7.

EMERGENCE OF KINGDOMS AND REPUBLICS

Question 1. What do you mean by Gana? How were they different from the kingdoms
ruled by the kings? Answer: The term ‘Gana’ means people of equal status. Sangha
means ‘assembly’. Gana Sangha means an assembly of equal-status people. They cover a
small area that was ruled by a superior group among them.
These Gana sanghas practiced “all are equal” traditions.
A kingdom means a territory and was ruled by a king or queen. In a kingdom, a family
which rules for a long, period becomes a dynasty.

Question 2. Why did the Rajas of Mahajanapadas build forts?

Answer: The rajas of Mahajanapadas built forts to protect their capital city.
1. Huge walls of wood, brick or stone were built around the cities.
2. Forts were probably built because people were afraid of attacks from other kings
and needed protection.
3. Some rulers wanted to show their wealth and strength by building large, tall, and
impressive walls around their cities.
4. The land and the people living inside the forts could be controlled more easily by
the king.

Question 3. Can you point out the difference between the way villages are managed
today and in the time of Mahajanapadas?
Answer: Nowadays, regular elections are taking place in villages which promotes
democracy in our country. But in earlier times there was a ruler who controlled the village
which did not help the democracy, but it helped in the monarch system which went for a
long time in our country.

Question 4. Find out how the crafts persons are; taxed by the government today? Was
it the same in the times of Mahajanapadas?
Answer: Craft persons have to pay taxes at the time of Mahajanapadas. Sometimes they
have to work free of charge for the king for one day of every month. But today if a craft
person earns money more than the specified amount by the government they have to
pay the tax for the excess amount they earned. There is no chance to work instead of
paying tax.

Question 5. Through what sources do you know about Mahajanapadas?

Answer: We can know much about those villages and towns from two kinds of sources
from archaeological excavations in different places and from the books composed during
that period:

Question 6. Write the agricultural practices that led to an increase in agricultural

production in the time of Mahajanapadas.
Answer: Two major changes were practiced during the Mahajanapadas period.
 1. Iron ploughshares were used. Heavy, clayey soil could be turned over better than
with a wooden ploughshare, so that more grain could be produced.
2. People of Mahajanapadas began transplanting paddy. Instead of scattering seeds
on the ground, from which plants would sprout, saplings were grown and then
planted in the fields. Production developed due to this since many plants
survived.

Question 7. “The Mahajanapadas developed on the river banks.” Do you agree or not?
Justify your answer.
Answer:
All the Mahajanapadas developed on the river banks. I agree with this statement.
Archaeologists found hundreds of sites in the Ganges valley. As this plain receives very
high rainfall, it is very fertile. These rivers bring silt from the Himalayas and flow
throughout the year. Transportation is also easy from these places. So Mahajanapadas
developed on the river banks. If we observe all the Mahajanapadas, all the janapadas
emerged around the river banks of Ganga, Yamuna, Narmada and Godavari.
Question 8. How do you appreciate the works of craftsmen in the times of
Mahajanapadas?
Answer: During the period of Mahajanapadas, craftsmen played a key role in the
development of Mahajanapadas. Availability of iron facilitated craft production also.
Blacksmiths made necessary tools for agriculture like ploughshares, sickles, axes, arrows
etc., With the use of iron ploughshare productivity improved. Potters made pots for
cooking and storing grains. Carpenters made carts and with the help of these carts’
transportation was made easy. Weavers weaved cloth which was exported to other places
and it helped the economy of Mahajanapadas. Potters made special type of pottery
known as painted grey ware, which became famous in those days.
In this way craftsmen participated in the development of Mahajanapadas.

Question 9. What were the taxes collected by the rulers of the Mahajanapadas?
Answer:
The taxes collected by the Mahajanapadas were:
1. 1/6th of the total agricultural produce as a tax on crops.
2. Craftsmen had to pay taxes in the form of labour.
3. Taxes on the sale and purchase of goods and services for trade.
4. Taxes on herders in the form of animals or animal products and taxes on hunters
and gatherers in the nature of their collection from forests.

Question 10. How are present-day elections different from the way in which rulers were
chosen in Janapadas?

Answer: Choosing of rulers in ‘janapadas’ – Men were chosen ‘rajas’ by performing big
sacrifices. The ‘Ashvamedha was one such ritual that was used to identify a ‘raja’. The
‘raja’ chosen by this sacrifice was considered very powerful.
Electing rulers today – Today, we have a democratic system of government. Each citizen
has a right to cast his vote and to form the government through his elected
representative.

Question 11. What is similar in the way crops were grown in the Mahajanapadas and
how they are grown today?
Answer: The crops that were grown in the Mahajanapadas were wheat, barley, peas,
and lentils. These crops are grown in the same way as those were grown in the ancient
days.
In the time of Mahajanapadas, they planted paddy saplings
instead of grains. Even today the same system was followed by
the farmers.

Question 12. How can you appreciate the role of natural resources in the emergence of
Magadha as a powerful kingdom?

Answer: The rivers made the land very fertile and the Grihapatis could irrigate their
lands easily. The rivers were also used for transporting goods and armies. Parts of the
Magadha were forested. Elephants were captured from there and trained for fighting in
the armies. Wood from the forests was used for building fortresses and palaces and
chariots. In the southern parts of Magadha, there were iron ore deposits that could be
used for making weapons, etc.
All this enabled Magadha to emerge as a very powerful kingdom. The kingdom extended
from the northwest part of India to Odisha.
Thus Magadha used the natural wealth of the region to build a powerful kingdom.
Question 13. Locate the 16 Mahajanapadas and their capitals in the following India
outline map.
Answer:

Question 14. Solve the puzzle with new terms you have learned in this lesson. Take the support
of your teacher.
Down ↓
1. The mahajanapada located on the extreme eastern side
2. This is the capital city of Avanti
3. Farmers used this metal to make plough shares.
4. The Mahajanapada located on the banks of river Godavari
5. The slaves employed at Gahapatis
6. Kusinara is the capital of this kingdom
7. The capital city of Surasena Cross
Cross →
1. The powerful kingdom of Mahajanapadas
2. another name for Varanasi
3. Kaushambi is the capital of this Mahajanapada
4. Mahabharata tells us about the battle among the kings of this mahajanapada
5. 1 /6th of farm produce collected as tax from farmers 6. These condemned caste
systems and the use of yagnas
7. Vajji has this type of
government. Answer:

Project Work Collect the information about 16 Mahajanapadas, and the state, in which
they were located.
Prepare a table as given below. Refer to India Political map given.
Answer:
S.No. Mahajanapada Capital Modern Location / State

1. Anga Champa West Bengal

2. Magadha Girivraja/Rajagriha Gaya & Patna / Bihar

3. Kasi Banaras/Varanasi Uttar Pradesh

4. Vatsa Kausambi Around Allahabad / UP

5. Kosala Shravasti Modern Avadh region / Eastern UP

6. Surasena Mathura Western UP region

7. Kuru Indraprastha Meerut & South-eastern Haryana

8. Matsya Viratnagar Around Jaipur

9. Chedi Shotimati Bundelkhand region

10. Avanti Ujjain/Mahismati Around Malwa MP

 11. Gandhara Taxila Rawalpindi/Pakistan

12. Kambhoja Pooncha Kashmir & Hindukush

13. Asmaka Pratisthan / Pothan Telangana & Maharashtra

14. Vajji Vaishali Bihar

15. Malla Kusihara Deoria & UP

16. Panchala Ahichhatra/Kampliya Western UP

Let’s Do (Textbook Page No. 75)

Question 1. Look at the physical map of India and identify the plains through which the
rivers Ganga and Yamuna flow

Answer:
Question 2. Identify the modern cities of India like Delhi, Allahabad, Varanasi, Lucknow
and Patna.

Answer:

Question 3. Do you think this area will be similar to your villages? Give your reasons.
Answer: I don’t think that our villages are similar to that of Delhi, Allahabad, Varanasi,
Lucknow, and Patna. They are well developed from the time of Mahajanapadas itself.
Because of high fertility lands and transportation facilities these areas developed from
that time. Now they became big cities and Delhi being our national capital. So, we can’t
compare our villages to the cities mentioned above.
(Textbook Page No. 77)
Question 4. The important Janapadas of those times are shown on the map.
Look at the map and fill in the blanks.
1. The …………. Janapada was settled on both the banks of the Yamuna.
2. The Panchala was settled on both the banks of the river …………..
3. The …………. Janapada was situated on the western side of the Surasena.
4. The …………. Janapada was on the extreme north.
5. The …………. Janapada was situated on the banks of the river Godavari.
6. The Gandhara was situated on the banks of the river …………..
Answer: 1) Kuru 2) Ganga 3) Matsya 4) Kambhoja 5) Asmaka 6) Kubha (Kabul)
Think and Respond (Textbook Page No. 75)

Question 1. Find out the names of a few Jana’s (tribes) who initially settled down in the
Indo – Gangetic plain,
Answer: 1. Magadha dynasty 2. Imperial Kanauj 3. Mughal Empire 4. Maratha Empire are
some of the janapadas who initially settled down in the Indo – Gangetic plains.

Question 2. What do you mean by Janapada? How is it different from Mahajanapadas?

Answer: People of different tribes settled down to practice agriculture in many parts of
the valley. These tribes were called Jana and the place they settled was called Janapada.
Many groups of such villages and towns are called Mahajanapadas.

Question 3. How is paddy grown today? (Textbook

Page No. 78) Answer:
1. Land is to be prepared and levelled.
2. Planting on time to be done.
3. Fertilization to be done.
4. Field is to be watered.
5. Pests is to be controlled.
6. Harvest on time.
7. Storing safely.
8. Milling efficiently.

Question 4. Describe the relationship between Grihapatis and Craftsmen of the village.
(Textbook Page No. 79) Answer: In most villages, there Were craft persons like blacksmiths
who made tools necessary for agriculture (like ploughshares, sickles, axes, arrows, etc),
potters who made pots for cooking and storing grains, carpenters who made carts,
ploughs, furniture etc., and weavers who wove cloth for the villagers. Probably the
Grihapatis gave them grains in return for their products. These craft products were
necessary for agriculture, but the Grihapatis may not have had the time or skill to make
them. (Textbook Page No. 80)

Question 5. The people of the towns would have needed grain, milk, meat etc. How do
you think they got them if most townspeople were not doing any farming?
Answer: Even though the townspeople were riot doing, any farming they get milk and
meat by purchasing them from nearby villages and shops situated in the town.

Question 6. Have you ever seen a fort on TV or have you ever been there? Why were
there big walls around the fort?
Answer: I have seen Red fort. I had been to Delhi and I have seen the Red Fort there.
There are big walls around the fort. To protect the enemy kings by not entering them into
the fort big walls were constructed around the fort.

Question 7. What were they made of? How do you think the kings managed to get the
wealth needed for all this?
Answer: The Red fort got its name from the stone used to construct it. The entire fort
is made up of red sandstone. Maybe it was constructed with the tax amount collected
and conquering other kingdoms.

Question 8. Why did the king of Mahajanapadas need armies?

Answer: The kings of Mahajanapadas were afraid of attacks from other kings and
enemies. They needed protection. So, the king of Mahajanapadas needed armies.
(Textbook Page No. 81)

Question 9. In which form the hunter-gatherers paid taxes to their kings?

Answer: Hunters and gatherers paid taxes to the Raja from what they got from the
forest like hides, woods, and honey etc.

Question 10. If everyone was forced to give away a part of their earnings as tax, how did
it affect their lives?
Answer: If everyone was forced to give away a part of their earnings, they will lose the
earning for that part which was given as tax.

Question 11.Why do you think they agreed to pay the taxes? Do you think they
benefited in any way from the new arrangements?
Answer:They will get encouragement, and support from the king – besides protection.

Question 12. What is bhaga? Does the government of our times take the produce of
farmers in, a similar way?
Answer: The Grihapatis had to divide their crops into six parts and one part of them is
to be given to king as tax. This was called bhaga. The government of our times does not
collect produce from the farmers. The government collects tax from the farmers as per
the quantity sold. (Textbook Page No. 82)

Question 13. Why were the kings of Mahajanapadas keen to increase craft production
and trade? Answer: The kings of Mahajanapadas were keen to increase craft
production and trade because they would get more taxes. The wealth of the kingdom will
increase.
1. How did the headmen of the villages benefit from the imposition of taxes by the
kings?
 Answer: The kings of Mahajanapadas wanted the village headmen to collect
the taxes on their behalf. This might have helped the headmen to increase
their power in the villages. (Textbook Page No. 83)

Question 14. Write a couple of lines on each of the natural resources of Magadha and
how it could have been used by the kings.
Answer:
1. Magadha kingdom was spread on both sides of the river Ganga. The river made
the land fertile and the Grihapatis could irrigate the land easily and produce was
high.
2. The river was also used for transporting goods and armies.
3. Elephants were captured from the forests that spread over in the kingdom and
trained for fighting in the wars.
4. In southern parts of Magadha, there were iron ore deposits that were used for
making weapons etc.

Question 15. Compare the Gana form of government in Vajji with the present-day
republic. Who was not allowed to participate in the assembly of Vajji Mahajanapada?
Answer: Vajji had Gana form of government which was nearly equal to the present-day
form of government. Gana was ruled by a group of leaders instead of a single ruler. In
the present republic type of government, we will elect local loaders and they will discuss
our problems in the assemblies through discussion and debate.
Women, slaves and wage earners are not allowed to participate in the assembly of Vajji
Mahajanapadas.

Explore
Question 1. A famous religious epic tells us about many of these Janapadas. Find out
about it. (Textbook
Page No. 77)
Answer:
The
Mahabharat.
Do you
know
Question 1. Make a list of the Mahajanapadas and the cities which were situated on
the Ganges valley.
(Textbook Page No. 76)
Answer: 1.Kasi–Banaras(Varanasi) 2.Kosala – Shravasti 3.Anga –Champa 4.Magadha –
Girivraja or Rajagriha 5.Vajji or Vriji – Vaishali 6.Malla –Kushinagar 7.Vatsa –Kausambi
8.Kuru – Indraprastha/Hastinapur
9.Panchala – Ahichhatra 10.Surasena – Mathura 11.Chedi – Shotimati 12.Panchala –
Ahichhatra.