NCERT Book Solutions Class 7 History Our Pasts – II Chapter 6 – Free PDF Download
A traveller visiting a medieval town can expect to find things based on the kind of town it is– a temple town, an administrative centre, a commercial town, or a port town. Meanwhile, many towns have combined several functions. There were administrative centres, temple towns, as well as centres of commercial activities and craft production. Students can learn more about Towns, Traders, and Craftspersons from Chapter 6 of CBSE Class 7 History. NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 6 “Towns, Traders, And Craftspersons” contains the solutions to the exercises given at the end of Chapter of the book “Our Pasts-II”. These NCERT Solutions are the best resource to prepare for the exam.
1. Fill in the blanks:
(a) The Rajarajeshvara temple was built in ———.
(b) Ajmer is associated with the Sufi saint ————.
(c) Hampi was the capital of the ———— Empire.
(d) The Dutch established a settlement at ———— in Andhra Pradesh.
Answer:
(a) 1010 A.D.
(b) Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti.
(c) Vijayanagara
(d) Masulipatnam
2. State whether true or false:
(a) We know the name of the architect of the Rajarajeshvara temple from an inscription.
(b) Merchants preferred to travel individually rather than in caravans.
(c) Kabul was a major centre for trade in elephants.
(d) Surat was an important trading port on the Bay of Bengal.
Answer:
(a) True
(b) False
(c) False
(d) False
3. How was water supplied to the city of Thanjavur?
A. Water from wells and tanks was supplied to the city of Thanjavur through channels.
4. Who lived in the “Black Towns” in cities such as Madras?
A. During the eighteenth century, the cities such as Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras were formed. During this period, crafts and commerce underwent major changes as merchants and artisans (such as weavers) were moved into the ‘Black Towns’ established by the European companies within these new cities. The ‘blacks’ or native traders and craftspersons were confined here while the ‘white’ rulers occupied the superior residencies like St. George Fort in Madras or St. William Fort in Calcutta.
5. Why do you think towns grew around temples?
A. Towns grew around temples because the temple towns represented a very important pattern of urbanization. Temples were considered central to the economy and society. The rulers constructed these temples to demonstrate their devotion to various deities. They also endowed temples with grants of land and money to carry out elaborate rituals, feed pilgrims and priests, and celebrate festivals. Therefore, a large number of priests, workers, artisans, traders, etc. settled near the temple to cater to its needs and those of the pilgrims and led to the formation of the temple towns. Some examples of temple towns include Kanchipuram and Madurai in Tamil Nadu and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. Towns grew around temples because of the following reasons:
i) The rulers endowed temples with grants of land and money to carry out elaborate rituals, feed pilgrims and priests, and celebrate festivals. Therefore, a large number of priests, workers, artisans, traders, etc. settled near the temple to cater to its needs and those of the pilgrims and led to the formation of the temple towns. Priests, workers, artisans, craftspersons settled around temples.
ii) Several shops came up around the temple to cater to the needs of pilgrims and the priests etc.
6. How important were craftspersons for the building and maintenance of temples?
A. The Panchalasor Vishwakarma community consists of goldsmiths, bronzesmiths, blacksmiths, masons, and carpenters. The community played an essential role in the building of temples. They had an important role in the construction of big buildings, palaces, tanks, and reservoirs.
Craftspersons were very important because of the following reasons:
A. i) They carried inlay work in copper and silver. Craftspersons from Bidar were well-known for Bidri
ii) Goldsmiths, bronzesmiths, blacksmiths, masons, carpenters built They also maintained them.
iii) Weavers also played an important role in cotton textiles.
7. Why did people from distant lands visit surat?
A. i) People from distant places visited Suratas it was the Gateway to West Asia.
ii) They came here to purchase cotton textiles, textiles with their gold lace border.
iii) Surat has also been called the gate to Mecca because many pilgrim ships set sail from here.
iv) There was a big market for cotton textiles. One could find several retail and wholesale shops selling cotton textiles. Ex: i.e. zari and had a market in West Asia, Africa, and Europe.
v) There were ample rest-houses for the visitors. Magnificent buildings and innumerable pleasure parks attracted people of far-off places.
8. In what ways was craft production in cities like Calcutta different from that in cities like Thanjavur?
A. Craft production in Thanjavur was different from that of Kolkata in the following manner.
i) Craft production in Thanjavur was in the form of metalwork in copper and silver. The city produces bell metal crafts like Thanjavur metal plates, bronze images bowls, napkins, and powder boxes made of copper and bronze.
ii) In Kolkata it was in the form of cotton textiles, jute textiles, and silk textiles.
9. Compare any one of the cities described in this chapter with a town or a village with which you are familiar. Do you notice any similarities or differences?
| S.No | Surat | S.No | Delhi |
| 1 | Emporium during the Mughal period due to production of various goods. | 1 | It was also an emporium during the Mughal period. |
| 2 | Gateway to West Asia due to the trade center. | 2 | Basically administrative town. |
| 3 | Cosmopolitan city. | 3 | Cosmopolitan city. |
| 4 | Factories and warehouses. | 4 | Factories and warehouses. |
| 5 | Known for cotton textiles. | 5 | Known for business, trade, and commercial pursuits. |
10. What were the problems encountered by merchants? Do you think some of these problems persist today?
A. Problems encountered by merchants:
i) Merchants had to pass many kingdoms and forests.
ii) Travelled in caravans.
iii) They had to carry goods on the back of camels, donkeys, and horses.
iv) Their goods were looted frequently.
v) Competition with European traders.
vi) Harsh climate and routes killed several merchants on the way or in the middle of their journey.
11. Find out about any present-day pilgrimage centre. Why do you think people go there? What do they do there? Are there any shops in the area? If so, what is bought and sold there?
A. Present-day pilgrimage Centre: Haridwar.
i) People go to Haridwar to take bath in the holy Ganga as they believe they will get salvation by doing so.
ii) They take bath in the Ganga river and worship it.
iii) Yes, several shops are there.
iv) Offerings are sold at these shops.
NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 6 Towns, Traders, And Craftspersons Summary
The NCERT Class 7 Our Pasts-II Chapter 6 talks about the following topics:
- Temple towns and pilgrimage centres.
- The emergence of small towns, small and big traders.
- Craftsmanship in town.
- The architecture of Hampi, Masulipatnam, and Surat.
- A Gateway to the West: Surat
Our Pasts-II is an important book for the Class 7 Social Science subject. Apart from this chapter, the full set of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science is given in the linked article. The solutions for chapter 6, Towns, Traders And Craftspersons are given below. Students should also check NCERT Solutions for Class 7 for other subjects. INFINITY LEARN also provides sample papers, notes, and previous year question papers of the CBSE board.
Frequently Asked Questions on NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 6
- Who lived in the “Black Towns” in cities such as Madras from Chapter 6 of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History.
- How important were craftspersons for the building and maintenance of temples from Chapter 6 of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History?
- What will I learn in Chapter 6 of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History?
1. Who lived in the “Black Towns” in cities such as Madras from Chapter 6 of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History.
During the eighteenth century, the cities such as Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras were formed. During this period, crafts and commerce underwent major changes as merchants and artisans (such as weavers) were moved into the ‘Black Towns’ established by the European companies within these new cities. The ‘blacks’ or native traders and craftspersons were confined here while the ‘white’ rulers occupied the superior residences like St. George Fort in Madras or St. William Fort in Calcutta.
2. How important were craftspersons for the building and maintenance of temples from Chapter 6 of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History?
The Panchalas or Vishwakarma community consists of goldsmiths, bronze smiths, blacksmiths, masons, and carpenters. The community played an essential role in the building of temples. They had an important role in the construction of big buildings, palaces, tanks, and reservoirs. The craftspersons of Bidar were famous for their copper and silver works and eventually, their work came to be called ‘Bidri’. Similarly, weavers such as the Saliyar or Kaikkolars emerged as prosperous communities, making donations to temples.
3. What will I learn in Chapter 6 of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History?
The NCERT Class 7 Our Pasts-II Chapter 6 talks about the following topics:
Temple towns and pilgrimage centres.
The emergence of small towns, small and big traders.
Craftsmanship in town.
The architecture of Hampi, Masulipatnam, and Surat.
A Gateway to the West: Surat
