NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 2 - New Kings And Kingdoms

Gurjara-Pratiharas ⇒Gujarat and Rajasthan

Rashtrakutas ⇒Western Deccan

Palas ⇒Bengal

Cholas⇒ Tamil Nadu

Three parties were involved in the “tripartite struggle” and fought for control over Kannauj. These three parties were the Gurjara-Pratihara, Rashtrakuta and Pala dynasties.

The following qualifications were necessary for becoming a member of the sabha in the Chola empire:

a. To become members of the sabha, one should be the owner of the land from which land revenue is collected and should have their own home.

b. One should be aged between 35 years and 70 years of age and should have knowledge of the Vedas.

c. One should be honest and well-versed in administrative matters.

d. If anyone has been a member of any committee in the last three years, he cannot become a member of another committee.

e. Anyone who has not submitted his accounts or of his relatives, cannot contest the elections.

The two major cities that were under the control of the Chahamanas were Delhi and Ajmer.

The Rashtrakutas in the Deccan were subordinate to the Chalukyas of Karnataka. During the mid-8th century, Dantidurga, a Rashtrakuta chief, overthrew his Chalukya overlord and performed a ritual called ‘Hiranya-garbha’ with the help of Brahmanas. During this period, it was thought that the sacrifcer would be reborn as a Kshatriya, even if he was not one by birth. Also, they fought against the dynasties of Gurjara Pratihara and Palas. Thus, they successfully established kingdoms in Karnataka and Rajasthan respectively.

To gain acceptance, the new dynasties took on new titles and performed religious rituals to become a part of the Kshatriyas. They were regarded as subordinates or Samantas by their overloads and later declared themselves to be maha-Samanta after gaining power and wealth. The new dynasties also engaged themselves in warfare to assert their power and carve kingdoms for themselves.

During the fifth or sixth century, the areas near the Kaveri river in Tamil Nadu were opened up for large-scale cultivation. The irrigation works that were developed in the Tamil region led to the development of water channels for agriculture, construction of embankments to prevent floods and digging of wells and tanks for storage of water.

Chola temples were centres of craft production and often became the nuclei of settlements, which grew around them. The Chola temples were not only places of worship but also the hub of economic, social and cultural life. They were also endowed with land by rulers, as well as by others. The produce of this land went into maintaining all the specialists who worked at the temple. Among the crafts associated with temples, the making of bronze images became the most distinctive and these bronze images are still considered the finest in the world. Most of these bronze images were of deities, while some of these images depicted devotees as well.