CBSE Notes Class 7 Social Science History Chapter 1-Tracing Changes Through a Thousand Years

New and Old Terminologies 

• "Hindustan" is now referred to as "India," the contemporary nation-state.
• The phrase, which refers to the regions of Punjab, Haryana, and the plains between the Ganga and Yamuna, was first used in the 13th century by a Persian-language writer named Minhaj-i-Siraj.
• Lands that were under the control of the Delhi Sultan were referred to by this word in a political context.
• Even if the concept of an ethnic group similar to "India" existed, the term "Hindustan" did not have the same political connotations that it does now.
• Today, the word "foreigner" is used to refer to anyone who is not Indian.
• Such a person may be referred to as a pardesi in Hindi or an ajnabi in Persian.) 

Historians and their Sources 

• The information about the medieval period is derived from two sources: Archaeological and Literary.
• Archaeological sources available to us include monuments, temples, coins, tombs, ornaments and paintings.
• Since paper became available in good quantum, a lot of written accounts in the form of chronicles, autobiographies,
• farmaans and accounts of foreign travellers are available from this period in Persian and Arabic.

New Social and Political Groups

• The study of the thousand years between 700 and 1750 is a huge challenge to historian largely because of the scale and variety of developments that occurred over the period.
• It was a period of great mobility. One such group of people was Rajputs. Other groups of warriors were Marathas, Sikhs, Jats, Ahoms and Kayasthas.
• Throughout the period there was a gradual clearing of forests and the extension of agriculture. Challenges in their habitat forced many forest-dwellers to migrate.
• As society became more differentiated people were grouped into jatis or sub-castes and ranked on the basis of their backgrounds and their occupations.
• Ranks were not fixed permanently and varied according to the power, influence and resources controlled by the members of the jati.
• A major development of this period was the emergence of the idea of bhakti.
• The teachings of the Holy Quran was also brought to India in the seventh century.
• Followers of Islam were divided into two sub-sects—’Shias’ and ‘Sunnis’.
• At different moments in this period, new technologies made their appearance, like Persian wheel in irrigation, the spinning wheel in weaving and firearms in combat. New foods and beverages also arrived in the subcontinent in this period.

Region and Empire

Numerous regions were included in the vast states of the Cholas, Tughluqs, or Mughals. According to a Sanskrit prashasti glorifying Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban (1266–1287), he ruled over a huge empire that covered all of south India (Dravida) and stretched from Bengal (Gauda) in the east to Ghazni (Gajjana) in Afghanistan in the west. It appears that individuals from several regions, including Gauda, Andhra, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, fled in front of his forces. However, historians view these as overstated claims of conquest.

By the year 700, numerous regions already had distinct physical borders, unique linguistic and cultural traits, and were linked to certain dynasties that ruled them. There was a great deal of strife between these states. Sometimes dynasties like the Cholas, Khaljis, Tughluqs, and Mughals were able to create an empire that covered several different territories. These empires weren't all equally stable or prosperous. Regional states reappeared in the 18th century as a result of the Mughal Empire's fall. Years of pan-regional, imperial authority, however, changed the nature of the regions. The establishment of numerous different and shared traditions throughout the majority of the subcontinent's regions revealed that the small and large states that had governed over them had left behind legacies. In the areas of governance and the management of the

Old and New Religions

• People’s trust in spirituality was personal but the ideas were also communal. The belief in religion changed over time as the social and economic organisations of local communities changed over time.
• During this period, Hinduism saw a change in the way the religion operated. These included the worship of new deities, the construction of temples by royalty, and the growing importance of Brahmanas, the priests, as dominant groups in society.
• Their knowledge of Sanskrit texts earned the Brahmanas a lot of respect in society and they were provided with a lot of support from the rulers too. These led to the development of the bhakti movement. 
• New religions appeared in the subcontinent. The merchants and migrants first brought the teachings of the Holy Quran to India in the seventh century. Muslims regard the Quran as their holy book and accept the sovereignty of the one God, Allah, whose love, mercy, and bounty embrace all those who believe in Him, without regard to social background.
• And like Hinduism, Islam was interpreted in a variety of ways by its followers. There were other important differences between the various schools of law (Hanafi and Shafi’i mainly in India), and in theology and mystic traditions.

Thinking about Time and Historical Periods

In the middle of the nineteenth-century British historians divided the history of India into three periods: 

1. Hindu
2. Muslim 
3. British

The division was vaguely based on the religion of the major rulers and there was no other significant basis taken for this categorization and also ignored the rich diversity of the subcontinent.

The mediaeval period talks about hunter-gatherers, early farmers, people living in towns and villages, and early empires and kingdoms. 

The “mediaeval” period contrasts with the “modern” period. “Modernity” carries with it a sense of material progress and intellectual advancement.