Page 71 - SST Class 07

History

The Gonds preferred to live in hilly, forest and
rural areas. They practised jhoom or shifting
cultivation. In this, they cultivated a piece of land
for three-four years, and then cleared more forests
for cultivation.
Khasis Khokhars
During the medieval period, the Gonds became
influential in Central India and formed a number
Activity
of kingdoms. They were divided into several
Collect the pictures of tribal dresses, jewellery, clans, each under a rai or chief. When the Delhi
dance and lifestyle and paste them in your Sultanate was beginning to decline towards the
scrapbook. close of the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries,
some Gond kingdoms rose to prominence and
It depends on the number and importance of the
settlers how they influence a place. For example, formed powerful kingdoms.
the Gonds settled over a large area and could play The Akbarnama, the biography of Akbar,
no major role in political arena other than forming mentions Garh Katanga , a Gond kingdom in
some small kingdoms at some times; but the Central India that was composed of about 70,000
Ahoms concentrated themselves at one place and villages. Garh Katanga was composed of garhs or
were reckoned as a political force and formed a towns. Each garh was divided into many chaurasis
state. or groups of 84 villages, which were further
divided into barhots or a group of 12 villages. This
Just Think! kingdom was prosperous as it traded in forest
products and elephants. This was due to these
What are the differences between the settled resources that Akbar invaded this kingdom.
communities and tribal societies?
With the passage of time, the Gonds identified
themselves with the Rajputs. The most influential
GONDS personality of Garh Katanga was Rani Durgavati .

The Gonds are tribal people who live in hilly or She was a Rajput princess who became the wife of
forest areas in the upper Narmada valley in a Gond king, Dalpat . The king died leaving
Central India over the states of Madhya Pradesh, behind a five-year-old son, so Rani Durgavati
Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and became his regent. The Mughals offered her to
Odisha. This region is accept their suzerainty
called Gondwana or ‘the and live in peace, but she
land of the Gonds’. Some refused. So, the Mughals
of the famous tribes of attacked Garh Katanga in
Gonds were Bhils and 1565 under the command
Santhals . Like other tribal of Asaf Khan . Rani
groups, they were a Durgavati fought valiantly
homogeneous group, that and died fighting. Her son
is, all their members had Gonds too died fighting. Rani Durgavati
equal powers and rights. A part of Garh Katanga was annexed to the

However, when Gonds concentrated at some Mughal empire, and some territories continued to
places, the process of state formation began, and exist as a Gond kingdom. They were finally
some people became stronger and more powerful defeated and driven to hills and forests in the
than the others. eighteenth century by the Marathas.

Mobile and Settled Communities
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