Chapter 1 – Exploring the Changes Over the Thousand Years

Chapter 1 – Exploring the Changes Over the Thousand Years

 

1. Medieval History

• This chapter was written around 700 AD. From 1750 A.D. It studies over a thousand years of Indian history.
• This period is called the Medieval Period in Indian History.
• It was a time when the Indian subcontinent underwent many significant political, social, economic, and cultural changes.

 

2. Maps

• Maps are very important to understand history.
•  Al-Idrisi’s World Map (12th Century):
  • Al-Idrisi, an Arab geographer, created a map of the world in  1154.
  • This map showed the Indian subcontinent, but South India is where we would expect North India today, and Sri Lanka is at the top.
  • The names of the places were given in Arabic.
•  Map by French Cartographer – 1720s:
  • A French cartographer created another map of the Indian subcontinent in the  1720s.
  • This map is  more similar to our map today.
  • This map was used by European sailors during their voyages.
• Important point: How maps change over time  tells us about the information and knowledge of the time.

 

3. New and Old Terminologies

• The language and meanings of words change over time.
• Example:
  • ‘Hindustan‘:
    • In the 13th century (by Minhaj-i-Siraj): The term simply meant the area between Punjab, Haryana and Ganga-Yamuna, which was under the control of the Delhi Sultanate.
    • In the 16th century (by Babur): Babur used this term to describe the geography, fauna and culture of the inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent.
    • Today: This word denotes the whole of India.
  • ‘Foreigner’:
    • In medieval times: A ‘foreigner’ was a person who was an outsider in a village, who was not part of that society or culture. A forest-dweller could have been a foreigner to a city dweller.
    • Today: ‘Foreigner’ is a person who comes from another country.
• It is important to understand that historians have to be mindful of these linguistic changes when they study the texts of the past.

 

4. Historians and Their Sources

Historians use a variety of sources to learn about the past:

•  Coins:  Information about rulers, empires, and economic status.
•  Inscriptions: Inscriptions engraved on temples,  pillars that tell about kings, charities and events.
• Architecture:  Buildings, temples, mosques, etc. that reflect the art, engineering, and lifestyle of the time.
•  Texts/Records:
  • Use of Paper: The use of paper increased a lot in the medieval period. It became cheaper and was used to write sacred texts, accounts of rulers, letters of saints, records of courts, etc.
  •  Manuscripts: These were hand-written books. These were often collected by rich people, rulers, monasteries and temples.
  •  Scribes: People who copied manuscripts. Sometimes when copying they made small changes to the original, which over time made different copies of the manuscripts quite different from the originals.
  •  Archives: A place where documents and manuscripts are stored.

 

5. New Social and Political Groups

This period of the thousand years saw a number of major social and political changes:

1. Technological Innovations:

• • Persian Wheel: Used in irrigation.
  •  Spinning Wheel: Used in spinning.
  •  Firearms: The use of gunpowder and guns in war.

1. New Food and Beverages:

• • New foods like potatoes, corn, chillies, tea, and coffee came to the Indian subcontinent.

iii.  Increased Mobility:

• • There was an increase in the number of people travelling from one place to another in search of opportunities.
  • Rajputs : An important community that emerged in this period. These were the groups who considered themselves as Kshatriyas as warriors.
  • Marathas, Sikhs, Jats, Ahoms, Kayasthas: Other Groups Who Gained Political Importance.

1. Changes in Environment:

• • Forests were cut down, agriculture expanded, forcing forest dwellers to be displaced.
  • Society was divided into castes and sub-castes, and their ranks varied depending on their occupation.
  •  Panchayat: Castes had their own rules and regulations,  which were followed by an assembly (panchayat)  of caste elders.

 

6. Regions and Empires

• This period  saw the rise of various regional states and large empires.
• Example:  Dynasties like Cholas, Khiljis, Tughlaqs and Mughals created large empires.
• These empires often consisted of different regions and peoples.
• When an empire collapsed, regional kingdoms re-emerged.

 

7. Old and New Religions

• Changes in Hinduism :
  • Worship of new gods and goddesses.
  • Construction of temples.
  • The importance of  Brahmins (Brahmanas) and priests increased.
  •  Bhakti Movement:  The emphasis was on love and devotion to the individual deity, which allowed worship to be done even without the help of priests.
•  Advent of Islam:
  •  Islam came to India in the 7th century with traders and later rulers.
  •  Quran: The holy book of Muslims.
  •  Ulama: Muslim scholar and jurist.
  • Islam was divided into two major denominations: Shia  (who considered Ali the legitimate leader of the Muslim community, the son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad) and  Sunni (who accepted the authority of the caliphs).
•  
  8. Periods of History
  • Historians often divide history  into periods to make it easier to study.
  • British Historians:  Divided Indian history into Hindu, Muslim and British periods.
  • Modern Divisions: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern.
    • Medieval Period:  This period is known for large-scale social, economic, and political changes, which distinguish it from the  “modern” period.
    • The “modern” period is associated with science, reason, democracy, and equality, but these ideals did not fully exist during the British colonial rule in India.