriors, and their women also are given a heroic aura since they committed Sati (self-immolation), In Northern and central India, many people are called Rajputs. Prithviraj Chauhan was one of the eminent rulers of the Rajput clan. Many poems and songs talk about Rajput heroes and their bravery.

Beyond Regional Frontiers – The Story of Kathak

Kathak emerged as a storytelling method (Katha) from a caste of storytellers in the temples of North India. The rasleela or playful acts between Radha and Krishna were enacted in folk plays in kathak form. In the 15th and 16th centuries, when the bhakti movement started spreading, Kathak obtained a distinct mode of dance. It was the main form of dance performed in the courts of Mughal emperors and other nobles.

Kathak evolved as two different gharanas – Banaras gharana and Lucknow gharana, which are marked with their distinctive style of performance.

By the end of the 19th century, Kathak was established as a classical dance form in regions like Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh.

There was also the introduction of new instruments like sitar and novel forms of singing like qawwali and khayal.

Paintings For Patrons – The Tradition of Miniatures

During this period, the tradition of miniatures also came into existence. These are small-sized paintings which are done on cloth with watercolour. Kitab khana is the manuscript that has accounts of rulers like Akbar, Shah Jahan, and Jahangir. They hired skilled painters to do this work in miniature painting form. In the 17th century, schools like Basohli and Kangra, which taught miniature painting in the Himalayas were developed.

A Closer Look - Bengal

This segment of CBSE Class 7 History Chapter 9 sheds light on the Bengali language and culture. Languages which people of a certain region speak is called its regional language. People speak Bengali of Bengal, but it originated from Sanskrit. It later gained its own identity and literature. Bengali literature has two broad categories, one is translations from Sanskrit epics, and another is Nath literature. Due to the riverine in Bengal region, people of Bengal eat rice and fish as their staple diet.

Pirs and Temples

Around the 16th-century people started migrating from western Bengal towards southeastern Bengal due to infertile land on the western side. Since Mughals controlled Bengal during that time, the capital shifted to Dhaka with officials getting land grants and mosques being set up.

Pirs were teachers who helped early settlers and established law and order. Pirs comprised saints and Sufis and eminent religious personalities. Temples started getting constructed on a large scale from the 15th century onwards.

Exercise Let’s Recall

NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science History Chapter 9 is prepared in simple language for a better understanding of students. You will surely get good scores once you go through the solutions prepared by our experts.

Exercise Let’s Recall: 4 Questions (3 short questions, 1 match the following).

Exercise Let’s Discuss

In this exercise of Class 7 SST History Chapter 9, students would be able to comprehend the gist of the whole chapter through various long questions.

Exercise Let’s Recall: 3 Questions (3 long questions).