STORIES AND TRAVELLERS
You may have heard of the Jatakas. These were stories that were probably composed by ordinary people, and then written down and preserved by Buddhist monks. Here is part of a Jataka story, which tells us how a poor man gradually became rich.
The clever poor man
Once upon a time, there was a clever poor young man who lived in a city. His only resource was a dead rat. He started off by selling it for a coin to a hotel, for their cat.
Then one day, there was a storm. The king’s garden was littered with branches and leaves, and the gardener was at a loss as to how to clear the mess. The young man offered to clean the garden if he could keep the wood and leaves. The gardener agreed at once.
The young man rounded up all the children who were playing, with an offer of sweets for every stick and leaf that they could collect. In no time, every scrap had been neatly piled near the entrance. Just then, the king’s potter was on the lookout for fuel with which to bake his pots. So he took the whole lot and paid the young man for it. Our young man now thought of another plan. He carried a jar full of water to the city gate and offered water to 500 grass cutters. They were pleased and said: “You have done us a good turn. Tell us, what can we do for you?”
He replied, “I’ll let you know when I need your help.”
He then made friends with a trader. One day, the trader told him: “Tomorrow, a horse dealer is coming to town with 500 horses.” Hearing this, our young man went back to the grass cutters. He said: “Please give me a bundle of grass each, and don’t sell your grass till mine is sold.” They agreed and gave him 500 bundles of grass.
When the horse dealer could not buy grass anywhere else, he purchased the young man’s grass for a thousand coins. …
Activity:
1.List the occupations of the persons mentioned in the story.
2.For each one, try and decide whether they would have lived (a) only in the city (b) only in villages (c) in both cities and villages.
3.Why do you think the horse dealer was coming to the city?
4.Do you think women could have taken up the occupations mentioned in the story? Give reasons for your answer.
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK.
SCULPTURE AND ARCHAEOLOGY
We can use other kinds of evidence to find out about life in some of these early cities. Sculptors carved scenes depicting peoples’ lives in towns and villages, as well as in the forest. Many of these sculptures were used to decorate railings, pillars, and gateways of buildings that were visited by people.
Many of the cities that developed from about 2500 years ago were capitals of the mahajanapadas that you learnt about in Chapter 5(KINGDOMS, KINGS AND AN EARLY REPUBLIC). As we had seen, some of these cities were surrounded by massive fortification walls.
In many cities, archaeologists have found rows of pots or ceramic rings arranged one on top of the other. These are known as ring wells. These seem to have been used as toilets in some cases, and as drains and garbage dumps. These ring wells are usually found in individual houses.
We have hardly any remains of palaces, markets, or homes of ordinary people. Perhaps some are yet to be discovered by archaeologists. Others, made of wood, mud-brick, and thatch, may not have survived.
Another way of finding out about early cities is from the accounts of sailors and travellers who visited them. One of the most detailed accounts that have been found was by an unknown Greek sailor. He described all the ports he visited and the following story is his description of the city.
The Story of Barygaza (the Greek name for Bharuch)
The gulf is very narrow at Barygaza, and very hard to navigate for those coming from the sea. Ships had to be steered in by skillful and experienced local fishermen who were employed by the king.
The imports into Barygaza were wine, copper, tin, lead, coral, topaz, cloth, gold, and silver coins.
Exports from the town included plants from the Himalayas, ivory, agate, carnelian, cotton, silk, and perfumes.
Special gifts were brought by merchants for the king. These included vessels of silver, singing boys, beautiful women, fine wines, and fine cloth.
Activity:
1. Make a list of all the things imported and exported from Barygaza.
2. Underline at least two things that were not in use during Harappan times. vessels of silver, singing boys, beautiful women, fine wines, and fine cloth.
3. Why do you think merchants brought gifts for the king?
4. In what ways do you think this system of drainage was different from that of the Harappans?
5. Find Bharuch on Map
8. A sculpture from Sanchi. This is a sculpture from Sanchi, a site with stupas, in Madhya Pradesh, showing the scene in a city. You will learn more about Sanchi in Chapter 11(BUILDINGS, PAINTINGS AND BOOKS). Notice the way walls are shown. Are they made of brick, wood, or stone? Now, look at the railings. Are they made of wood? Describe the roofs of the buildings.
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK.