CH 5 CL 11

I. I. Choose the correct answer

Question 1.
Karikalan ................. He is the son.
a) Chengannan
b) Kadungo
c) Ilanjeth Chenni
d) Adhiyaman
Answer:
c) Ilanchet Chenni

Question 2.
Which of the following pairs is false?
i) Thalaiyalanganam – Nedunchezhiyan
ii) Pattinappalai – Uruttirangannanar
iii) Gajabahu – Sri Lanka
iv) Thiruvanchikalam – Chola
a) i)
b) ii)
c) iii)
d) iv) Answer:(d) iv) Thiruvanchikalam – Chola

Question 3.................. He conducted Rajasuya Yajna.

a) Perunakkilli
b) Mudukudumi Peruvazhuthi
c) Simuga
d) Adhiyaman
Answer:
a) Perunakkilli

Question 4.
....................... about Indra Vihara Referencing.
a) Manimegalai
b) Silappathikaram
c) Ashokan edict
d) Chera coin
Answer:
a) Manimekalai

Question 5.
Ikshavaks .................... They were strong in the area.
a) Andhra Pradesh – Karnataka
b) Odisha
c) Deccan region
d) Banavasi
Answer:
a) Andhra Pradesh – Karnataka

Question 6.
Read the statements given below and bring out the wrong statement.
(i) The Kalabhras refer to them as Kaliaras.(ii) The Kalabhras
supported Saivism.(iii) The Kalabhras defeated the Pallavas and the
Pandyas.(iv) The Ikshavakus supported Vedic sacrifices.
a) i)
b) ii)
c) iii)
d) iv) Answer: (c) iii) The Kalabhras defeated the Pallavas and the
Pandyas.

Additional Questions

Question 1.
Gautamiputra Satakarni was succeeded by ...................
a) Vasishtaputra Pulumavi
b) Nagappana
c) Kadambar
d) Yagnasree Satakarni
Answer:
a) Vasishtaputra Pulumavi

Question 2........................... King Hall composed the Kathasaptasati of

700 love verses.
a) Chera
b) Chola
c) Pandya
d) Satavahana
Answer:
d) Satavahana

Question 3.The
capital of the Cholas during the Sangam Age .........................
a) Thanjavur
b) Kaveripoopattinam
c) Uraiyur
d) Sakas
Answer:
c) Uraiyur

Question 4.
The port city of the Cheras ......................
a) Thondi
b) Puhar
c) Korkai
d) Nelkinda
Answer:
a) Thondi

Question 5.
The port city of the Pandyas ..........................
a) Musiri
b) Thondi
c) Pukar
d) Korkai
Answer:
d) Korkai

Question 6.” Allangadi mentioned in the book "Madurai Kanchi"

means .........................
a) day
b) night
c) evening
d) day and night
Answer:
b) Night

Question 7.
What historians refer to as the "Dark Ages" in Tamil Nadu
..........................
a) Satavahana period
b) Vellar rule
c) Pahalva period d
) Kalabhrak period
Answer:
d) Kalabhrak period

Question 8.“The inscription mentions the names of two kings, Chetan

and Kuruttan..........................
a) Kooram copper plate
b) Aihole inscription
c) Allahabad inscription
d) Pulankurichi inscription
Answer:
d) Pulankurichi inscription
Question 9.
Who won the battle of Venni .........................
a) Karikalan
b) Nedunchezhiyan
c) Senguttuvan
d) Mahendran
Answer:
a) Karikalan

II. Answer briefly

Question 1.
2. Explain barter system. Answer:
Barter system is a system in which one gives more than what one
needs and gets what one does not need. Though coins were used in
trade, barter was the dominant system.

Question 2.
What do you know from Madurai Kanchi? Answer:
Madurai Kanchi mentions Mudukudumi Peruvazhuthi, another
Nedunchezhiyan Thalaiyalangaanathu Cheruvenda Nedunchezhiyan
and some other Pandya kings.

Question 3.
What do you know about goat theory? Answer:
King Neduncheralathan's son. Cheran is known as Irumporai
Aadukottattu Cheralathan. He lived as a king who was proud of many
victories with victory (goat) as his principle.

Additional Questions

Question 1.What are the

numismatic evidences to know the history of South India? Answer:
Coin Proofs :
 • Coins issued by Satavahanas and their predecessors of Andhra
and Karnataka regions.
• The Chera, Chola and Pandya kings of the Sangam Age and the
Velir coins.
• Roman coins made of gold, silver and copper.

Question 2.
2. Write about inscriptions. Answer:

• Ashoka edicts in Prakrit found in the Andhra-Karnataka region.

• Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions found in caves of Tamil Nadu and
Kerala: Mankulam, Jambai, Pugalur etc.
• Satavahana inscriptions and other Buddhist inscriptions in
Andhra region.

Inscriptions on pottery, rings and stones found in Tamil Nadu;

Documents found outside India at Berenike, Qazir Al Kadam (Egypt),
Kor Rori Oman, Guanggluk (Thailand) etc.

Question 3.
What are the references of foreigners to know the history of South
India? Answer:

The following Greek and Latin references provide information about

long-distance trade and cultural contacts.

• A. b. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, an ancient Greek text

from the first century.
• A. b. Pliny the Elder wrote Natural History in the first century.
• A. b. Geography by Ptolemy in the second century.
• The Peutingerian Table, a map of the Romans.

Question 4.
Tell us about Pandian Nedunchezhian. Answer:
Nedunchezhiyan Cheras, Cholas, five Velir tribe chieftains (Tithiyan,
Ezhini, Korkai and the southern Parathavas who live in the coastal
areas of Tirunelveli.

Erumaiuran is praised for his victory in the battle of Irungovenman.

He is also credited with capturing Milalai and Muttur (Pudukkottai
district) from the petty kings.

III. Write short notes

Question 1.
Five Tinais of Tamil land during the Sangam Age. Answer:
Tamil Nadu was divided into five major regions: Kurinji, Mullai,
Marutham, Neithal and Paalai.

1. Kurinji – Hilly and hilly region.

2. Mullai is a forest and forest area.
3. Marutham – The field and the field area.
4. Neithal – Sea and marine area.
5. Palai – Sandy and sandy dry region.

Question 2.
Answer:
Karikalan
was the greatest of the Chola kings.
Ilanchet Senni's son Karikalan is known as the foremost of the Chola
kings of the Sangam Age. "Pattinappalai" gives a detailed account of
his reign. Karikala's greatest military victory was the victory over the
Cheras and the Pandyas and the eleven Velir chieftains who had
assisted them in the battle of Venni.

He is also credited for cutting down the forest, digging tanks,

constructing dams on the Cauvery, digging canals and providing
irrigation facilities to agriculture.
Question 3.
2. Write the achievements of Gautamiputra Satakarni Answer:

• Gautamaputra Satakarni was the greatest of the Satavahana

kings.
• He defeated the Saka king 'Nagappana' and reissued the coins
of Nagabana with his royal seal.

The Nasik inscription of his mother Gautama Balashri states that he

conquered the Sakas, Pakalvas and the Yavanas. He is also said to
have performed the prestigious Asvamedha Yagna.

Question 4.
Differences between Kilar and Velir. Answer:
Kizhar was
the head of a village or a small area and was the head of the
administrative division later known as Nadu. They are the heads of
tribal communities living in specific areas.

Velirs:
The Velirs had control over the hilly forests of different geographical
features, especially the fertile areas of the Moovendhars.

Additional Questions

Question 1.What are the

literary sources that help us to know the history of South India?
Answer:
Literary Evidence:

• Sangam Books and Post-Sangam Literature

• Kautilya's Arthasastra on economics and the art of statecraft.
• Puranas narrating the history of Andhra/Satavahana dynasties.
• Buddhist historical texts like Mahavamva.
• Kathasaptasati written in Prakrit by the Satavahana king Hall.
Question 2.
Mention Tamil Classical Literature. Answer: The
Tamil Classical Literature Collection consists of Tolkappiyam,
Ettuthogai, and Pathupattu. Tolkappiyam, the oldest grammar book in
Tamil, does not only talk about poetics. It also speaks to the social
culture of the time.

Pathinen Keezhkanakku books and the five great epics of the post-
Sangam period (P.C. b. (4th century to 6th century) belongs to the
socio-cultural context of the subsequent period.

Question 3.
What was the significance of the Satavahana period? Answer:
Land grants were an important feature of the Satavahana period. Its
beneficiaries are mostly Buddhists and Brahmins. The Nanighat
inscription mentions the exemption of taxes on lands granted to
Buddhist monks.

Thus the clerical groups began to gain influence and occupy a high
position. This system of granting land created a section of people
who did not cultivate the land but became the owners of the land.

This in course of time led to the emergence of landbased social

stratification and divisions.

IV. Answer in detail :

Question 1.“The political system of the Sangam Age was the pre-State
pre-State Authority." Give your reasons for or against this statement.
Answer:
There are many different opinions among scholars regarding the
political system of the Chera, Chola and Pandya kingdoms of the
Sangam Age. The earliest and most accepted view was that the society
of the Sangam Age was a society with a well organised state.
a. The arguments advanced in support of your view are as follows:

• Social divisions did not emerge .

• Boundaries were not clearly defined.
• The formation of a state will require it. Agricultural development
and agricultural surplus were checked by devastating wars.
• There is no evidence of taxation as in the case of the states of
North India.

b. The reasons put forward by the opponents of the above view are:

• If we read the Sangam literature deeply, the society of

Marudham land;Differences have arisen in the papers.
• The Greco-Roman texts confirm the attachment of Moovendar
to their land and their influence.
• Wars for the expansion of territories are the main subject matter
of peripheral literature.
• Taxes are mentioned in the trade routes and at the port of
Kaverippattinam.
• A. b. M. Beginning in the second half of the first century, C. b.
Trade played a huge role until the third century.

Question 2.
2. Describe the administrative structure of the Moovendar kingdoms.
Answer:
During the Sangam Age, the crowned kings known as Moovendar
were the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas who controlled most of the
agricultural lands, trade routes and cities.
Chola:

• They controlled the central and northern parts of Tamilnadu.

• The centre of their rule was the delta of the river Cauvery.
• This later came to be known as Cholamandalam. Their capital
was Uraiyur. (Located near Tiruchirappalli city.
• Puhar or Kavirippoompattinam was also an important port.
 • The symbol of Chola is the tiger.

Chera :

• They ruled over central and northern Kerala and the Kongu
region of Tamil Nadu.
• Vanchi is their capital. They controlled the western coastal ports
of Musiri and Thondi.
• Some scholars identify Tiruvanjaikalam in Kerala as Vanji.
• The emblem of the Cheras was the bow and arrow.

Pandya :

• Ander from Madurai. Korkai, situated at the confluence of the

river Thamirabarani with the Bay of Bengal, was their main port.
• It is known for pearl bathing and conch shell collection. Korkai is
referred to as kolkoi in the Periplus references.
• The symbol of the Pandyas is the fish.
• According to tradition, the Pandyas supported the Tamil
Sangams and compiled Sangam texts.

Question 3.
Who are the Kalabhras? What do we learn about them from the
Pulankurichi inscription? Answer:
Between the Sangam Period, the Pallava and the Pandya Period
(approximately, CE. b. The period between 300 and 600 BC is known
as the Kalabhra period in Tamil history.

Since the Kalabhras conquered the Tamilnadu and defeated the

traditional kingdoms of the Moovendhars, the early historians
portrayed this period as the medieval and dark age of the Kalabhras.

Many of the best elements of Tamil culture have emerged during this
period. It was during this period that the great Tamil literature
Tirukkural and other works of Pathinen Keezhkanakku were
composed.
The great epics Silappathikaram and Manimekalai also belong to this
period.

This period was a period of transition leading to a receiving change.

As a result of these changes, C. b. After the 6th century, the Pallavas in

North Tamil Nadu and the Pandyas in South Tamil Nadu paved the
way for the formation of a state and society.

Initially, the kings of these countries supported Jainism and Buddhism.

But they gradually came under the influence of the Vedic and Puranic
religions revived by the Shaivite-Vaishnava Bhakti movement.

An inscription of the middle of the fifth century discovered at

Pulankurichi in Sivaganga district mentions the names of two kings,
Sendan and Kuruttan.

Although there is no mention of their family and lineage, some

scholars consider them to be the Kalabhra kings. A. b. The rule of the
Kalabhras seems to have been brought to an end by the Pandyas
during the third quarter of the sixth century.

Additional Questions

Question 1.
2. Write about the trade and long distance trade during the Sangam
Age. Answer:
There is a lot of evidence about the merchants of the Sangam age. In
Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions, words associated with trade such as
vanikan, santhan, nigama occur etc.

There is evidence of handicraft activities such as metal pottery, bell

and gold ornament making, pottery etc. The Madura Kanci mentions
trade at Nalangadi during the day and Allangadi at night.
Some of the names inscribed on pottery indicate that other non-
Tamil speaking people, mostly merchants, were in towns and
industrial centres. Traders from far off countries stay in Tamil Nadu
and engage in trade. The salt merchants were called Umana.

They traded with their families in carts drawn by bullocks. The word
saathu refers to people who go from place to place and do business.

Archaeological evidence confirms trade contacts with the Roman

Empire and the countries of Southeast Asia. Overseas trade links were
facilitated because of India's easily accessible geography.
Archaeological evidence of the wealth brought by the Romans and
the arrival of foreign traders is abundant.

There can be no doubt, therefore, that internal and long distance

trade flourished during the Sangam age and its followers.

Question 2.
2. Explain the archaeological and numismatic evidences to know the
history of South India during the Sangam Age. Answer:
Answer. b. M. The Satavahanas established a strong kingdom in the
Deccan in the third century. At the same time, the Moovendhars
known as Chera, Chola and Pandya were ruling in the Tamil region.
We have a lot of archaeological and literary evidence to know about
them. They are respectively
archaeology:

• Megalithic burial sites belonging to the Early Historic period.

• Debris of buildings found at Arikkamedu, Kodumanal, Alangulam
and Uraiyur.
• Objects obtained through excavations at ancient sites including
ports and cities.
• Stupas and Chaityas located in Andhra and Karnataka regions.

Numismatic evidence:
Barter system is a system in which one gives more goods than one
needs and gets what one does not want in return. Though coins were
used in trade, barter was the dominant system.