a) Describe the architecture of Hampi?
b) Describe the towns that emerged from large villages from 8th centuryonwards.c) Name a few temple towns. Why did towns grow around temples?d) Why did Surat decline towards the end of 17th century?e) Why did people from distant lands visit Surat?
A.
1) The architecture of Hampi was unique.
2) The buildings in the compound had slots for fixing sculptures and also had arches, pillared halls and domes.
3) They also had well-organized woods and gardens with sculptural themes such as the lotus and corbels.
B.
1) From the eighth century several small towns emerged from large villages.
2) They had a mandapika (or mandi of later times) to which people from nearby villages brought their harvest to sell.
3) There were streets for various crafts worker such as potters, smiths, stonemasons, etc.
4) The towns also had market streets called hatta (haat of later times) with many shops.
5) Many people from distant places came to buy and sell products like salt, saffron, horses, camphor, betel nut and spices like pepper.
C.
1) Some of the temple towns were Somnath in Gujarat, Bhillasvamin (Bhilsa or Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh), Kanchipuram and Madurai in Tamil Nadu, and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
2) Temple officials used their assets to invest, trade and funding.
3) Gradually a large number of workers, priests, artisans, traders, etc. settled near the temple to provide to its needs and pilgrims. Thus grew temple towns.
(ii) Competition from Bombay (present-day Mumbai) where the English East India Company shifted its headquarters in 1668.
(iii) Domination of the sea routes by the Portuguese
1) The architecture of Hampi was unique.
2) The buildings in the compound had slots for fixing sculptures and also had arches, pillared halls and domes.
3) They also had well-organized woods and gardens with sculptural themes such as the lotus and corbels.
B.
1) From the eighth century several small towns emerged from large villages.
2) They had a mandapika (or mandi of later times) to which people from nearby villages brought their harvest to sell.
3) There were streets for various crafts worker such as potters, smiths, stonemasons, etc.
4) The towns also had market streets called hatta (haat of later times) with many shops.
5) Many people from distant places came to buy and sell products like salt, saffron, horses, camphor, betel nut and spices like pepper.
C.
1) Some of the temple towns were Somnath in Gujarat, Bhillasvamin (Bhilsa or Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh), Kanchipuram and Madurai in Tamil Nadu, and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
2) Temple officials used their assets to invest, trade and funding.
3) Gradually a large number of workers, priests, artisans, traders, etc. settled near the temple to provide to its needs and pilgrims. Thus grew temple towns.
D.
Surat began to decline towards the end of the seventeenth century because of many factors:
(ii) Competition from Bombay (present-day Mumbai) where the English East India Company shifted its headquarters in 1668.
(iii) Domination of the sea routes by the Portuguese
E.
1) Surat was the entry for trade with West Asia through the Gulf of Ormuz.
2) It had also been called the access to Mecca because many pilgrim ships sailed from here.
3) The Kathiawad seths or mahajans (moneychangers) had many banking houses at Surat.
4) The Surat hundis were honoured in the foreign markets of Cairo in Egypt, Basra in Iraq and Antwerp in Belgium.
5) Being a port town Surat had been a centre for trade in cotton textiles with West Asia, Africa and Europe.