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Tracing Changes

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44 views6 pages

Tracing Changes

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nithanyasugumar02
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Tracing changes through a thousand years

history
The period from the second half of the 8th century up to first half
of the 18th century is known as the “medieval period” of Indian
history.
The maps by Arab geographer Al-Idrisi (1154) and French
cartographer (1720) give a large sketch of the Indian
subcontinent as known as earlier times.
Maps are the sources through which we can trace out the
historical changes and contexts.
Cartographers were the skilled artists who recorded these
chronological effects in Maps.
The mode of presentation and the contexts vary through time.
The maps of 1154 CE are not the same as the maps of the 1720s,
e.g., one can see the maps given in NCERT Textbook on pages 1
and 2. Both the maps show the same location but with a lot of
variations. Even the names of the places are spelt differently.

Historical records are available in different languages. Differences


are also traced in the use of grammar and vocabulary, change in
meaning also occurred over time, e.g., the term Hindustan is now
‘India’.
The term Hindustan was first used by Minhaj-i Siraj, a Persian
chronicler, in the 13th century.
Minhaj-i Siraj’s Hindustan constituted the areas of Punjab,
Haryana and the lands between the Ganga and Yamuna. The term
was used in a political sense for lands forming the parts of the
dominions of the Delhi Sultan. South India was not included in this
map.
Babur, in the early 16th century, used the term Hindustan in order
to describe the geography, the fauna and the culture of the
inhabitants of the subcontinent. Amir Khusrau used the term Hind
in a similar sense in the 14th century.
With the change of time, we observe that the idea of a
geographical and cultural entity like ‘India’ did exist but the term
Hindustan did not carry the political and national meanings which
we associate with it today.
We trace out many changes in the use of words with the change
of time. For example, the word ‘foreigner’ is used in the sense of
one who is not an Indian, whereas it was, in the medieval period,
used in the sense of one who was a part of the same village but
not a part of a particular society or culture. The synonymous
words for ‘foreigner’ in Hindi and Persian are ‘Pardesi and ‘ajnabi’
respectively.
Historians use different sources to study the past depending upon
the period of their investigation. Coins, inscriptions, architecture
and textual records are still the basic sources.
During the period of 700 to 1750, we trace out a dramatic
increase in the variety of textual records. Its basic reason was
that paper gradually became cheaper and more widely available.
It was extensively used in writing the holy texts, chronicles of
rulers, letters and teachings of saints, petitions and judicial
records, and for registers of accounts and taxes.
Manuscripts collected from wealthy people, rulers, monasteries
and temples were placed in libraries and archives. These
manuscripts and documents helped the historians with several
detailed information though it is difficult to use them.
As there was no printing press in those days scribes used to copy
down manuscripts by hand. Hence, they were somewhere not
very legible. Some changes in words and sentences were also
made, in fact not knowingly, in the manuscripts while copying.
This brought the same manuscripts copied presented differently
by different scribes. It poses a serious problem to determine
which the original one was.
The authors used to revise their chronicles from time to time.
Ziyauddin Barani, a 14th century author revised his chronicle for
the first time in 1356 followed by another version two years later.
In fact, the two versions differed from each other but as the
original one was traceless, nobody could claim for the difference.
he period between 700 and 1750 was a phase of transition as a
lot of developments took place. The Persian wheel in irrigation,
the spinning wheel in weaving and firearms in combat were some
of the examples of developments.
The subcontinent saw new food like potatoes, corn, chillies, tea
and coffee.
The new technologies and crops came along with the migrants
who also brought other ideas with them.
It was a period of economic, political, social and cultural changes
and also of great mobility.
People travelled to far off lands to make their fortune.
Rajput's, i.e., Rajput's, one of the prominent communities were
the group of warriors between the eighth and fourteenth
centuries. They were the ‘kshatriyas’ by caste status. They
included the rulers, chieftains, soldiers and commanders serving
in the armies of the different monarchs all over the subcontinent.
Extreme valour and a great sense of loyalty were the prominent
qualities of this community.
Marathas, Sikhs, Jats, Ahoms and Kayasthas (a caste of scribes
and secretaries) were the other prominent classes of people.
This period witnessed a gradual clearing of forests and the
extension of agriculture. It caused changes in people’s ‘habitat’
which forced many of the forest-dwellers to migrate.

Some others adopted tilling the land and became peasants and
soon became part of large complex societies. They were also put
under tax cover as per their status which gave rise to many jatis
i.e., sub-castes.
The divisions of sub-castes were made on the basis of their
backgrounds and occupations. Ranks were variable as per the
change in power, influence and resources controlled by members
of the jati. This status of the same jati varied from area to area.
Jatis had their own system of ruling. They framed rules and
regulations in order to manage their own people. An assembly of
elders called Jati Panchayat was responsible for enforcing the
regulations.
Jatis were bound to follow the rules of their villages. Villages
constituted only one small unit of a state and were governed by a
chieftain.
The subcontinent was divided into several regions which were
ruled by empires of different dynasties. By 700 several regions
developed their distinct geographical dimensions and their own
cultural characteristics.
During the period of 700 and 1750 (the thousand years of history
that we are exploring here) there were significant developments
in religious traditions.
The changes were seen in people’s beliefs. Hinduism saw a great
many changes which included the worship of new deities the
construction of temples by royalty and growing dominance of
Brahmanas and the priests.
For their knowledge of Sanskrit texts Brahmanas earned great
respect in society. The new rulers were their patrons.
The most significant development of the period was the rise of
the idea of bhakti which also paved the rise of many new religions
in the subcontinent.
The teachings of the holy Quran were brought to India in the
seventh century by the migrants.
Quran is the most prominent holy book of the Muslims which
delineates the idea of one God, Allah and His love, bounty and
mercy for those who believe in Him.
Islam and the Ulema—the learned theologians and jurists were
patronized by many rulers.
Like Hinduism, Islam was also interpreted in many ways and the
followers of Islam were divided in two sub-sects—Shias and
Sunnis.
For historians, time reflects changes in social and economic
organization, in the persistence and transformation of ideas and
beliefs. Hence for the historians, it becomes convenient to study
time by dividing it into segments—periods—that possess shared
characteristics.
In the middle of the nineteenth century, the history of India was
divided into three periods —Hindu, Muslim, and British. It was
done so because there was no significant historical development
other than religion.

This periodisation is followed by some of the historians even


today.

Other definitions
Cartographer: The artist who is skilled in drawing or making
maps...
Chronicler: One who writes history or pens down the events of
the time from the historical point of view.
Archives: A collection of historical documents or records of the
government, a family, a place or an organization; the place where
these records are stored.
Manuscripts: The original script written by the Author in his/her
own handwriting.
Habitat: The living condition of specie.
Patron: A person with influence and affluence who provides
support with money and mental boost up to an artist, a
craftsman, a learned man, or a noble, or some other persons of
such categories.
Jati: The sub-caste which was defined or identified on the basis of
one’s profession, status and influence.
Region: The particular area designated or occupied by a certain
group or empire.
Periodisation: Division of time into different segments for the
purpose of study from the historical point of view. It was done on
the basis of dominant factors of the time. In the middle of the
nineteenth century, British historians divided the history of India
into three periods—Hindu, Muslim, and British.
Seventh century AD – The teachings of the holy Quran brought
to India.
1154 – Map of the Indian Subcontinent made by al-ldrisi.
1266-1287 – Reign of the Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban.
1356 – Ziyauddin Barani wrote his first chronicle. He wrote
another version two years later.

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