A visist to Kaziranga and Sivasagar
Dr. Srutimala Duara
1. Word Meanings:
Unique= Being the only one of its kind, rare Renowned= Famous
Conservation= Preservation.
Flora= The plants of a particular area.
Fauna= the animal of an area or period.
Heritage= An inheritance.
Camouflage= The act of disguising. Goblet= A drinking vessel without a handle.
Amphitheatre= An open outdoor theatre.
2. Fill up the blanks:
i. Well in 1904 ____ visited Kaziranga.
Ans:- Mary Curzon.
ii. The Namdang Stone Bridge was built by the Ahom King ____
Ans:- Rudra Singha.
iii. Siu-Ka-Pha made ____ his first capital.
Ans:- Charaideo.
iv. Sivasagar formerly known as ____ (rangpur/ Charaideo)
Ans:- Rangpur
v. When we visit a historical site, we see ____ (new monuments/old monunts)
Ans:- old monuments
3. Choose the right answer:
(a) Rang ghar was built by
(i) Rajeswar Singha
(ii) Pramatta Singha
(iii) Rudra Singha
Ans:- (ii) Pramatta Singha
(b) Herbivorous animals eat flesh/grass/ vegetables/fish
Ans:- Grass.
(c) When you excavate, you dig out/cover up something
Ans:- Dig out.
(d) When you visit a historical site, you see new/old monuments.
Ans:- Old monuments.
(e) When you play an indigenous game, it is a foreign/local game.
Ans:- Local game.
4. Sivasagar tank was built by-
(i) Rudra Singha
(ii) Queen Ambika
(iii) Lora Roja
(iv) Gadadhar singha
Ans:- (ii) Queen Ambika
5. Who built the Numdang stone bridge?
(i) Rudra Singha
(ii) Queen Ambika
(iii) Lora Roja
(iv) Gadadhar Singha
Ans:- (i) Rudra Singha
6. Kajziranga was designated as national park:
(i) 1950 (ii) 1916
(iii) 1905 (iv) 1974
Ans:- (iv) 1974
7. Name two famous Ponds of Sivasagar.
Ans:- The famous ponds of Sivasagar are Sivasagar tank and Joysagar tank.
8. Write the names of the temples built on the banks of the Sivasagar tank.
Ans:- The names of the temples built on the bank of the Sivasagar tank are Siva Dol, Vishnu Dol and Devi Dol.
9. In whose memory was the Joysagar built?
Ans:- The Joysagar was built in memory of Sati Joymoti.
10. Why did the children wake up early in the morning? What was the former name of "Sivasagar?
Ans:- The children woke up early in the morning because their parents would be taking them to Sivasagar.
Rangpur was the former name of Sivasagar.
11. Who built the Ranghar?
Ans:- The Ahom King Pramatta Singha built the Ranghar.
12. What does the rhinoceros eat?
Ans:- The rhinoceros are herbivorous animals. They eat only grasses.
13. What is the full form of UNESCO?
Ans:- United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.
14. Why is Assam unique?
Ans:- Assam is full of tea gardens, ancient temples, historical monuments, national parks etc. So Assam is a unique land.
15. Who is the author of 'A visit to Kaziranga and Sivasagar”?
Ans:- Srutimala Duara.
16. On the way to Sivasugar, they crossed a stone bridge” What is the name of the bridge?
Ans:- The name of the bridge is Namgang stone bridge.
17. What is a National park?
Ans:- A National park is an area used for conservation purpose. It is a park gifted with a wide variety of flora and fauna. It is a home to animals like Indian wild boar, wild water buffaloes, leopard, gibbon etc.
18. Why Kaziranga is called a “National Park”?
Ans:- Kaziranga has been using for conservation purpose. It is a park gifted with a wide variety of flora and fauna. Kaziranga is a home to animals like Indian wild bear, wild water buffaloes, leopards, gibbon etc. So, Kaziranga is called a National Park.
19. When did Mary Curzon visit Kaziranga?
Ans:- Mary Curzon visited Kaziranga in 1904.
20. Why is Jaymati called Sati”?
Ans:- Jaymati is called “Sati” because she sacrificed her life for her husband and for establishing peace in the kingdom.
21. Why was the children Lohit and Trisha excited that morning? Where did their father usually take them during holidays?
Ans:- Lohit and Trisha excied that morning because their parents would be taken them to Sivasagar. On the way to Sivasagar they would spend a night In Kaziranga.
Every year during school holidays their father took them to see different places situated in and out side Assam.
22. Why Kaziranga was declared as a Tiger Reserve?
Ans:- Kaziranga has the highest density of tigers among the protected areas in the world. So it was declared as a Tiger Reserve in 2006.
23. When and by whom was Kaziranga declared as a 'World Heritage Site'?
Ans:- In 1985 Kaziranga was declared as a 'World Heritage Site' by UNESCO.
24. Who was Mary Curzon? When did she visit Kaziranga? Why did she request her husband to take measures to protect the rhinos?
(Or) Write briefly about the history of Kaziranga as a protected area.
Ans:- Mary Curzon, the wife of Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy of India, visited Kaziranga.
She visited Kaziranga in 1904.
She heard that Kaziranga was famous for rhinos. Unfortunately she was unable to find a single rhino. She was deeply moved and requested her husband to take immediate measures to protect the rhinos. Soon in 1905, the Kaziranga Proposed Reserve Forest was created and the park grew in size. In 1916, it was named as Kaziranga Game Sanctuary.
25. Why was Kaziranga Game Sanctuary renamed as Kaziranga Wildlife?
Ans:- The Kaziranga Game Sanctuary was renamed as Kaziranga Wildlife Sancturay in 1950 by P.D. Stracey, the then forest conservationist. The word 'game' also means animals hunted for food. Thus the name did not suit better for a park which was meant to conserve animals.
26. Why is Kaziranga famous for?
Ans:- Kaziranga is famous for its one horned rhino.
27. "On their way to Sivasagar,they crossed a stone bridge."
(i) Who are referred to as "they"?
(ii) Name the stone bridge and who build it?
(iii) Name the three temples built on the bank of the Sivasagar Tank?
(iv) Writes notes on any one of the following:
(a) Talatal Ghar
(b) Charaideo Maidam
Ans:- (i) Trisha, Lohit and their parents are referred to as “they'.
(ii) The name of the stone bridge is-Silor Saaku, the Namdang Stone Bridge. It was build by the Ahom king Rudra Singha in 1703.
(iii) The three temples built on the bank of Sivasagar Tank are- Shiva Dol, Vishnu Dol and Devi Dol.
(iv) (a) Talatal Ghar:
Talatal Ghar is a historical monument of Sivasagar. However only its remnants can be observed today. It was a seven storeyed building, of which four storeys were above the ground and three below the ground. It had two secret tunnels. One was 16 kilometers long which led to the Gargaon Palace. While the other one was 3 kilometers long which led to the Dikhow river.
(iv) (b) Charaideo Maidam:
Charaideo was the first capital of Siu-Ka-Pha, the founder of the Ahom dynasty. It is 22 kms away from Sivasagar. It is famous for its maidams which have tomb vaults just like the pyramids of Egypt. Maidam was the burial ground for the Ahom kings and nobles. Many royal graveyards still exist in this place. The hillock of Charaideo was considered to be sacred by the Ahom dynasty. This place was believed to be the home to their ancestral Gods.
28. What was the story of Sati Joymoti? Why is she called Sati?
Ans:- There was belief among the Ahoms that only a physically person could ascend the throne. So, the cruel king Lora Roja either killed or maimed the young men of his kingdom inorder to safeguard his throne from rebels. Joymoti's husband, Gadadhar Singha, fled and hid himself in the Naga hills. Lora Roja could not find him. He took Joymoti as a prisoner. He tortured her for, not revealing the whereabouts of her husband. After being inhumanly tortured for fourteen days, she died.
Joymoti sacrificed her life not only for her husband but also for her establishing a peaceful kingdom. So, she is called Sati.
29. What is a maidam?
Ans:- Maidam is a burial ground for the Ahom kings and nobles.
30. "Don't you want to see a new place? You have already seen Tezpur"
(i) Who said this?
(ii) Who does 'you' stand for?
(iii) Who wanted to take them to the new place?
Ans:- (i) Father of Lohit and Trisha said this.
(ii) Here you stands for Lohit.
(iii) Lohit's father wanted to take them to a new place.
31. “The next morning, they entered the park on Elephant back”
(i) Who is "they” here.
(ii) Describe the park as seen by them on elephant back.
Ans:- (i) Trisha, Lohit and their parents are referred to as 'they'.
(ii) In the morning they entered the park. They could only see the vast expanse of the park. There they saw a rhino with its baby. They saw some birds near a water body. They also saw another rhino in the water of the vast park. That was an exciting trip for them. They saw quite a number of animals, birds and flowers. They also enjoyed the beauty of the flora of the park.
32. Write briefly the history of Kaziranga as a protected area.
Ans:- The history of Kaziranga as a protected area goes back to the time when Mary Curzon visited it in 1904 to see rhinos. But she could not find any rhinos there and requested her husband Lord Curzon to take measures for protection of rhinos. Thereafter the Kaziranga Proposed Reserved Forest was created in 1905. It was named Kaziranga Game Sanctuary in 1916. However, in 1950, it was renamed Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary to remove the word "Game" which seemed to be unfair. Finally, it was designated a National Park in 1974.
33. Write a short on Talatal Ghar.
Ans:- The Talatal Ghar has only the remains now. It had four storeys above ground and three storeys under ground. One of the two secret tunnels of the Talatal Ghar was 16 kilometres long and it led to the Gargaon Palace. The other was connected to the Dikhow river and it was 3 kilometres long.
34. Write a note on Charaideo Maidam.
Ans:- The Charaideo maidam was a burial ground of the Ahom kings and nobles. It is a pyramid like structure which is considered to be sacred by the people of the Ahom dynasty. They believe it to be the home of their ancestral gods. There are approximately a hundred maidams in Charaideo.
Mr. Rupjyoti Goswami
Post Graduate Teacher (English)
Bhogeswar Hazarika Girls' Higher Secondary School, Bebejia, Nagaon, Assam.
Email: rupjyotigoswami983@gmail.com
Mobile: 9864425896.
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