Give geographical reason

Question 13 Marks

India received silver every year in large quantities.

Answer

Foreign trade flourished to a great extent during the Mughal period.
Exports from India were larger than the imports.
Many commodities including silk cloth, precious stones, spices, etc. were exported from India while the imported goods mainly included luxury items.
The foreign traders had to pay for the Indian goods in the form of silver.
Hence, India received silver every year in large quantities.

Question 23 Marks

Mughals could establish their rule in India.

Answer

At the beginning of the 16th century, the political condition in India was somewhat disturbed.
The Sultanate’s rule had begun to decline after Muhammad Tughluq. The Delhi Sultanate broke down completely and many new independent kingdoms emerged in North, Central, and South India.
The Bahamani kingdom got divided into five branches. The prosperous Vijaynagar empire was’ destroyed by the five Islamic ruling houses in the South.
During the same period, the Portuguese began to settle on the western coast of India. The traditional military system of the Indian rulers in the medieval period was not capable of facing the onslaught of new challenges.
The Indians were not familiar with modern weaponry. Taking advantage of all this, the Mughals established their rule in India.

Question 33 Marks

Arts flourished during the period of the Mughals.

Answer

The reign of the three emperors, Akbar, Jahangir, and Shahjahan was a period of peace, order, and prosperity. Arts flourish when there is stability.
A new era began in the field of art and architecture. The etched designs on the marble walls of mosques, tombs, and palaces are evidence of the highly advanced styles of art and architecture.
During the period of Akbar and Jahangir, the art of ivory carving received royal patronage.
The Mughal paintings originated from the Persian styles of painting.
There are miniature paintings of Persian style in the manuscript of ‘Baburnama’. The art of painting received encouragement during the period of Akbar. He appointed skilled painters in his court.
During the period of Jahangir, paintings were done based on the court and hunting scenes. The paintings of this period were done in a more realistic style, which is vibrant and attractive. These paintings, portray birds and animals, cloud formations, human figures, and natural scenery.
During the Mughal period, the art of music seems to have received royal patronage.

Question 43 Marks

Akbar’s administration was welfare-oriented.

Answer

An average of the annual yield in the last ten years was calculated and one-third of this average yield was fixed as the base for the tax to be paid.
The tax, thus fixed, was applicable for the span of ten years. This offered considerable respite to farmers for a span of ten years.
Documents are known as ‘Kabulayat’ and ‘Patta’ were prepared from the farmers after the fixing of the tax rate. The tax was collected in cash or in kind.
The farmers have sanctioned loans for tilling the land, which could be repaid in installments.
Concessions were also granted to the farmers during times of calamities like famine, floods, and epidemics. These were the Welfare policies of Emperor Akbar.
Todarmal in Emperor Akbar’s court is known for his insights regarding the welfare of common people.

Question 53 Marks

Mughal Empire declined.

Answer

After Akbar, Jahangir, Shahjahan, and Aurangzeb ruled efficiently.
Aurangzeb attempted to expand his empire in the Deccan with prolonged campaigns. There was a toll on the economic status of the Mughals. The campaign in the south drained huge wealth from the Mughal treasury.
Aurangzeb’s reign is notable for his wars in frontier provinces, his political policies in North and South India, staunch religious policies, and the Mughal- Maratha conflict. All these things ultimately resulted in the decline of Mughal power.
This period is marked by the expansion of the Maratha kingdom, interference by the Europeans in the political affairs of India, and the decline of Mughal power.
Finally, the aftermath of the struggle for Independence in 1857 C.E., saw the end of the Mughal rule under Bahadur Shah.

Question 63 Marks

For the expansion of the empire, Akbar adopted the strategy of persuasion with the Rajputs.

Answer

Akbar faced many internal and external problems when he started his rule. Mughal power was not completely established and it was vulnerable to attacks.
During this period, Rana Pratap, the ruler of Mewar, put up a strong resistance against Akbar. Akbar could never win a war with Rana Pratap.
Hence for the expansion of the empire, he adopted the strategy of persuasion with the Rajputs.
Akbar had realized that if the Mughal rule has to be strengthened in India then he had to adopt non-offensive policies, which would be popular.

Question 73 Marks

Write in detail about Mughal Land Revenue System.
(a) Land Survey
(b) Rate of Tax
(c) Welfare Oriented Policy

Answer

(a) Land Survey:

Akbar made further reforms in the revenue system implemented by Shershah Sur. This bought a certain discipline in the Mughal revenue system.
He graded the cultivable land based on the systematic land survey. The land was classified into four types on the basis of annual yield, i.e. fertile (supik), infertile (napik), irrigated (bagayat), and dry crop (jirayat) land.

(b) Rate of Tax:

Individual land holdings of farmers were registered. An average of the annual yield in the last ten years was calculated and one-third of this average yield was fixed as the base for the tax to be paid.
The tax, thus fixed, was applicable for the span of ten years. This offered considerable respite to farmers for a span of ten years. Documents knew as ‘Kabulayat’ and ‘Patta’ were prepared by the farmers after the fixing of the tax rate.

The tax was collected in cash or in kind. The farmers have sanctioned loans for tilling the land, which could be repaid in installments.
Concessions were also granted to the farmers during times of calamities like famine, floods, and epidemics. These were the Welfare policies of Emperor Akbar.
Todarmal in emperor Akbar’s court is known for his insights regarding the welfare of common people. His insights were instrumental for Akbar’s land reforms.

History Give geographical reason