Question 1

Who used the term Hindustan for the first time and when?

Accepted Answer

Minhaj-i Siraj used the term 'Hindustan' for the first time in the thirteenth century.

Question 2

In what ways has the meaning of the term 'Hindustan' changed over the centuries?

Accepted Answer

It has been observed that language and its interpretation change with the change of time. The term 'Hindustan' was used for the first time by Minhaj-i Siraj, a thirteenth-century Persian chronicler. He, with this term, meant the areas of Punjab, Haryana and the lands between the Ganga and Yamuna. It was used in a political sense for lands constituting a part of the dominions of the Delhi Sultan. Though the term shifted with the extent of the Sultanate but it never included south India. Later in the sixteenth century, Babur, while using this term, meant the geography, the fauna and the culture of the inhabitants of the subcontinent. A fourteenth-century poet Amir Khusrau also used the term 'Hind' almost in the same sense. The remarkable point is that while the idea of a geographical and cultural entity like 'India' did exist, the term 'Hindustan' did not carry the political and national meanings that we associate with it today.

Question 3

Compare either Map 1 or Map 2 with the present-day map of the subcontinent listing as many similarities and differences as you can find.

Accepted Answer

Map 1 and Map 2 represent two different times. Map 1 was made in 1154 CE by al-Idrisi, an Arab geographer. This section is a detail of the Indian subcontinent from his larger map of the world. Map 2 was made by a French cartographer in 1720. Both maps are quite different from each other, even though they represent the same area. In Map 1 we find south India at the place where we would expect to find north India and Sri Lanka is the island at the top. The place names are in Arabic. Some familiar places like Kanauj in Uttar Pradesh have been spelled as Qanauj. In comparison to this Map 2 was made nearly 600 later after Map 1. By that time information about the subcontinent had changed a lot. This map appears to be more familiar to us. The coastal areas, particularly, are more detailed.

Question 4

List some of the technological changes associated with the period between 700 and 1750 CE.

Accepted Answer

Some notable technological changes associated with this period were:(i) The use of Persian wheel in irrigation;(ii) The use of spinning wheel in weaving;(iii) The use of firearms in combat.

Question 5

Try and list as many uses of paper as you can.

Accepted Answer

Paper can be used in many ways:(1) It is used for writing, printing books, newspapers, etc.(2) It is used for wrapping goods and small articles.(3) In case there is an emergency and war-like situation, people are advised to cover the window panes with paper.(4) Corrugated sheets made of paper can be made into boxes for carrying goods.

Question 6

Who was considered a 'foreigner' in the past?

Accepted Answer

The term 'foreigner' is used in the sense of a person who is not an Indian. In the medieval period it was applied to any stranger who appeared, say in a given village, someone who was not a part of that society or culture. In this sense a forest-dweller was a foreigner for a city-dweller. But two peasants living in the same village were not foreigners to each other, even though they may have had different religious or caste backgrounds.

Question 7

What were some of the major religious developments during the period between 700 and 1750 CE?

Accepted Answer

Some of the major significant religious developments occurred in Hinduism. The worship of new deities, the construction of temples by royalty and the growing importance of Brahmanas, the priests, as dominant groups in society were the new changes. Brahmanas' importance grew due to their knowledge of the Sanskrit language. They were patronized by the Emperors. The idea of bhakti emerged among people. The merchants and migrants brought with them the teachings of Quran, the holy book of Muslims.

Question 8

What are the difficulties historians face in using manuscripts?

Accepted Answer

Manuscripts in early days were handwritten. Writers used palm leaves as paper for writing manuscripts. The historians used to copy down those manuscripts. Different historians presented their version in their own way as many of the words or sentences were beyond their understanding. So they copied what they understood. Later it was difficult to recognize which one was the original manuscript. Historians interpreted the facts as per the manuscripts which they got. Hence we find a number of facts with different illustrations in history.

Question 9

Archives are places where ________ are kept.

Accepted Answer

An archive is a place where manuscripts are stored. These manuscripts and documents provide a lot of detailed information to historians but they are also difficult to use.  Today all national and state governments have archives where they keep all their old official records and transactions.

Question 10

What does the term "pan-regional" empire means ?

Accepted Answer

The term 'pan-regional' was used in the sense of the areas of empires spanning diverse regions. The dynasties like Cholas, Khaljis, Tughluqs, and Mughals extended had pan-regional empires. Most of the regions across the subcontinent were left with the legacies of the big and small states that had ruled over them. The emergence of many distinct and shared traditions in governance the economy elite cultures and languages were some of the prominent factors that took place as a result of pan-regional rules.