Vital Villages, Thriving Towns — Social Studies STD 6 — Question

Generally, some cities were considered important for a variety of reasons (or variety of functions performed in them). Let us look at the example of Mathura.
Mathura:

1. It has been an important settlement for more than 2500 years.
2. Farmers and herders from adjoining areas provided food for people in the city, which was located at the cross roads of two major routes of communication, from the northwest to north and east and from north to south.
3. There were fortifications around the city and several shrines.
4. Mathura was also a centre where some extremely fine sculpture was produced.
5. Around 2000 years ago Mathura became the second capital of the Kushanas (remember their first capital was Purshpur or modern Peshawar in Pakistan).
6. Mathura was also a religious centre - there were Buddhist monasteries. Jain shrines and it was an important centre for worship of Lord Krishna.

Several inscriptions on surfaces such as stone, slabs, statues, have been found in Mathura. Generally, these are short inscriptions, recording gifts made by men and women to monasteries and shrines. These were made by kings and queens, officers, merchants and crafts persons who lived in the city. For example, inscriptions from Mathura mention goldsmiths, blacksmiths, weavers, basket makers, garland makers, perfumers.