Sub: Social Science

Grade 7 - Notes

Lesson 6 . Towns, Trade and Craftspeople

III. Answer the following in brief.

1: What is Kalamkari work? Why is it called so?

Answer: Kalamkari is the craft of drawing on fabric or paper with vegetable and mineral dyes. Since a
kalam or a pen-like tool was used to draw the design, the craft was called Kalamkari.

IV. Answer the following questions in detail.

1. Analyse the factors that led to the growth of urbanization in India during the medieval period.
Answer: Many factors led to the growth of urbanisation during the medieval period:

• Agricultural production started increasing from the 11th century CE onwards, which in turn,
led to economic prosperity and the renewed growth of towns and cities. Many of the larger
villages, especially the district centres, slowly grew into towns known as qasbas during the
Sultanate Period.

• From the 14th century CE onwards, these became thriving centres of crafts production and
trading activities. As a result, the economy of the towns flourished.

• From the 16th to 18th centuries CE, Mughal rule witnessed the establishment of a stable
centre and uniform provincial governments. This encouraged the growth of trade and
commerce, which in turn encouraged the growth of urban centres.

• The establishment of market towns, availability of resources was also factors that
contributed to urbanization.

2. Establish with examples the excellence achieved in crafts in general, nand in textiles in
particular, during the medieval period in India.

Answer. In the medieval period various crafts thrived under the patronage of the rulers.
a. Some important crafts included gem-cutting, metallurgy, painting, sculpting, architecture
and pottery. The products were unmatched for their beauty and workmanship.
b. Many varieties of ornamental work in cut stones, ivory, pearl and tortoiseshell were
produced in South India. Pearl diving was a major industry here. Centres for cutting and
polishing precious stones like diamonds, sapphires and rubies were established at Pulicat,
Calicut and Vijayanagara.
 c. The rulers of medieval India encouraged paintings, sculpture and architecture. So, they
opened karkhanas or workshops where thousands of artisans were employed and given a
place to work.
d. The spinning, weaving and printing of fine textiles was a craft that India was known for the
world over. Textile was one of the chief items of export. They were appreciated for their
fine texture, elaborate designs and colours. Some examples of these fabrics were the Patola
from Gujarat, Muslin from Dhaka, Kalamkari from Golconda, Calico from Kerala, Palampore
and carpets from Kashmir.
3. Give a brief account of the greatness of Hampi in the Vijayanagara Kingdom.
Answer:
 Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire—one of the wealthiest and
most powerful empires of south India during the medieval period.
• It was a fortified city with beautiful palaces and huge temples decorated
with carvings, sculptures and paintings. There was profuse use of granite as a
building material in the architecture at Hampi.
• Hampi boasted of a great water infrastructure with dams, tanks, stepwells and
canals. The city also had an efficient drainage system.
• Vijayanagara enjoyed brisk trade with several places such as Persia, Arabia, Africa, the Malayan
Archipelago, Burma, China and the numerous islands in the Indian Ocean. It also had
close trade relations with the Portuguese.
• The city of Hampi was a teeming marketplace for both exports and
imports. The city, however, was completely destroyed when the Vijayanagara
Empire was defeated by the combined forces of the Bahamanis.
4. Trace the history of Masulipatnam as a center of trade during the medieval period.
Answer:
 Masulipatnam, an important port city on the Coromandel Coast, was a prosperous trade
centre from the 14th century CE.
• Through the 15th and 16th centuries CE, it became a major port of the Golconda
Kingdom which was a part of the Bahamani kingdom.
• Masulipatnam was famous for Kalamkari cloth which was sought after by
the Mughals and Europeans.
• The English established their first trading centre on the eastern coast of
Masulipatnam in 1611 CE. Later the Dutch and the French also carried on trade
from there.
• The chief items of export were textiles, woven carpets, fish and rice.
• Masulipatnam lost its importance when traders moved southwards as
cheaper goods were available there.

Note: Project – A4 size paper

Prepare a collage on - Art and craft of the medieval period.