Social Science · Class 7

Active learning ideas

Prashastis and Land Grants

Uncover the secrets of medieval kings by exploring how they used grand poems and strategic gifts of land to build their power and legacy.

• CBSE Learning Outcomes
• NCERT: Class VII - Our Pasts II - Chapter 2

• 35–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Document Mystery
• 40 min · Pairs

Compose a Modern Prashasti

Students write a 'prashasti' for a school principal, a favourite sportsperson, or a fictional leader. They must use exaggerated, laudatory language to describe their 'achievements', helping them understand the style and purpose of these historical texts.

Explain the purpose of a prashasti in a medieval kingdom.

Facilitation Tip

Provide a word bank with powerful adjectives like 'victorious', 'illustrious', 'unconquerable' to guide their writing.

What to look for

An 'exit ticket' activity where students list two reasons why a king would commission a prashasti and two details found on a land grant.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Document Mystery
• 35 min · Small Groups

Decoding a Copper Plate

Provide students with a simplified, translated transcript of a Chola copper plate grant. In small groups, they act as historians to identify the grantor, the grantee, the boundaries of the land, and the rights being transferred.

Analyse the information that can be gathered from copper plate inscriptions detailing land grants.

Facilitation Tip

Create a simple worksheet with columns for each piece of information to help students structure their findings.

What to look for

A short-answer question asking students to analyse a provided excerpt from a prashasti and explain what it tells us about the king and what parts might be exaggerated.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Document Mystery
• 45 min · Whole Class

Historian's Dilemma

Hold a class debate on the motion: 'Prashastis are unreliable sources for writing history'. One side argues for their value in providing names, dates, and official viewpoints, while the other argues they are pure propaganda.

Compare the content of prashastis with what you know about the actual history of the rulers.

Facilitation Tip

Encourage students to use examples from their textbook to support their arguments on either side.

What to look for

Students use a simple checklist to rate their understanding of key terms like 'prashasti', 'brahmadeya', and 'copper plate grant'.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Begin by showing an image of an impressive inscription, like the Allahabad Pillar, and ask students to guess its purpose. Introduce the term 'prashasti' as a 'praise poem'. Then, transition to how these poets were rewarded, introducing copper plate grants as the 'proof' of the reward. Use a simplified diagram to show the flow: King's achievement -> Brahmana composes prashasti -> King rewards with land grant.

By the end of this topic, your students will be able to critically read a royal eulogy and understand the profound impact of land grants on medieval Indian society.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• Prashastis are completely true and accurate historical accounts of a king's reign.

  Prashastis are eulogies, meaning they are 'praise poems'. They often exaggerate a king's successes and ignore his failures to make him look powerful. Historians use them carefully, comparing them with other sources to find the truth.

• Land grants were just a simple gift of land from the king.

  Land grants were complex legal and economic instruments. The person receiving the land often got the right to collect taxes, administer the area, and was exempt from paying taxes themselves, making them a powerful local authority.

• All historical information from that time was written on stone.

  While many important inscriptions were on stone pillars and temple walls, legal documents like land grants were often inscribed on sets of copper plates. These were portable, durable, and served as official records of ownership.

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Methods used in this brief

• Document Mystery