Page 1 - lesson notes-std 7-history-subtopic 2-

SAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

SESSION 2020-21
CLASS - VII

SUB- SOCIAL SCIENCE (HISTORY)
LESSON NOTES

CH-5: RULERS AND BUILDINGS
Sub Topic 2: Buildings, Temples, Mosques and Tanks (Page.no-63-65)

Why were Temples Destroyed? (Page.no- 65-66)

(i) Temples and mosques were beautifully constructed because they were
places of worship.

(ii) They were also meant to demonstrate the power, wealth and devotion of
the patron.

(iii) The largest temples were all constructed by kings. The other, lesser

deities in the temple were gods and goddesses of the allies and subordinates
of the ruler.

(iv) Muslim Sultans and Padshahs did not claim to be incarnations of god but
Persian court chronicles described the Sultan as the “Shadow of God”.

(v) Rulers also offered patronage to the learned and pious, and tried to
transform their capitals and cities into great cultural centres that brought fame
to their rule and their realm.

Why were Temples Destroyed?

(i) In the early eleventh century, when the Chola king Rajendra I built a Shiva
temple in his capital, he filled it with prized statues seized from defeated
rulers.

(iI) Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni was a contemporary of Rajendra I. During his
campaigns in the subcontinent, he also attacked the temples of defeated
kings and looted their wealth and idols. By destroying temples – especially the
one at Somnath – he tried to win credit as a great hero of Islam.