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NCERT Class 12 History Chapter 5 Through The Eyes of Travellers Perceptions of Society
Also, you can read the NCERT book online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Book guidelines. CBSE Class 12 History Solutions are part of All Subject Solutions. Here we have given NCERT Class 12 History Part – I: Themes in Indian History, History Part – II: Themes in Indian History, History Part – III: Themes in Indian History. NCERT Class 12 History Chapter 5 Through The Eyes of Travellers Perceptions of Society Notes, NCERT Class 12 History Textbook Solutions for All Chapters, You can practice these here.
Through The Eyes of Travellers Perceptions of Society
Chapter: 5
| THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY (PART – II) |
TEXTUAL QUESTIONS ANSWER
1. Write a note on the Kitab-ul-Hind.
Ans: Al-Biruni’s Kitab-ul-Hind, was written in Arabic, It is simple and lucid. It is a voluminous text, divided into 80 chapters on subjects such as religion and philosophy, festivals, gastronomy, alchemy, manners and customs, social life, weights and measures, iconography, laws and metrology. Generally (though not always), Al-Biruni adopted a distinctive structure in each chapter, beginning with a question, following this up with a description based on Sanskritic traditions, and concluding with a comparison with other cultures.
2. Compare and contrast the perspectives from which Ibn-Battuta and Bernier wrote their accounts of their travels in India.
Ans: Ibn-Battuta and Bernier have written the accounts of their travels from different perspectives, Ibn-Battuta described everything that impressed and excited him because of its novelty. On the other hand, Francois Bernier had a different intellectual tradition. He wrote about whatever he saw in India. But he compared and contrasted it with the situation in Europe in general and France in particular. He focussed on situations which seemed depressing to him. He wanted to influence the policy makers and the intelligentsia. He wanted them to take right decisions.
In fact Bernier wanted to pin-point the weaknesses of the Indian society. He considered the Mughal India inferior to the European society. On the other hand, Ibn-Battuta recorded his observations about new cultures, peoples, beliefs and values.
3. Discuss the picture of urban centres that emerges from Bernier’s account.
Ans: The picture of Urban centres and Bernier’s account:
(i) During the seventeenth century about 15 per cent of the population lived in towns. This was, an average, higher than the proportion of urban population in Western Europe in the same period. In spite of this Bernier described Mughal cities as “camp towns”, by which he meant towns that owed their existence, and depended for their survival, on the imperial camp. He believed that these came into existence when the imperial court moved in and rapidly declined when it moved out.
(ii) Bernier suggested that cities did not have viable social and economic foundations but were dependent on imperial patronage.
(iii) Bernier was drawing an oversimplified picture. There were all kinds of towns: manufacturing towns, trading towns, port towns, sacred centres, pilgrimage towns, etc. Their existence is an index of the prosperity of merchant communities and professional classes.
(iv) Merchants often had strong community and were organised into their own caste-cum- occupational bodies. In western India these groups were called mahajans, and their chief, the sheth. In urban centres such as Ahmedabad the mahajans were collectively represented by the chief of the merchant community who was called the nagarsheth.
4. Analyse the evidence for slavery provided by Ibn-Battuta.
Ans: According to Ibn-Battuta, slaves like any other commodity, were openly sold in the markets.
They were also regularly exchanged as gifts:
(i) When Ibn-Battuta reached Sind, he purchased horses, camels and slaves. He wanted to offer them as gifts to Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
(ii) When Ibn-Battuta reached Multan, he presented not only raisins and almonds to the governor but also a slave and horse.
(iii) There were some female slaves in the service of the Sultan. They were experts in music and dance. Ibn-Battuta enjoyed their performance at the wedding of the sister of Sultan.
(iv) The Sultan also employed female slaves to keep a watch on his nobles.
(v) The slaves were also engaged for domestic work. They carried men and women on palanquins or dola. But they were given low wages.
(vi) Most families kept one or two slaves.
5. What were the elements of the practice of sati that drew the attention of Bernier?
Ans: The following elements of the practice of sati drew the attention of Bernier:
(i) It was a cruel practice in which the widow was made to sit on the pyre of her husband alive.
(ii) The widow was an unwilling victim of the sati-practice. She was forced to be a sati.
(iii) The people had no sympathy even for the child-widows.
(iv) The cries of the woman going to be a sati, did not move anyone.
(v) The Brahmans and the elderly women of the house participated in this practice or process.
6. Discuss Al-Biruni’s understanding of the caste system.
Or
Explain the caste system asexplained by Al-Biruni.
Ans: Al-Biruni and the caste system in India:
(i) Al-Biruni tried to explain the caste system by looking far parallels in other societies. He noted that in ancient Persia, four social categories were recognised: those of knights and princes; monks, fire-priests and lawyers physicians, astronomers and other scientists, and -finally, peasants and artisans. In other words he attempted to suggest that social divisions were not unique to India. At the same time he pointed out that within Islam all men were considered equal, differing only in their observance of piety.
(ii) In spite of his acceptance of the Brahmanical description of the caste system, Al Biruni disapproved of the notion of pollution. He remarked that everything which falls into a state of impurity strives and succeeds in regaining its original condition of purity. The sun cleanses the air, and the salt in the sea prevents the water from becoming polluted. If it were not so, insisted Al-Biruni, life on earth would have been impossible. The conception of social pollution. intrinsic to the caste system, was according to him, contrary to the laws of nature.
(iii) Al-Biruni’s description of the caste system was deeply influenced by his study of normative Sanskrit texts which laid down the rules governing the system from the point of view of the Brahmanas. However, in real life the system was not quite as rigid. For instance, the categories defined as antyaja (literally, bor outside the system) were often expected to provide inexpensive labour to both peasants and zamindars. In other words, while they were ofter subjected to social oppression, they were included within economic networks.
7. Do you think Ibn Battuta’s account is useful in arriving at an understanding of life in contemporary urban centres ? Give reasons for your answer.
Or
Explain the observations of the Ibr Battuta about Indian cities with special reference to Delhi and its rampart round the city.
Ans. There is no doubt that the description of Ibn Battuta is quite helpful in understanding the life-style of the Indian cities. His description seems as if the true picture emerges before our eyes,
(i) Ibn Battuta stated that Indian cities had many exciting opportunities. They were useful for those who had the necessary drive, skill and resources.
(ii) The Indian cities were densely populated. They were also prosperous. They had crowded streets. They had bright and colourful markets. They had a variety of goods.
(iii) According to Ibn Battuta, Delhi was a vast city. It had a lot of population. It was the largest city in India. Another big city was Daulatabad in Maharashtra.
(iv) The markets and bazaars of the Indian cities were not only the places of the economic transactions but also the centres of social and cultural activities. Most of the bazaars had a mosque and a temple. They had also fixed places for public performances by dancers, musicians and singers.
(v) Ibn Battuta found that many towns derived their wealth and prosperity through the appropriation of surplus from villages.
(vi) According to Ibn Battuta, Indian agriculture was very productive. The farmers cultivated two crops a year because the land was very fertile.
(vii) The goods of India were in great demand in both West Asia and South-east Asia. So artisans and merchants earned huge profits. The sub-continent was well integrated with inter- Asian networks of trade and commerce.
8. Discuss the extent to which Bernier’s account enables historians to reconstruct contemporary rural society.
Ans: The assessment of Bernier about the rural society of India was not correct. It was misleading and far from truth.
But there is a some truth in his descriptions which is evident from the following:
(i) Bernier has stated that in the Mughal Empire, the emperor owned all the land and distributed it among his nobles. It had a disastrous impact on the Indian economy and society.
(ii) Bernier did not consider the system of the crown ownership of land as good. Because of this, the land-holders could not pass on their land to their children. They could also not make any long-term investments. As there was no private property in land, there was not an improved class of landlords. This system ruined the whole agriculture. It also led to the oppression of the peasants. It also lowered the living standards of all sections of society.
(iii) The Bernier’s view of Indian society had the following features:
(a) It had impoverished people. The rich people constituted a small minority.
(b) It had only the poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich. It had no middle class.
(c) The Mughal king was the king of beggars and barbarians.
(d) All the cities and towns were ruined. They had contaminated air.
Thus, Bernier’s descriptions of the Indian rural society brought out many social and economic differences. There were big zamindars. There were also landless labourers who were despised as the untouchables.
9. Read this excerpt from Bernier:
“Numerous are the instances of handsome pieces of workmanship made by persons destitute of tools, and who can scarcely be said to have received instruction from a master. Sometimes they imitate so perfectly articles of European manufacture that the difference between the original and copy can hardly be discerned. Among other things, the Indians make excellent muskets, and gold fowling-pieces, and such beautiful gold ornaments that it may be doubted if the exquisite workmanship of those articles can be exceeded by any European goldsmith. I have often admired the beauty, softness and delicacy of their paintings.”
List the crafts mentioned in the passage. Compare those with the descriptions of artisanal activity in the chapter.
Ans: I. List of the names of the crafts mentioned in the passage:
This passage mentioned the crafts of making muskets and fowling pieces and making beautiful gold ornaments. These products were so beautiful that even Bernier was amazed to see these products.
II. Comparison of crafts referred in the passage with the description of artisanal activity in the chapter.
(i) In the chapter boat manufacturing and terracottan sculpture and temple architecture has been mentioned.
(ii) Art of painting has been referred related with 18th century that painting has depicted travellers gathered around a camp fire.
(iii) A seventeenth century painting depicting Bernier in European clothes and a painting depiciting in Indian clothes.
(iv) Art of carpet manufacturing has been referred.
(v) Art of dance, music and caligraphy have been referred in the chapter.
(vi) Crafts of manufacturing textile particular cotton cloth, fine muslins, silken cloth have been referred in this chapter.
(vii) Work of goldsmith and articles made of gold such as spoon studied with emeralds and rubies as an example of the dexterity of Mughal artisans have also referred in this chapter.
(viii) The imperial karkhanas and workshops (In which several kinds of artistic work was also done) have been referred in the chapter. In these karkhanas embroiderers have been described (who were employed by the emperor in the imperial workshops). In these workshops goldsmiths, painters, varnishers in lacquer work, joiners, turners, tailors, shoemakers, silken weavers and fine muslin manufacturers have been referred as great artisans of that time.
10. On an outline map of the world mark the countries visited by Ibn Battuta. What are the seas that he may have crossed?
Ans: Map work is self study for the students.
Hint: Countries visited by Ibn Battuta: Morocco, Mecca, Seria, Iraq, Persia, Yamen, Oman, China, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Sumatra (Indonesia).
Name of Seas: North Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Red ‘Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, South China Sea, East, China Sea.
