Cultural Tradition

Answer : The standards established during the period (750-1200) were regarded as classical and came to dominate the pattern of living in this south. This was also the period which saw the growth of temple architecture to its maximum level, and the active intervention, both political and economic, of South India in the commerce of this region to a far greater degree than ever before.

Organized religion under the aegis of the Brahmans was well-fortified with finance and ....

Answer : India in the medieval ages saw a silent revolution brought about by a vibrant and radical group of socio-religious reformers, and from the period of 10th century onwards, religion took a turn with a burst of spirituality via these reformers.

These reformers had a deep devotion to God, and belonged to two very different faiths: Islam and Hinduism. Sufi mystics were born out of Islam, and the Bhakti mystics born out of Hinduism.

Both the sufi and ....

Answer : Tantrism, so-called after its compositions, the Tantras, was widely practised from about the eighth century when it gradually surfaced throughout the subcontinent. It upholds a belief and practice contrary to Vedic Brahmanism.

Tantrism is often associated with five elements (panchatattva) - namely madira (alcohol), mamsa (meat), matsya (fish), mudra (physical practices), and maithuna (sexual intercourse). Tantrism challenged patriarchy in many different ways.Tantrism was open to all castes and included women in the rituals, which identified it ....

Answer : When the popularity of the Bhakti Movement in South India was on the wane, the doctrine of Bhakti was defended at the philosophical level by a series of brilliant Vaishnava Brahaman scholars (acharyas). Ramanuja (11th century) was first among them. He and other vaishnava saints contributed a lot to the Bhakti literature in different regional languages.

Vaishnava saints contributed a lot to the Bhakti literature composed in different parts of India that included Bengal, Karnataka, Assam ....

Answer : Lancashire is a county in the north west of England. Lancashire emerged during the Industrial Revolution as a major commercial and industrial region. The county encompassed several hundred mill towns and collieries. By the 1830s, approximately 85% of all cotton manufactured worldwide was processed in Lancashire.

So far as comparison between India and Lancashire is concerned, the cotton handloom industry of India has been one of the great manufacturing institutions of the world. Its looms have ....

Answer : The Turkish state of Delhi was threatened by a Mongol invasion, under the great warrior leader, Temuyin popularly known as Chengiz Khan. The Mongols were a terrible people. They gave a relentless pursuit to Mangbarhi who entered the Punjab and established himselfin the upper Sindh Sagar Doab. He secured the assistance of the powerful Khokhar chief by marrying his daughter, in his projected expedition for the conquest of the north western frontier. With the help ....

Answer : Iltutmish was the real founder of Delhi sultanate. He made Delhi his capital instead of Lahore by defeating his two main rivals Nasiruddin Qabacha (Governor of Uch) and Tajuddin Yaldoz (Sultan of Gazni) by diplomatically declining the request of Jalaluddin Mangbarani (son of Khawarazm Shah), of a refuge, he saved India from the wrath of Chengez Khan’s army. He completed the construction of Qutub Minar which was started by Aibik. He also introduced Silver Tanka ....

Answer : Whether Khusrau composed any poetry in Hindi or not, and whether the riddles and other dohas ascribed to him are his or not, is a debate that may have begun in nineteenth century when scholars started collecting and compiling Khusrau’s poetry. So far no authentic document containing Khusrau’s Hindvi poetry has been found which would date back to earlier than 18th century AD, unlike those containing his Persian works which are as old as 500 ....

Answer : Alberuni was the first prominent Muslim indologist who accompanied the invading hordes of Mahmud of Ghazni to the Indo-Gangetic valley. His book, Tarikh-ul-Hind, is an authentic primary source of information about India of Ghazni’s times. It gives a scholarly analysis of the social and religious institutions of the Hindu and throws light on their rich cultural heritage, including science and literature. It gives a dispassionate analysis of the weaknesses of the Indian Character and the ....

Answer : India has had a rich tradition of architecture spanning almost four millennia. The basic foundation for development of Indian architecture was laid during the ancient period. The earliest remains of the builder’s art is furnished by remarkable specimens of the architecture in the age of Indus valley civilization. Here ruins of elaborate structures have come to light during excavations. Towns and buildings of the Indus valley civilization were well planned.

The most outstanding monuments of the ....

Answer : Alberuni (C 972-1048), the first prominent muslim ideologist was one of the greatest intellectuals of the eleventh century. He was born of Irania stock in the territory of Khiva, then called Khwarizm. He was a man of ‘encyclopeadic learning’ who distinguished himself in the multifarious disciplines of science and literature of his days. He was a theologian, philosopher, logician, mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer and physician, all rolled into one. In 1018-19 he accompanied the invading ....

Answer : Kalhan as a historian : Kalhan is an important historian in Indian history. The 12th century A.D.Kashmiri poet, Kalhan, wrote ‘Rajtarangini’- the river of kings ‘which has been of great value for the study of the history of Kashmir. This history of his native land is in verse and the language is Sanskrit. Out of the Sanskrit writings, Rajtarangini’ is one of the foremost historical writing. Kalhan had sketched a detailed description of the history ....

Answer : Bhaktism emerged as a pan-Indian movement during medieval period. Many scholars had a view that it was a intellectual reaction against Sufism. Many others called it as a religious movement evolved due to the influence of Islamic mysticism introduced in India by Sufis. But these views are not commendable as Bhaktism has it roots in South India which had not received impact of Islam before 14th or 15th century while the Bhakti cult of Alvar ....

Answer : Sankracharya was an orthodox Brahman for whom all the Vedic literature was sacred and unquestionably true. To harmonise its many paradoxes he had recourse to an expedient already known in Buddhism, that of a double standard of truth. On the every day level of truth the world was produced by Brahama, and went through an evolutionary process similar to that taught by the Sankhya school from which Sankracharya took over the doctrine of the three ....

Answer : Alberuni was born at Khiva in 973 A.D. and he was two years younger than Mahmud of Ghazni. His original name was Abu Rehan Muhammad bin-Ahmed. He came to India in the war-train of Mahmud and lived here fo many years. He was a great philosopher, mathematician and historian. Attracted by Indian culture, he learnt Sanskrit and studied several books concerning Hindu philosphy and culture. His curious mind and master eyes did not spare even ....

Answer : The tendency from the seventh century on­wards of granting land in lieu of cash salaries in­tensified the feudal process. The Rashtrakutas made more grants of villages to temples and Brahmins than the Palas or the Pratiharas. Reli­gious grants were also made by the governors and the feudatories of the Rashtrakutas. Administra­tive rights were clearly made over to the beneficia­ries, both by the Palas and the Rashtrakutas. The Rashtrakutas gave the religious domes more coer­cive and ....