A case study- The Gonds Flashcards
Tribes, Nomads and settled communities
Where did the gonds live and what was it called?
The gonds lived a vast forested region called Gondwana.
What is the meaning of the word Gondwana?
It means ‘country inhabited by the gonds’
What kind of agriculture did the gonds practice?
Shifting cultivation
About what time were a few large gond kingdoms beginning to dominate smaller gond chiefs?
About the time that the power of the Delhi Sultans were declining
________ , a history of _________’s reign, gives us information about the gond kingdom of _________.
Akbarnama, Akbar’s , Garha Katanga
Garha Katanga had about _______ villages.
70,000
What is shifting cultivation? Give an example of a tribe that practiced it.
-Trees and bushes in a forest area are first cut and burnt.
- The crop is sown in the ashes.
-When this land loses its fertility, another plot of land is cleared and planted in the same way.
Each garh was controlled by a khel. True or false?
False, each garh was controlled by a particular gond clan.
How many villages does a single chaurasi contain?
A single garh contains 84 units of villages.
What is a unit of 84 villages called?
Chaurasi
What were chaurasis further divided into?
barhots
What does a barhot consist of?
12 villages.
The emergence of large states changed the nature of gond society. True or False?
True
Name the gond raja of Garha Katanga.
Aman das
The garhs Bairogarh, Chauragarh were located on the banks of river _________ .
Narmada
How did the emergence of large states change the nature of gond society?
-Their basically equal society was gradually divided into unequal social classes.
- The Brahmanas received land grants from the Gond rajas and became more influential.
1565 was the year in which ____________ , under __________ attacked _____________. Which mughal king ruled in this year?
The mughal forces , Asaf Khan , Garha katanga.
1565 was a year of Akbar’s reign.
How did the gond rajas help the Brahmanas become more influential?
They gave them land grants.
Who assumed the title of Sangram shah?
Aman das, the ruler of Garha Katanga
Who was Sangram shah’s son?
Dalpat
Who did Dalpat marry?
Dalpat married Princess Durgawati , the daughter of Salbahan, The chandel rajput raja of Mahoba.
Name the chandel rajput raja of mahoba.
Salbahan
Who was the son of the couple Dalpat and Durgawati?
Bir Narain.
How did Princess Durgawati ascend to the throne? Did she contribute in any way to society?
Dalpat died early, so Durgawati started ruling on behalf of her 5 year old son Bir Narain. Under her, the kingdom became more extensive.
Who was Asaf Khan resisted by in 1565?
Princess Durgawati
How did Princess Durgawati and her son die?
She strongly resisted the Mughals in 1565. She was defeated and preferred to die rather than surrender. Her son, too , died fighting soon after.
A gond carved door was found in which area of which state?
Bastar area of Madhya Pradesh
How did Garha katanga earn much of its wealth?
It earned much wealth by trapping and exporting wild elephants to other kingdoms.
The gonds were finally defeated by ________ and ___________.
Bundelas and Marathas.
List a few possibilities with regard to why the Mughals were interested in the land of the Gonds?
-The geographical location of Gondwana and its thick vegetation means that some of its kingdoms are well protected by attacks by foot soldiers.
-The narmada would have provided a long- lasting supply of water for drinking and Irrigation. It would also pave way for economic boom due to trade.
-The wild elephants captured in the forest would have provided strength to the Mughal Army.
- Precious coins obtained could be used for further infrastructural development and also to fund military campaigns.
What did the Mughals obtain after defeating the gonds? Did they annex the entire kingdom?
A large booty of precious goods and elephants. No, they annexed part of the kingdom and granted the rest to Chandra Shah, an uncle of Bir Narain.
