Write a note on: - a) Devadasis b) Lost wax technique c) Pilgrimage centres d) Hundi
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Answer:
a) In India, devadasi means “servant of god.” Young girls are “married” to an idol, deity, or temple. These girls are often from the lowest castes in India—their parents have given them to temples as human offerings in order to appease the gods.
In the local language, they have a saying about devadasis: “Servant of god, but wife of the whole town.” In reality, they are sexual slaves, and devadasi girls are forbidden from marrying. And they have to earn their own income by begging in the streets.
India’s government outlawed the practice in 1988, but it persists in south India, where there are an estimated 50,000 devadasis.
b) Chola bronze statues were made using the lost wax technique.
First an image was made of wax. This was covered with clay and allowed to dry. Then it was heated. Then a small hole was made in the clay cover. From this hole all the molten wax was drained out. Through this hole, molten bronze was poured into it. Then the metal was allowed to cool and become solidified. Then carefully the clay cover was removed from the statue.
c) Pilgrimage centers slowly developed into townships. Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh) and Tiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu) are examples of two such towns. Ajmer (Rajasthan) was the capital of the Chauhan kings in the twelfth century and later became the suba headquarters under the Mughals. It provides an excellent example of religious coexistence. Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti, the celebrated Sufi saint who settled there in the twelfth century, attracted devotees from all creeds. Near Ajmer is a lake, Pushkar, which has attracted pilgrims from ancient times.
d) Hundi is a financial instrument that developed in Medieval India for use in trade and credit transactions. Hundis are used as a form of remittance instrument to transfer money from place to place, as a form of credit instrument or IOU to borrow money and as a bill of exchange in trade transactions.