The Making of Regional Cultures

(Solutions)

Let’s Recall

1. Match the following.                 

Column A	Column B
Anantavarman	Kerala
Jagannatha	Bengal
Mahodayapuram	Orissa
Lilatilakam	Kangra
Mangalakavya	Puri
Miniature	Kerala

Answers:                 

Column A	Column B
Anantavarman	Orissa
Jagannatha	Puri
Mahodayapuram	Kerala
Lilatilakam	Kerala
Mangalakavya	Bengal
Miniature	Kangra

 

2. What is Manipravalam? Name a book written in that language.

Answer: Manipravalam literally means “diamonds and corals” referring to the two languages, Sanskrit and the regional language.
Lilatilakam is written in that language.
3. Who were the major patrons of Kathak?
Answer: The Mughal emperors and their nobles, Wajid Ali Shah - the last Nawab of Awadh and the courts of Rajasthan and Lucknow were the major patrons of Kathak.

4. What are the important architectural features of the temples of Bengal ?
Answer: Important architectural features of the temples of Bengal are:

1. The double-roofed (dochala) or four-roofed (chauchala) structure of the thatched huts.
2. Four triangular roofs were placed on the four walls move up to converge on a curved line or a point.
3. Temples were usually built on a square platform.
4. Outer walls of many temples were decorated with paintings, ornamental tiles or terracotta tablets.

5. Write a note on Basohli school of painting. 

Answer: Basohli school of painting flourished under the patronage of Raja Kirpal Dev (1678-93) of Basohli. The charm of the Basohli school lies in its colour appeal. It is also known for its bold and intense style. The central inspiration of the Basohli school of painting is Vaishnavism. The most popular texts to be painted there are Jayadeva's Gita-Govinda and Bhanudatta's Rasmanjari. 

6.Write a note on the development of Dogri in Medieval Jammu? 

Answer: In Jammu there exists a rich treasure of Dogri literature belonging to the medieval period in the form of folk songs, folktales, proverbs, idioms, etc. The use of Dogri was mainly confined to light compositions like songs, bhajans and ballads like Karakas, Bar, Bakh, Geetu etc. 

7. Where are the Buddhist rock reliefs mainly found in Ladakh? 

Answer: Many of the Buddhist rock reliefs have been found mostly along the ancient trade routes in Kargil, Leh and Nubra regions attributed to the period between 9th and early 11th century. Their style closely resembles that of Bronze images produced in Kashmir during the same period. 

Let’s Discuss

8. Why did minstrels proclaim the achievements of heroes?
Answer: Minstrels proclaim the achievements of heroes to preserved the memories of heroes. These stories were expected to inspire others to follow their example. Ordinary people were also attracted by these stories which depicted dramatic situations. People also get attracted by the range of strong emotions loyalty, friendship, love, valour, anger etc. in the poems or songs.
9. Why do we know much more about the cultural practices of rulers than about those of ordinary people?
Answer: We know much more about the cultural practices of rulers because their achievements or works were safely preserved in the palaces for the centuries. Also, the rulers hired specially trained minstrels to write their achievements in poems or songs.
Ordinary people were busy in earning their livelihood. They had no money or resource to preserve their work even if they had a story or poems.
10. Why did conquerors try to control the temple of Jagannatha at Puri?
Answer: Conquerors try to control the temple of Jagannatha at Puri because:

1. This temple gained importance as a centre of pilgrimage, wealth, power and culture.
2. Its authority in social and political matters also increased.
3. Conquerors felt that if they conquered this temple then they would make their rule acceptable to the local people.

11. Why were temples built in Bengal?
Answer: Temples were built in Bengal to demonstrate power and proclaim their diety. Bengal witnessed a temple-building spree from the late fifteenth century which culminated in the nineteenth century. People proclaimed their status through the construction of temples when their social and economic position improved.

Let's Do

12. Describe the most important features of the  culture of your region, focusing on buildings,  performing arts and painting. 

Answer: I live in Kashmir. Right from the beginning, it has been a land of mixed culture of Hindus and Muslims. In old days, it was invaded by a number of  rulers. Some of them stayed here for some time and some ruled through governors. They all affected its culture, language, religion, society, architecture, art and painting. Still we have gardens and monuments built by Mughal emperors, their governors and Afghans. We have temples, mosques, gardens and many other such places constructed by different rulers. Differences of cultures can still be seen in the gardens and buildings build by different rulers.

13. Do you use different languages for (a)  speaking,(b) reading, (c) writing? Find out  about one major composition in language that  you use and discuss why you find it  interesting. 

Answer: (a) For speaking I use Kashmiri and Urdu

(b) For reading I use Urdu and English.
(c) For writing I use Urdu and English.
Thus, I use different languages for speaking, reading and writing.

The major composition in the Kashmiri language is the poetry of Sheikh - Ul- Alam popularly known as 'Koshur Quran'. The poems are full of wisdom, that is why I like it most.

14. Choose  one  state  each  from  north,  west,  south,  east and  central  India.  For  each  of  these,  prepare  a  list  of foods  that  are  commonly  consumed,  highlighting  any differences  and  similarities  that  you  notice.

Answer:

State	Food
i. Kashmir (North)	Rogan Josh, Pulav, Yakhni, Dum Olave, Goshtab,
ii. Rajasthan (West)	Dalia,Dal and Churma, Mama Kachori
iii. Kerala (South)	Rice and Fish, Idli - Sambar, Dosa, Dhokla
iv. West Bengal (East)	Rice and Fish, Aloo Potol Posto, Ilish Macher Jhol Shukto, Sandesh, Mutton Biryani
v. Madhya Pradesh (Central India)	Dal - Chapati, Chapati - Dal

15. Choose  another  set  of  five  states  from  each  of  these regions  and  prepare a  list  of  clothes  that  are generally worn  by  women  and  men  in  each.  Discuss  your findings.

Answer:

States	Clotges Worn by Men	Clothes Worn by Women
Jammu and Kashmir (North)	Pharan, loose Shalwar and Kameez, Doshawl	Pharan, Kurta and Pyjama, Shawl, Saree, Dupata
ii. Orissa(East)	Dhoti, Kurta, Gamucha	Kataki Saree, Sambalpuri Saree, Salwar Kameez
iii. Tamil Nadu (South)	Lungi, Shirt	Saree, Salwar Kameez
iv. Gujarat (West)	Kediya or Kurta, Chorno or Dhoti, Phento or Turban	Ghagra, Choli, Chaniyo,Chunni
v. Chhattisgarh (Central India)(	sleeveless jacket with dhotis, Koundhi, Kadhah	Lugda or Saree, Polkha or Blouse, Batik