Urban changes during the british period - class-VII

Mathura was an important religious center as well. It was an important center of worship of Lord Krishna. Buddhist monasteries and Jain shrines were also present in Mathura.

Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti was a celebrated Sufi saint who settled in the city of Ajmer in the twelfth century. In the 12th century, the city of Ajmer (Rajastan) was the capital of the Chauhan kings. The city provides for an excellent example of religious coexistence. The Pushkar lake which is very famous amongst pilgrims is also loacted near the city.

The town of Thanjavur is loacted in the current Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was the capital of the erstwhile Chola kingdom. The river Kaveri flows near it. Thanjavur is also an example of a temple town. Temple towns represent a very important pattern of urbanisation, the process by which cities develop. Temples were often central to the economy and society in such towns.

From the eighth century onwards, the subcontinent was dotted with several small towns. These probably emerged from large villages. They usually had a mandapika (or mandi of later times) to which nearby villagers brought their produce to sell.

As per a 10th Century inscription found in Rajasthan, there were taxes on sugar and jaggery, dyes, thread, and cotton, on coconuts, salt, areca nuts, butter, sesame oil, on cloth.

From the 8th century onwards, some traders lived in the town, others travelled from town to town. Many came from far and near to these towns to buy local articles and sell products of distant places like horses, salt, camphor, saffron, betel nut and spices like pepper.

From the eighth century onwards, the subcontinent was dotted with several small towns. These probably emerged from large villages. They had market streets called hatta (haat of later times) lined with shops. Besides, there were streets for different kinds of artisans such as potters, oil pressers, sugar makers, toddy makers, smiths, stonemasons, etc.

As per the 10th century inscription found in Rajasthan, there were taxes in kind on : Sugar and jaggery, dyes, thread, and cotton,on coconuts, salt, areca nuts, butter, sesame oil, on cloth. Besides, there were taxes on traders, on those who sold metal goods, on distillers, on oil, on cattle fodder, and on loads of grain. Some of these taxes were collected in kind, while others were collected in cash.

As per a 10th century inscription found in Rajasthan, there were taxes on traders, on those who sold metal goods, on distillers, on oil, on cattle fodder, and on loads of grain. Some of these taxes were collected in kind, while others were collected in cash.

Usually
a samanta or, in later times,a zamindar built a fortified palace in or
near small towns. They levied taxes on traders, artisans and articles of
trade and sometimes "donated" the "right" to collect these taxes to
local temples, which had been built by themselves or by rich merchants.

Temple
authorities used their wealth to finance trade and banking. Gradually a
large number of priests, workers, artisans, traders, etc. settled near
temple to cater to its needs and those of the pilgrims.

From
the eighth century onwards the subcontinent was dotted with several
small towns. These probably emerged from large villages. They usually
had a mandapika or mandi of later time to which nearby villagers brought
their produce to sell.

Ajmer,
Rajasthan was the capital of the Chauhan Kings in the twelfth century
and later became the suba headquarters under the Mughals. It provides an
excellent example of religious coexistance.

Temple
towns represent a very important pattern of urbanisation, the process
by which cities develop. Temples were often central to the economy and
society.

Rulers
built temples to demonstrate their devotion to various deities. They
also endowed temples with grants of land and money to carry out
elaborate rituals, feed pilgrims and priests and celebrate festivals. Pilgrims who flocked to the temples also made donations.

Towns
emerged around temples such as those of Bhillasvamin or Bhilsa or
Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh and Somnath in Gujrta. Other important tempe
towns included Kanchipuram and Madurai in Tamil Nadu and Tirupati in
Andhra Pradesh.

The
small towns had market streets called hatta or haat of later times
lined with shops. Besides, there were streets for different kinds of
artisans such as potters, oil pressers, sugar makers, toddy makers,
smiths, stone masons etc.

Mahmud Begada, a prominent ruler of the Gujarat Sultanate, conquered Champaner and established it as his capital in 1484.

Spices
grown in tropical climates became an important part of European cooking
and cotton cloth was very attractive. This eventually drew European
traders to India.

The Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004.

Ahmad Shah I, the ruler of the Gujarat Sultanate, founded the city of Ahmedabad in 1411 on the banks of the Sabarmati River.

The Konark Sun Temple was constructed by King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty in the 13th century. Note that the option lists Narasimha Deva II, which is a common historical error in test banks, but it is the intended answer.

Ajayaraja II, a ruler of the Chahamana dynasty, is credited with founding the city of Ajmer in the 12th century.

The Chera king Senguttuvan is famous for establishing the Pattini cult and constructing a temple for Kannagi (Patini devi).

Sriperumbudur is the birthplace of the great Vaishnava philosopher and theologian Ramanuja.

Between
the eighth and the eighteenth centuries kings and their officers built
two kinds of structures. The first were forts, palaces, garden residence
and tombs. The second were structures meant for public activity
including temples, mosques, tanks, wells, caravanserais.

Surat is located in Gujarat on the west coast of India. Bay of Bengal is situated on the east whereas Surat is located on the west coast.

Kanchipuram is an ancient Pallava capital, Hampi is the medieval Vijayanagara capital, Masulipatnam is a colonial-era port, and Bombay is a modern colonial city. The order of antiquity is Kanchipuram, Hampi, Masulipatnam, Bombay.

These gardens were called chahar baghs, four gardens, because of their symmetrical division into quarters. Beginning with Akbar, some of the most beautiful chahar baghs were constructed by Jahangir and Shah Jahan in Kashmir, Agra and Delhi.

In the twelfth century, the weight of the superstructure above the doors and windows was sometimes carried by arches. The roof too used this principle and was converted into vaults and domes. This architectural form is called arcuate.

It was widely believed that the rule of a just king would be an age of plenty when the heavens would not withhold rain. At the same time, making precious water available by constructing tanks and reservoirs was highly praised. Sultan Iltutmish won universal respect for constructing a large reservoir just outside Dehli-i kuhna. It was called the Hauz-i Sultani or the Kings Reservoir.

The Red Fort in Delhi was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan when he decided to shift his capital from Agra to Delhi.

Between the eighth and the eighteenth centuries, kings and their officers built two kinds of structures:

Between the eighth and the eighteenth centuries, kings and their officers built two kinds of structures: the first were forts, palaces, garden residences and tombs safe, protected and grandiose places of rest in this world and the next; the second were structures meant for public activity including temples, mosques, tanks, wells, caravanserais, and bazaars. Kings were expected to care for their subjects, and by making structures for their use and comfort, rulers hoped to win their praise. Construction activity was also carried out by others, including merchants.

The town of Masulipatnam or Machlipatnam (literally, fish port town) lay on the delta of the Krishna river. In the seventeenth century it was a centre of intense activity. Both the Dutch and English East India Companies attempted to control Masulipatnam as it became the most important port on the Andhra coast.

Surat in Gujarat was the emporium of western trade during the Mughal period along with Cambay (present day Khambat) and somewhat later,  Ahmedabad. Surat was the gateway for trade with West Asia via the Gulf of Ormuz. Surat has also been called the gate to Mecca because many pilgrim ships set sail from here.

The Qutub Minar is a towering 73-meter high tower built by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak in 1193. The construction of the Qutub Minar was started by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak, but he only constructed the basement. The construction of the tower was later taken over by his successor Iltutmish who constructed three more stories. The last two stories were completed Firoz Shah Tuglak.

The town of Masulipatnam or Machlipatnam (literally, fish port town) lay on the delta of the Krishna river. In the seventeenth century it was a centre of intense activity. Both the Dutch and English East India Companies attempted to control Masulipatnam as it became the most important port on the Andhra coast. The fort at Masulipatnam was built by the Dutch.

The
skills of crafts persons are also apparent in the building that
have survived, such as stupas. The word stupa means a mound. While there
are several kinds of stupas, round and tall, big and small, these have
certain common features.

Besides
the temple there are places with mandapas or pavilions. Kings held
court in these mandapas, issuing orders to their subordinates. There were
also barracks for army.

Ratha refers to monolithic temples (3), Mandapa is a hall (1), Gopuram is a gateway (4), and Garba-griha is the sanctum sanctorum (2).

Gol Gumbaz is located in Bijapur in the Bijapur District of Karnataka. It is the mausoleum of Muhammad Adil Shah (1626–1656). Adil Shah was the seventh Sultan of the Adil Shahi Dynasty of Bijapur. Construction of Gumbaz was started in 1626 and completed in 1656 i.e. 17th Century. It was built by Muhammad Adil Shah.

The rulers of Champa (Vietnam) and Kamboja (Kampuchea) promoted Hinduism. The Angkor Vat Temple in Kampuchea has scriptures depicting scenes from the Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana.

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, European countries were searching for spices and textiles, which had become popular both in Europe and West Asia. The English, Dutch and French formed East India Companies in order to expand their commercial activities in the east. Initially great Indian traders like Mulla Abdul Ghafur and Virji Vora who owned a large number of ships competed with them. However, the European Companies used their naval power to gain control of the sea trade and forced Indian traders to work as their agents.

Surat in Gujarat was the emporium of western trade during the Mughal period along with Cambay (present day Khambat) and somewhat later, Ahmedabad. The city was cosmopolitan and people of all castes and creeds lived there. In the seventeenth century the Portuguese, Dutch and English had their factories and warehouses at Surat.

• The city of Thanjavur is located in the state of Tamil Nadu.
  
• It was the capital of the Chola Kingdom.
  
• The river Kaveri flows near Thanjavur.