Question

Mahmud of Ghazni’s hunger for riches came with a curiosity to understand the people who he looted. What was the result of his curiosity?
1 a prashasti he issued in the city of Ghazni
2 a splendid mosque in the Chola architecture
3 an area in Ghazni he renamed as Brahmadeya
4 a historical written account of the sub-continent

Answer 1

Explanation:

Prashastis and Land grants

Learning Goals

Prashastis land grants

Warfare for wealth

Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni

Chahamanas

Prashasti: Prashastis contain details which may not necessarily be literally true. They tell us the way the rulers wanted to depict themselves; for example as great achievers, victorious, fearless, valiant, etc. Brahamanas composed the prashastis, who occasionally helped in the administration also.

Land grants

Brahamanas were often rewarded by grant of land. These were recorded on copper plates, which were given to the people who received land.

An unusual aspect during the twelfth century was a long Sanskrit poem containing the history of kings who ruled over Kashmir. An author named Kalhana composed it. The sources he used for this were inscriptions, documents, eye witness accounts and earlier histories. He was often critical about the ruler and their policies, unlike the prashastis which always praised them.

Warfare for wealth

Each of the ruling dynasties were based in a specific region. But they tried to show their power in the following manner:

Trying to control other areas: All the rulers tried to conquer and control other areas. A very sought after area was the city of Kanauj in the Ganga valley.

Building large temples: Building large temples was another way of showing power by rulers. Hence when they attacked each other’s kingdom, they often targetted large temples which were also extremely rich.

Tripartite Struggle: The rulers belonging to the Gurjara-Pratihara, Rashtrakuta and Pala dynasties fought for control over Kanauj, for centuries. Since this long drawn conflict involved ‘three’ parties, it is termed as the ‘tripartite struggle’.

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