TS 6th Class Social 20th Lesson Questions and Answers Telangana – Sculptures and Buildings

Telangana SCERT 6th Class Social Study Material Telangana 20th Lesson –Sculptures and Buildings Textbook Questions and Answers.

Sculptures and Buildings – TS 6th Class Social 20th Lesson Questions and Answers Telangana

Question 1.
Why do you think Ashoka chose lions and bulls or his pillars rather than cows or parrots ? What animal would you have chosen if you were in his place ? Give reasons for your choice.
Answer:
The animals chosen by Ashoka are believed to symbolize different’ steps of Lord Buddha’s life.

Elephant: The elephant represents the Buddha’s idea in reference to the dream of Queen Maya of a white elephant entering her womb.
Bull : The bull represents desire during the life of the Buddha as a prince.
Horse : The horse represents Buddha’s departure from palatial life.
Lion : The lion represents the accomplishment of BuddhAnswer: If I were in his place 1 would have chosen Cows/Bulls, Dogs and Horses.

Reasons for my choice :

Cows are sacred.
Bulls do hardwork for us.
Dogs are our best friends.
Horses represent our strength.

Question 2.
Many stupas of Andhra Pradesh are on the banks of rivers (like Salihundam, Nagaijunakonda, Amaravati, etc). Why do you think the monks selected these places to build stupas?
Answer:
The civilizations are flourished on the banks of rivers. Many people settled there. The monks received donations from the people to construct stupas. The stupas are also should be visited by people to offer prayers. Any religion can come into wide practice if it receives the affection of people and support of the kings. So these are plenty near the banks of the rivers. So they constructed stupas near banks.

Question 3.
Look at the sculpture showing the calming of the elephant. Who are the people watching the event from a height ?
Answer:
These people were Queen and her servants.

Question 4.
Why do you think only the rock cut viharas and chaityas have survived till today ?
Answer:
a) Viharas:

Viharas were the monasteries or living places of Buddhist monks where religious education was imparted.
A vihara usually had small rooms around an open courtyard and had a small shrine containing a stupa or an image of the Buddha at one end.
This shrine was called a chaitya which was also a prayer hall for monks. There are cave viharas excavated on hill sides like in Nashik and Karle. The other viharas were built with brick or stone blocks like in Takshasila, Nagarjunakonda and Nalanda which became great place of learnings. Viharas were made of rock using chisel and hammer, so they were survived till today.

b) Chaityas:

Traders, artisans and kings of the time of the Satavahanas donated generally to build a unique kind of chaityas and viharas in several places in Maharashtra like Karie, Bhaja, Kamheri and Nashik.
These were built like caves on hill sides. Stone workers usipg chisel and hammer carved living rocks and reproduced structures which carpenters and wood workers had made.
They made large prayer halls, stupas and small rooms for monks – all in the rock. So they were also survived and had attracted the pilgrims from other countries.

Question 5.
Compare the features of a Chaitya and a temple. Do you think the mode of worship in a Chaitya and a temple would be different ?
Answer:

The temple was the greatest socio-religious institution created in ancient IndiAnswer: The whole South India is dotted with temples. Tamil Nadu alone has more than 30,000 temples. Chaitya was a prayer hall for the monks.
The temple was not merely a peace of worship, it was also the hub of the social, religious, cultural, economic and political life of the community. Chaityas were the great places of learning.
The temple was conceived as a place not only for worship, but as a centre of learning also.
Apart from imparting education in chaityas and viharas monks were als.o treating the physical ailments of people.
The temple was a great seat of intercourse. The life of man from the cradle to the grave was wrapped in rituals and ceremonies to be performed in temple. Buddhist monks taught Buddhist scriptures to disciples.
Temples were served as Ghatikas and enjoyed patronage of wealthy merchants
and ruling prince. Ordinary women-men, farmers, traders, soldiers and artisans made liberal donations for chaityas. .
The Gopuram tower acted as a beacon or pointer for the location of village, acting like a light house during the night. They also maintain hospitals and made provisions for medicines.

In chaityas we can see simple structure – a small room, Mandapa, Shikara, etc..

Question 6.
Why are the Buddhist Stupas and Chaityas are sacred ?
Answer:

Buddhist Stupas and Chaityas are considered to be sacred.
In the centre of the stupa, relics of Buddha or other important monks were buried.
That is why it is considered to be sacred.
Pilgrims worship the stupa by offering flowers, etc. and going around it in pradakshina and meditating in front of it.
Chaitya is a small shrine (in viharas) containing a stupa or an image of Buddha and is used as prayer hall for monks.
That is why it is also considered to be sacred.

Question 7.
How did the Buddhist monks probably use the Viharas and Chaityas ?
Answer:

Viharas were the monasteries or living places of Buddhist monks where religious education was imparted.
A vihara usually had small rooms around an open courtyard and had a small shrine containing a stupa or an image of the Buddha at one end.
In viharas, monks taught Buddhist scriptures to disciples.
Apart from imparting education in viharas, monks were also treating the physical ailments of people.
‘Ordinary men and women, farmers, soldiers and artisans made liberal donations for building and expenses of viharas.
Traders, artisans and kings of the time donated generally to build a unique kind of chaityas and viharas.

Question 8.
Locate Buddhist and Jain sites on the outline map of TelanganAnswer:
Answer:
Nelakondapalli – Khammam District

Question 9.
Read the first para of Text Page : 170 (178) (Vihara’s were the for the monks) and comment on it.
Answer:
Viharas were the monasteries or living places of Buddhist monks where religious education vyas imparted..A vihara usually had small rooms around an open courtyard, and had a small shrine containing a stupa or an image of the Buddha at one end. This shrine was called a chaitya, which was also a prayer hall for the monks.
Answer:
Viharas were the Buddhist monasteries. Buddhist religious teaching were taught there. These viharas had small rooms and a ‘Chait.ya’ (stupa) with a open court yard. These were used for both education and prayers. Mostly the wandering monks used to stay here for several months for education. These play a key role in spreading the Buddhism.

I. Conceptual Understanding

Question 1.
Do you feel that the lions in Sarnath Lion Capital look natural or do they look artificially posing for the sculpture ?
Answer:
I feel that the lions look natural. These four majestic lions facing the four directions hold on their head the wheel of DharmAnswer: These pillars and the lion capital represent the power and majesty of the Mauryan Emperor.

Question 2.
Mention the structural details of Nagaijunakonda Stupa.
Answer:

The Nagarjunakonda Stupa is one of the famous Buddhist stupas.
It was the capital city of Ikshvaku kings.
It was on the bank of the Krishna river.
Vijayapuri had a large number of Stupas, Viharas and palaces.
It also had a beautifully designed ampitheatre and ghats leading to the river.
Unfortunately today the entire city lies under water – submerged in the Nagarjuna- sagar dam.
A large number of sculptures and other remains have been removed and kept in a museum nearby.
These sculpture panels represent the earliest sculptural activity in South India.

Question 3.
Explain earliest surviving stone temples at Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh.
Answer:
This is a very simple structure, with just a small room (called garbhagriha) in which the idol of the Buddha was kept, and a small open porch or mandapa with no walls but only pillars. The door and the pillars are beautifully carved. However, the temple has a flat roof without any tower or shikhara on it. This was built around 1600 years ago.

Question 4.
What did Hu-en-Tsang and others describe about “Nalanda”?
Answer:
Hu-En-Tsang and others Chinese pilgrims spent time studying in Nalanda (Bihar) the most famous Buddhist monastery of the period. This is how he describes it:

“The teachers are men of the highest ability and talent. They follow the teachings of the Buddha in all sincerity. The rulers of the monastery are strict, and everyone has to follow them. Discussions are held throughout the day, and the old and the young , mutually help one another. Learned men from different cities come here to clear their doubts. The gate keeper asks new entrants difficult questions. They are allowed to enter only after they have to answered them. Seven or eight out Of every ten are not able to answer.”

Question 5.
Look ait the sculpture panel from Kanaganahalli and identify the features that distinguish the king from other people.
Answer:
The king has a turban like crown on his head. He has some ear rings and some metal ornaments around his wrist and hands. He has some mark of ‘Vibhudhi’ or ‘Tilak’ on his forehead. There is a ‘belt’ like thing around his neck and chest. No other person in the picture has such things.

Question 6.
What are the salient features of ‘Harappan culture’ ?
Answer:

‘Harappan culture or ‘Indus Valley civilisation progressed in the plains watered by river Indus and its tributaries.
It was predominantly city cultured i.e. people do not depend on agriculture or hunting gathering for livelihoods.
Buildings here were of baked bricks of standard size and shape.’
They used seals and weights and a pictographic language.
They developed an organised drainage system.
They used objects made of different kinds of metals like copper, silver, tin etc. and bronze.
They prayed Mother Goddess, Pashupati, etc.
They organised rituals society as a whole.

Question 7.
Do you think Telangana was a part of the Harappan culture ? Would the people living in Telangana have known about the Harappan people ? How ?
Answer:

I don’t think Telangana was a part of the Harappan culture.
It was not drained by either Indus or its tributaries.
The people living in Telangana might have known about Harappan culture.
There were trade relations between Northern and Southern parts-of India from ancient times.
This might have made them to know about the Harappan culture.

II. Reading the Text (given), Understanding and Interpretation

Can you compare a stupa with a temple and tell what the similarities and the differences are between them and how people worship in them?
Temples are the greatest socio-religious institutions created in ancient indiAnswer: The whole of South India is dotted with temples. The following are the differences between stupa and temple.

Temple	Stupa
1. The temple was not merely a place of worship, it was also the hub of the social, religious cultural, economic and political life of the community.	1. It is supposed to represent the BuddhAnswer: At the same time it is believed that the dome of stupa represents the universe with the ‘ central pillar being the axis around which everything revolves and which connects the world below the earth and the heavens.
2. The temple was conceived as a place not only for worship, but as a centre of learning also.	2. Pilgrims worship the stupa by offering flowers etc., and going round it in Pradakshina and meditating in front of it.
3. The Sabha Mandapa or the Vyakhyana Mandapa was for the exposition of ethical texts.	3. A stupa is built on a platform. In the centre of stupa were buried relics of the Buddha or important monks.
4. The daily recitation of the sacred texts imparted ethical education to the congregation which gathered of learning various branches were taught.	4. Apart from imparting education in viharas, monks were also treating the physical ailments of people.
5. It was the great seat of social intercourse.	5. Discussions are held throughout the day, and the old and the young mutually help one another.
6. The temples also played a major role in economic life of the community.	6. The stupas also played a major role at the time of Ashoka.

Similarities:

Both of them represent the universe and worship the god.
Both of them play a major role in the economic life of the community.

Question 2.
Why did the Stupa of Amaravathi in Guntur district become ‘famous among other Stupas?
Answer:

Amaravati Stupa in Guntur district is the most famous one in Andhra Pradesh.
This was built during the rule of Satavahanas about 1900 years ago.
The flying figures on the top of the stupa are supposed to be gods from heavens who came to worship the BuddhAnswer:
At the bottom, you can see some men and women also bowing down and worshipping.
We can also see the four lions on the gateway.
Today, the Amaravathi stupa is just a mound of rubble.
All that we have to imagine is how this great stupa was with the help of the panels which show us how it must have looked 1900 years ago.
As you can see from the picture the stupa was covered with panels of sculptures depicting the Buddha and his teachings.
These panels were found by the British and were taken away by them to London.
Some of the panels that could not’be transported werekept in Madras museum.

III. Information Skills

1. Read the following passage.
Traders, artisans and kings of the time of the Satavahanas donated generously to build unique kinds of chaityas and viharas in several places in Maharashtra like Karle, Bhaja, Kanheri and Nasik. These were built like caves on hill sides. Stone workers, carved rocks and reproduced the structures made by the carpenters with wood. They made large prayer halls, stupas and small rooms for monks – all made in rock.They also carved beautiful images of people and animals and some times of the Buddha The Karle Chaitya was built about 2100 years ago.

Answer the following questions:
1) Who donated generously to build a unique kind of chaityas and viharas ?
Answer:
Traders, artisans and kings of the time Satavahanas donated generously to build a unique kind of chaityas and viharas.

2) Name the chaityas and viharas in MaharashtrAnswer:
Answer:
Karle, Bhaja, Kanheri and Nasik.

3) What did the Stone workers use to carve living rocks ?
Answer:
Chisel and hammer.

4) What did they make with the rock?
Answer:
They made large prayer halls, stupas and small rooms for monks.

5) When was Karle Chaitya built ?
Answer:
It was built about 2100 years ago.

IV. Reflection on Contemporary Issues and Questioning

Question 1.
Who were the Chinese pilgrims attracted by the monasteries ?
Answer:
Chinese pilgrims Fa-hi-an, Itsing and Hu-En-Tsang came to visit places associated with the life of Buddha as well as famous monasteries.
Pilgrims were the people who took up journeys to holy places to offer worship. Hu-En-Tsang and others spent time studying in Nalanda (Bihar) the most famous • monastery of the period.

Question 2.
Explain the sculpture panels of Nagaijunakonda and Amaravathi.
Answer:
Introduction : As time went on sculptors started making large and complete figures instead of just the reliefs. Large statues of the Buddha tried to give people an idea of the peaceful, calm and serene personality of the BuddhAnswer: The most famous sculptures of the Buddha come from Gandhara in the Northwest, Mathura and Saranath in Uttar Pradesh. We also can see some of these sclptures in NagarjunakondAnswer: These sculpture panels represent the earliest sculptural acitivity in South India You can get a glimpse of people of those times from them.

Nagarjuna Konda Stupa was the part of Vijayapuri, the capital city of Ikshavaku kings. It was on the banks of the Krishna river. Vijayapuri, had a large number of stupas and viharas and palaces.
Amaravati Stupa in Guntur district is the most famous one in Andhra Pradesh. This was built during the rule of Satavahanas about 1900 years ago. The flying figures of Stupa are supported to be gods from heavens who came to worship the Buddha

Question 3.
Where did the archaeologists find remains of stupas ?
Answer:
Archaeologists have found remains of stupas from very early times in several places of Andhra Pradesh like Amaravati, Bhattiprolu, Ramatirtham, Salihundam etc. At Bhattiprolu stupa was found a crystal casket containing of the relics of the BuddhAnswer: Amaravati Stupa in Guntur district, Nagarjunakonda Stupa at Vijayapuri are the most famous stupas in Andhra Pradesh.

Question 4.
Observe the dresses of men and women in the sculptures and draw them in a notebook. How are they different from the dresses we wear today ?
Answer:
They wore tight, short clothes to cover their lower body. But today we wear clothes to cover our full body.

VI. Appreciation and Sensitivitve

Question 1.
Explain the meanings of stupa.
Answer:
The stupa has many meanings. It is supposed to represent the BuddhAnswer: At the same time it is believed that the dome of the stupa represents the universe with the central pillar being the axis around which everything revolves and which connects the world below, the earth and the heavens. Pilgrims worship the stupa by offering flowers etc., and going round it in pradakshina and meditating in front of it.

Project:

Question 1.
Visit a place of worship in your village or town and draw a sketch of the structure. – Try to get the name of each part, its meaning and use. Prepare a report about this place of worship and conduct an exhibition in your class.
Answer:
Student’s Self Exercise.

TS 6th Class Social 20th Lesson Notes – Sculptures and Buildings

Chaitya : A Buddhist hall containing a stupa as the object of veneration. It is the prayer hall for the monks.
Vihara : It was the residence of Buddhist / Jain monks. These are the monasteries or living places of Buddhist monks where religious education was imparted. Relics : Relics are remains of body like teeth, bone, hair etc.
Monks : Members of a religious group of men who often live apart from other
people in a monastery and who don’t marry or have personal possessions.
Stupa : A Stupa is built on a platform. In the centre of a stupa were buried reljcs of the Buddha or important monks. It is usally surrounded by a stone fence with decorated gateways.
Monastery: It is a building in which Buddhist monks live together.
Sculpture : A work of art that is solid figure or object made by carving or shaping wood, stone, clay, metal etc.
Brahmi : It is the script used by AshokAnswer: Most of the scripts we use in India are in Brahmi script.
Script : A written text of a play, film/movie, broadcast, talk etc.
Pilgrims : Pilgrims are the people who take up journeys to holy places to offer worship.

Mind Mapping: