NCERT Solutions for Class 8th Social Science Chapter 15 Cultural Currents: 13th to 17th Centuries
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
Culture is the shared way of life that defines a group of people, passed down through generations — values, morals, customs and traditions as well as art, music, literature, philosophy and science. Indian culture is among the most ancient in the world, and unlike those of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome it has stayed alive and continuous. Through all the turbulence the chapter notices three common patterns : continuation of traditional practices in Indian communities; patronage from rulers of various backgrounds in the arts, languages, literature and philosophy; and active participation by people across all sections of society. Political instability disrupted; it did not stop. The bhakti mārga (path of devotion) is one of the multiple paths to mokṣha , and it needs neither rituals nor
- Chapter opener
- Belief Systems
- Regional saints and their messages
- Musical Traditions
- From Walls to Paper
- Changing Landscapes
- Women in Society
- Institutions of learning
- Growth of Literature and Language
- Cultural Exchange in Daily Life
Quick revision
| Term | What it means | Where it appears in the chapter | Worth remembering |
|---|---|---|---|
| Culture | The shared way of life that defines a group of people, often passed down through generations — values, customs and traditions as well as art, music, literature, philosophy and science | Opening pages, p. 216 | It shapes how people see the world, deal with each other and live their daily lives |
| bhakti mārga | The path of devotion — one of the multiple paths to mokṣha | The power of the bhakti tradition, p. 218 | It requires no rituals and no priests; it had crystallised by the 6th century |
| mokṣha | Realisation of Truth, or release from the cycle of death and rebirth | p. 218 | The chapter gives both meanings side by side |
| Sufism | A path of Islam that focuses on devotion, and an inner and personal search for god | Sufism, p. 221 | Sufis also used yogic and Vedantic techniques — inner silence, asceticism and meditation |
| qawwālī | A Sufi devotional song fusing Indian, Persian and Arabic singing traditions | p. 221; DON’T MISS OUT, p. 224 | Amīr Khusro (mid-13th to early 14th century) is credited with developing it |
| Zikr | Remembrance of God through the repetitive chanting or silent recitation of divine names | Margin note, p. 221 | Compared in the chapter to Vedantic meditation |
| dhrupad | Dhruva = fixed, pada = verse — a music genre of great antiquity | Musical Traditions, p. 224 | Raised to new heights under Raja Mansingh Tomar of Gwalior in the late 15th century |
| paṭṭachitra | Paṭṭa = cloth, chitra = picture — painted cloth storytelling of Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh | p. 223 | Themes usually from the Rāmayaṇa, Mahābhārata and the Puraṇās |
| Atelier | An artist’s studio | Margin note, p. 226 | In Akbar’s atelier one artist drew the lines, another filled the colours, a third added the finishing |
| charbagh | The Persian four-part garden design, with waterways representing the rivers of Paradise mentioned in the Quran | Changing Landscapes — Gardens, p. 229 | Older Indian words for garden — udyāna, vātikā, nandana — are already in the Ṛigveda and the epics |
| purdah | Persian for curtain or veil; in north India the ghūnghaṭ became part of the attire | p. 231 | Largely confined to north India; the chapter finds little evidence of it elsewhere |
| Hindavi | An early version of the Hindi-Urdu language, with the grammar and vocabulary of Indian languages but with Persian and Arabic words integrated | Margin note, p. 234 | Amīr Khusro wrote primarily in Hindavi; Urdu later grew out of it |
| pūrvamaryade | A Kannada word meaning ‘following previously established practices of dharma and social norms’ | DON’T MISS OUT, p. 234 | It is why Vijayanagara’s rulers kept supporting temples and maṭhas, so education continued |
| Brocade | A rich fabric woven with a raised pattern, typically with gold or silver thread | Margin note, p. 236 | Banarasi brocade now carries a Geographical Indication (GI) tag |
| Indian saltpetre | Potassium nitrate, used for gunpowder, fertilisers and fireworks | Margin note, p. 241 | In Akbar’s time it was also used to cool water and beverages |
Exercises
- Chapter opener — The Big Questions Page 215
- Belief Systems — In-text Questions Page 218
- Regional saints and their messages — LET’S EXPLORE Page 220
- Regional saints and their messages — THINK ABOUT IT Page 221
- Musical Traditions — LET’S EXPLORE Page 224
- From Walls to Paper — LET’S EXPLORE Page 228
- Changing Landscapes — LET’S EXPLORE Page 230
- Women in Society — LET’S REMEMBER Page 232
- Women in Society — LET’S EXPLORE Page 232
- Women in Society — LET’S EXPLORE Page 233
- Women in Society — LET’S EXPLORE Page 233
- Institutions of learning — THINK ABOUT IT Page 235
- Growth of Literature and Language — LET’S EXPLORE Page 238
- Cultural Exchange in Daily Life — LET’S EXPLORE Page 246
- Cultural Exchange in Daily Life — LET’S EXPLORE Page 247
- End of chapter — Questions and activities Page 248 – 249