NCERT Class 7 Social Science Exploring Society India and Beyond Part 2 Chapter 04 Turning Tides 11th and 12th Centuries PDF Download

Chapter 4: Turning Tides: 11th and 12th Centuries

It is the same India which has withstood the shocks of centuries, of hundreds of foreign invasions, of hundreds of upheavals of manners and customs. It is the same land which stands firmer than any rock in the world, with its undying vigour, indestructible life. Its life is of the same nature as the soul, without beginning and without end, immortal; and we are the children of such a country.

- Swami Vivekananda

The Big Questions

1. Why are the 11th and 12th centuries seen as a period of transition in Indian history?
2. Which new powers emerged during this period? What were the essential features of their economic, military and administrative systems?
3. What high accomplishments in art, architecture, literature, science, etc., do we come across during this period?

[Figure 4.1: A bas-relief depicting soldiers and elephants preparing for war (from Lakshman Temple, Khajuraho), See in your textbook]

In the previous chapter, we saw the Arabs' repeated attempts to invade and dominate north India and how, in the end, those incursions had little overall impact on India. The 11th and 12th centuries tell a different story: invasions by Turkic powers penetrated much deeper into north India, despite stubborn resistance from native kingdoms.

We begin the chapter with an invasion and end the chapter with another, with a very brief account of the wars and destruction that came in their wake. However, many Indian rulers also flourished in this time period, successfully battling the invaders at times (when they were not battling each other), conducting naval expeditions, creating astonishing monuments or projecting India's influence abroad. Many poets, philosophers, saints and scientists belong to this period and their works continue to illuminate us even today.

In this chapter we will only explore a few of these important events, figures and accomplishments.

[Figure 4.2: Timeline showing key events from 950 to 1300, including the reign of Rajaraja Chola I (985-1014), Mahmud of Ghazni's campaigns against the Hindu Shahis (1000-08), the reign of Rajendra Chola I (1014-44), the reign of Paramara king Bhoja (1010-55), Rajendra Chola's naval expedition to Southeast Asia (1025), Mahmud destroying and plundering the Somnath temple (1026), the rise of the Kakatiyas (12th century), the 2nd Battle of Tarain where Muhammad Ghuri defeats Prithviraja III (1192), Bhaskaracharya composing Lilavati (1150), the construction of Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia (12th century, 1st half), Bakhtiyar Khilji defeated in Kamarupa (1205-06), and the deaths of Muhammad Ghuri and Bakhtiyar Khilji (1206), See in your textbook]

Think About It

A word of caution: In Grade 8 you will read a 'Note on History's Darker Periods'. Briefly, it explains how history has recorded war, conquest and destruction more than peace, good governance or creativity, and how, the world over, historians have sometimes hesitated to draw attention to such darker periods. Our approach is that it is better to face them and analyse them so as to understand what made such developments possible and, hopefully, help avoid their recurrence in future. In addition, we should not forget that while past events cannot be erased or denied, it would be wrong to hold anyone responsible for them today.

The Ghaznavid Invasions

In the 9th and 10th centuries, several kingdoms confronted each other in present-day Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. Across those two regions and all the way to Punjab, there ruled a

Key Points

• The 11th and 12th centuries mark a turning point in Indian history when invasions by Turkic powers penetrated far deeper into north India than earlier Arab incursions had done.
• Despite facing invasions and wars during this period, many Indian rulers and kingdoms flourished, creating impressive monuments and conducting successful military campaigns.
• This era witnessed remarkable achievements in art, architecture, literature, science and philosophy alongside conflict and upheaval.
• The period saw the rise of new powerful dynasties and the continuation of cultural and intellectual development across India.

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