RBSE Class 7 Social Science Notes History Chapter 9 The Making of Regional Cultures

These comprehensive RBSE Class 7 Social Science Notes History Chapter 9 The Making of Regional Cultures will give a brief overview of all the concepts.

RBSE Class 7 Social Science Notes History Chapter 9 The Making of Regional Cultures

→ Regional cultures have evolved through a complex process through which local traditions and exchange of ideas from other parts of the subcontinent have made each other thriving. 

→ The Cheras and the Development of Malayalam:

• The Chera State is the prime example of the interrelationship between language and region.
• The Chera kingdom was established in the ninth century in the south western part of the peninsula, part of present-day Kerala. Malayalam was spoken in this area.
• The Cheras also drew upon Sanskritic traditions-like-temple theatre tradition, first literary works etc.

→ Rules and Religious Traditions : The Jagannatha Cult

• In other regions, regional cultures grew around religious traditions. The best example of this process is the cult of Jagannatha (literally, lord of the world, a name for Vishnu) at Puri.
• In the twelfth century, Anantavarman, decided to erect a temple for Purushottama Jagannatha at Puri. As the temple gained in importance as a centre of pilgrimage, its authority in social and political matters also increased.

→ The Rajputs and Traditions of Heroism :

• In the nineteenth century, the region that constitutes most of present-day Rajasthan, was called Rajputana by the British.
• The Rajputs are often recognised as contributing to the distinctive culture of Rajasthan. These cultural traditions were closely linked with the ideals and aspirations of rulers. From about the eighth century, most of the present-day state of Rajasthan was ruled by various Rajput families. Stories about Rajput heroes were recorded in poems and songs.

→ Beyond Regional Frontiers : The Story of Kathak :

• Kathak, is associated with several parts of north India. The kathaks were originally a caste of story-tellers in temples of north India, who embellished their performances with gestures and songs.
• Kathak began evolving into a distinct mode of dance in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries with the spread of the bhakti movement.
• Under the Mughal emperors and their nobles, Kathak was performed in the court, where it acquired its present features and developed into a form of dance with a distinctive style. Subsequently, it developed in two traditions or gharanas : one in the courts of Rajasthan (Jaipur) and the other in Lucknow.
• It is recognised as one of six “classical” forms of dance in the country after independence.

→ Painting for Patrons : The Tradition of Miniatures :

• Another tradition that developed in different ways was that of miniature painting.
• In the Mughal period, manuscripts of history and poetry were depicted as miniature paintings. After the fait of the Mughal Empire, the regional courts of the south and the Rajput courts of'Rqjasthan, Mewar, Jodhpur, Bundi, Kota, and Kishangarh, miniatures of mythological stories and poetry themes were made. Thus different styles of painting have developed.
• Another region that attracted miniature paintings was the Himalayan foothills around the modern-day state of Himachal Pradesh. By the late seventeenth century this region had developed a bold and intense style of miniature painting called Basohli.

→ A Closer Look : Bengal :

• The Growth of a Regional Language-Bengali language has gone through many different stages in its development.
• Early Bengali literature may be divided into two categories:
  (a) translations of the Sanskrit epics, the Mangalakavyas and bhakti literature and
  (b) Nath literature.

→ Pir: From the sixteenth century, peoply began to migrate in large numbers from the less fertile western Bengal to the forested and marshy areas of south-eastern Bengal. These were provided by community leaders, who also functioned as teachers and adjudicators and were sometimes ascribed with supernatural powers. People referred to them with affection and respect as pirs.

→ Mandir :

• Bengal also witnessed a temple-building spree from the late fifteenth century, which culminated in the nineteenth century.
• Many of the modest brick and terracotta temples in Bengal were built with the support of several “low” social groups.
• The temples began to copy the double-roofed (dochala) or four-roofed (chauchala) structure of the thatched huts.

→ Fish as Food :

• Traditional food habits are generally based on locally available items of food. Bengal is a riverine plain which produces plenty of rice and fish.
• Brahmanas were not allowed to eat non-vegetarian food, but the popularity of fish in the local diet made the Brahmanical autorities relax this prohibition for the Bengal Brahmanas.