NCERT Solutions For Class-12 History Chapter-4: Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings Cultural Developments
NCERT Solutions For Class 12 History Chapter 4 Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings Cultural Developments – This article includes the free NCERT Solutions for Class 12 History Chapter 4 Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings Cultural Developments. It will help the students of Class 12 to learn the solutions and ace their exams. It has been developed by the subject matter experts at GFG, according to the latest CBSE Syllabus 2023-24, and guidelines. It help the students of Class 12 create a solid conceptual base for History Chapter 4 Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings Cultural Developments.
The solutions to all the exercises in Class 12 History Chapter 4 Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings Cultural Developments of your NCERT textbook have been collectively covered in NCERT Solution for Class 11 (2024-2025).
NCERT Solutions Class-12 History Chapter-4: Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings Cultural Developments – In Between Questions
Compare what Shahjehan Begum described with what you see in Fig. 4.3. What similarities and differences do you notice? (Page – 84)
Answer:
Shahjehan Begum and her successor Sultan Jahan Begum were the rulers of Bhopal. They made significant contributions to the preservation of the Great Sanchi Stupa. The Figure 4.3. shows the Sanchi Stupa complex which is located on a hilltop with a large mound and monuments.
Is ahimsa relevant in the twenty-first century? (Page – 89)
Answer:
Yes, ahimsa is still relevant in the 21st century and has been an important part of Indian traditional values for a long period. Buddhism, Jainism, and Mahatma Gandhi also promoted this principle.
If you did not know about the life of the Buddha, would you be able to tell what the sculpture depicts? (Page – 90)
Answer:
Buddha was a historical figure. His pre-religious name was Siddhartha Gautama. Buddhists believe that he attended nirvana in Bodh Gaya which is now in India. Bharhut stupa depicts the scenes from the life of the Buddha. The Buddha Shakyamuni is a sculpture that carries the same message also.
Compare the Buddha’s advice to Sigala with Asoka’s advice to his subjects (Chapter 2). Do you notice any similarities and differences? (Page – 92)
Answer:
Buddha advised Sigala on how to treat the servants and employees. This advice included so many works based on the strength, providing food, providing wages, giving care to them, and much more.
Why do you think a dasi like Punna wanted to join the sangha? (Page – 94)
Answer:
1. They wanted to attain enlightenment. They want to attain it by staying away from different worldly activities.
2. They want to deeply study Buddhist philosophy by staying in the Buddhist Sanghas.
What are the similarities and differences between the plan of the Great Stupa, Sanchi (Fig. 4.10a) and the photograph (Fig. 4.3)? (Page – 97)
Answer:
People may join the Sanghas for enlightenment by avoiding the different world activities and by studying the different Buddhist philosophies as well. The Sanghas were the most common term in Buddhism as it refers to the monks and nuns who left their homes.
Read Section 1 again. Give your reasons why Sanchi survived. (Page – 99)
Answer:
The reason why Sanchi survived as it escaped from the eyes of the railway contractors and builders. The rulers of Bhopal provided a lot of money to preserve the sculpture.
Bone, terracotta and metal can also be used for sculpture. Find out more about these. (Page – 103)
Answer:
Bone, terracotta, and metal are generally used to make sculptures. Terracotta is a clay-based ceramic that can be fired up at low temperatures. In archeology, the art of terracotta is then used to describe the different objects. Metal sculptures were also famous at that time as well.
Describe any religious activity you have seen. Is it permanently recorded in any form? (Page – 109)
Answer:
Religious activities are generally preserved in oral traditions, sacred texts, different symbols, and holy places. Many religious beliefs and practices are not recorded in permanent forms like different paintings, sculptures, and monuments.
NCERT Solutions Class-12 History Chapter-4: Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings Cultural Developments – Exercise
Were the ideas of the Upanishadic thinkers different from those of the fatalists and materialists? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
Upanishadic thinkers and the fatalists and materialists are not much more different than each other.
Ahimsa is a non-violence theory that was the idea of Jain and Buddhists. The idea was supported by the Hindu people also.
Upanishad believers and teachers of Karma held an important position in Buddhism and Jainism.
Fatalists and materialists believe that humans are the creator of Earth.
Summarise the central teachings of Jainism.
Answer:
Jain philosophy promotes the idea of non-injury as they believe in Ahimsha. They are completely against the violence. They believe that the birth and rebirth is based on Karma. They practice asceticism and penance and try to achieve salvation.
Discuss the role of the begums of Bhopal in preserving the stupa at Sanchi.
Answer:
The Nawab of Bhopal aka Shahjehan Begum and her successor Sultan Jehan Begum have done so many things to preserve the Sanchi stupa. They allocated funds and established guesthose near it.
Read this Short Inscription and Answer:
In the year 33 of the maharaja Huvishka (a Kushana ruler), in the first month of the hot season on the eighth day, a Bodhisatta was set up at Madhuvanaka by the bhikkhuni Dhanavati, the sister’s daughter of the bhikkhuni Buddhamita, who knows the Tipitaka, the female pupil of the bhikkhu Bala, who knows the Tipitaka, together with her father and mother.
(i) How did Dhanavati date her inscription?
(ii) Why do you think she installed an image of the Bodhisatta?
(iii) Who were the relatives she mentioned?
(iv) What Buddhist text did she know?
(v) From whom did she learn this text?
Answer:
Dhanavati dated her inscription as the way where she placed the inscription at Madhuvanka.
She installed the image of the Bodhisattvas to display the growing popularity of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism.
She has mentioned the name of her relatives as Buddhamita.
She knows the whole Tripitaka
She learned it from the text of Buddhamita.
Why do you think women and men joined the sangha?
Answer:
1. They wanted to attain enlightenment. They want to attain it by staying away from different worldly activities.
2. They want to deeply study Buddhist philosophy by staying in the Buddhist Sanghas.
To what extent does knowledge of Buddhist literature help in understanding the sculpture at Sanchi?
Answer:
Buddhist literature has played a major role in understanding the Sanchi sculpture. The scene at the Northern gateway of Sanchi was mainly decoded by different historians. They decided it based on the Buddhist literature. The art historians also became familiar with the biography of Buddha, It helped to understand the meaning of different symbols of the Buddhist tradition.
Discuss the development in sculpture and architecture associated with the rise of Vaishnavism and Shaivism.
Answer:
The stupas were the religious sites of Buddhism. There were so many temples that were constructed to house the Hindu gods. The Shaivite and Vaisnavite movements make famous the devotion of Shiva and Vishnu at this time. The early temple was constructed to have small square rooms which can be known as garbagriha. The garbagrihas have a single door. A tall sculpture was placed in garbhagriha which was known as the Shikhara. The walls of the temple were majorly decorated.
Figs. 4.32 and 4.33 are two scenes from Sanchi. Describe what you see in each of them, focusing on the architecture, plants and animals, and the activities. Identify which one shows a rural scene and which an urban scene, giving reasons for your answer.
Answer:
Figure 4.32 depicts a rural way of life and Figure 4.33 depicts an urban way of life. Both figures talks about the people who are engaged with different activities, architecture, plants and animals.
Discuss how and why stupas were built?
Answer:
The stupas were built to house the remains of the Buddha and his associates. They are the sacres Buddhist site which includes the sacred texts. They were built in the second century BCE.
FAQs – NCERT Solutions For Class-12 History Chapter-4: Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings Cultural Developments
What are the important terms in Chapter-4 of Class-12 history?
Tripitaka: Three books of Buddhist sacred text. Sanghe: Monastic order. Tirthankar: A great teacher in Jainism. Stupa: A Sanskrit word which means a heap.
Who were the followers of Buddha class-12?
Buddha’s followers came from many social groups. They included kings, wealthy men and gajapatis. Humbler folk: workers, slaves and craftspeople. Within the sangha, all were equal, having shed their earlier social identities on becoming bhikkhus and bhikkhunis.
Why were the Buddhist monks known as bhikkhus class-12?
These monks lived simply, possessing only the essential requisites for survival, such as a bowl to receive food once a day from the laity. As they lived on alms, they were known as bhikkhus.
What was the central idea of Upanishadic thinkers?
The main idea of the Upanishads is that Brahman, the supreme force of the universe, is permanently connected to humanity. By following their responsibility in life, individuals can break the cycle of death and rebirth and become unified with Brahman.
What did Upanishadic thinkers believe?
The Upanishadic thinkers described the atman or the individual soul and the brahman or the universal soul. They believed that ultimately, both the atman and the brahman were one. Upanishadic thinkers believed that the ‘atman’ and ‘brahman’ were ultimately one.
What is the significance of depiction of animals at Sanchi Stupa?
Animals were used as symbols of human attributes, e.g. elephants were depicted to signify strength and wisdom. There is a motif in Sanchi stupa of Gajalakshmi surrounded by lotuses and elephants, which seems to be sprinkling water on her as if performing an Abhisheka or consecration.
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