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Chapter 3: Empires and Kingdoms: 6th to 10th CenturiesClass 7 Social Science — summary, notes, extra questions & NCERT solutions
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Summary
This chapter surveys India from about 600 CE to 1200 CE, the centuries after the Gupta era, sometimes called 'post-classical', 'late classical' or 'early medieval'. Through the device of a young traveller journeying across the Subcontinent, it introduces the many kingdoms that rose and fell during this dynamic period. In the north, it describes the rise of Harsha of Kannauj and the Pushyabhuti dynasty, the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang who visited India in the 7th century and left valuable accounts, and the tripartite struggle among the Gurjara-Pratiharas, Palas and Rashtrakutas for control of Kannauj. In the Deccan and south, it covers the Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Pallavas, Cholas and Pandyas, with their magnificent temples and rock-cut architecture, such as the Pallava monuments at Mamallapuram and the Rashtrakuta cave at Ellora. It explores the flourishing of art, architecture, literature, philosophy and science, including the work of mathematicians like Brahmagupta, the spread of bhakti through saints like the Alvars and Nayanars, and the philosophy of Adi Shankaracharya. It also notes the early Arab incursions into Sindh and how, despite political fragmentation, trade, learning and cultural exchange continued, with Indian influence spreading to Southeast Asia.
India from 600 to 1200 CEHarsha and the northThe tripartite struggleSouthern kingdoms and templesBhakti, philosophy and learning
Key terms
Early medieval period
A name historians give the centuries from about 600 to 1200 CE, the dynamic period after the Gupta era covered in this chapter.
Tripartite struggle
The three-way contest among the Gurjara-Pratiharas, Palas and Rashtrakutas for control of the strategic city of Kannauj.
Rock-cut architecture
A style of carving temples and caves directly out of rock, seen in Pallava monuments at Mamallapuram and the Rashtrakuta cave at Ellora.
Bhakti
A path of personal devotion to the divine, spread in the south by saints such as the Alvars and Nayanars.
Xuanzang
A Chinese pilgrim who travelled across India in the 7th century and left detailed accounts of its society, learning and culture.
Advaita Vedanta
The philosophical school associated with Adi Shankaracharya, an influential thinker of this period.
Extra questions & answers
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Early medieval period
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A name historians give the centuries from about 600 to 1200 CE, the dynamic period after the Gupta era covered in this chapter.
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