RBSE Class 7 Social Science Notes History Chapter 5 Rulers and Buildings

These comprehensive RBSE Class 7 Social Science Notes History Chapter 5 Rulers and Buildings will give a brief overview of all the concepts.

RBSE Class 7 Social Science Notes History Chapter 5 Rulers and Buildings

→ Between the eight and the eighteenth centimes kings and their officers built two kinds of structures : The first were forts, palaces, garden residences and tombs- safe,'protected and grandiose places of rest in this world and the next; the second were structures meant for public activity including temples, mosques, tanks, wells, caravanserais and bazaars.

→ Engineering Skills and Construction :

• Trabeate Style : Between the seventh and tenth centuries roofs, doors and windows were still made by placing a horizontal beam across two vertical columns. The trabeate style was used in the construction of temples, mosques, tombs and in buildings attached to large stepped-wells (baolis).
• Stylistic Developments : Two technological and stylistic developments are noticeable from the twelfth century :
  • Arcuate,
  • Limestone cement was increasingly used in construction.

→ Building Temples, Mosques and Tanks :

• Temples and mosques were beautifully constructed because they were places of worship.
• The creation of places of worship gave the rulers an opportunity to announce their close relationship with God.
• The work of providing water was done by constructing reservoirs and tanks.

→ Why were Temples Targeted?
In medieval political, culture, most rulers demonstrated their political force and military success by attacking and looting the worship sites of the defeated rulers.

→ Gardens, Tombs and Forts :

• Chahar Bagh : These gardens were called chaharbagh, four gardens, because of their symmetrical division into quarters.
• Tombs : The central towering dome and the tall gateway (pishtaq) became important aspects of Mughal architecture.
• Ceremonial Halls : During Shah Jahan’s reign, diwan-i-khas and diwan-i-am were carefully planned. These were specially constructed to resemble a mosque.

→ Houses of Special Classes : In Shahjahan’s period of nobility had constructed their homes on the banks of the river Yamuna in the capital city Agra. These were set in the midst of formal gardens constructed in the chahar bagh format. But the construction of dwellings other than the royal palace was not allowed on the banks of the river at Shahjahanabad in Delhi.

→ Region and Empire :

• The creation of vast kingdoms brought various regions under his rule.
• Mughal rulers were particularly skilled in adapting regional architectural styles in the construction of their own buildings. For examples: ‘Bangla Dome’ in Bengal, In Fatehpur Sikri many of the buildings show that the influence of the architectural styles of Gujarat and Malwa.