Class 4 Santoor Chapter 12 - Maheshwar

UNIT 4 • UP HIGH • SANTOOR • GRADE 4

CHAPTER 12

Maheshwar

History • Heritage • Queen Ahilya Bai • Maheshwari Sarees • Grammar

🏛️ Welcome to Magical Maheshwar

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Chapter Focus: Maheshwar, the majestic fort of Queen Ahilya Bai, the Narmada River, temples, unique architecture, and the famous Maheshwari handloom sarees.

अध्याय का मुख्य विचार: इस अध्याय में हम मध्य प्रदेश के महेश्वर के ऐतिहासिक किले, रानी अहिल्याबाई, नर्मदा नदी, मंदिरों, विशेष स्थापत्य कला और प्रसिद्ध महेश्वरी साड़ियों के बारे में सीखते हैं।

📖 Let us Read — Maheshwar

It was a pleasant evening. Aarav and Ananya were sitting with their Chachi. They saw a picture of a fort in the newspaper.

Aarav: “Chachi! Do you know the name of this fort? It looks so grand.”

Chachi: “With a twinkle in her eye, she said, ‘Come here! Sit down. Well, the fort in the picture is the majestic Maheshwar. It was built long ago by Queen Ahilya Bai. This fort is famous for its overhanging balconies.’”

Aarav: “A queen and her fort? Overhanging balconies?”

Ananya: “That is exciting! A real queen built the Maheshwar Fort?”

Chachi: “Yes, dear! Queen Ahilya Bai ruled over Maheshwar, a place in Madhya Pradesh.”

Maheshwar is about 95 kilometres away from Indore. Queen Ahilya Bai was a warrior queen who ordered the building of a strong and beautiful fort on the banks of the Narmada River.

She had the fortress built on a hill. From there, she could see her entire kingdom of Maheshwar. The fort is also known as Ahilya Fort.

Aarav: “What was Queen Ahilya like as a ruler?”

Chachi: “She belonged to the great Holkar family, who ruled the kingdom. She protected her people and built temples, schools and wells.”

The fort has overhanging balconies that seem to float in the air. Queen Ahilya Bai ruled with kindness and wisdom, and people loved her.

A 13-feet-tall statue of Queen Ahilya Bai stands even today in front of the palace, like a guardian watching over her land.

Aarav and Ananya: “Tell us more about the fort, Chachi.”

Chachi: “Ah, yes. The fort is known for its unique style of construction and grand staircases. It was made of special red stones brought from Gujarat and Rajasthan.”

Ananya: “Can we go there, Chachi? Can we see it?”

Chachi: “Why not? You will enjoy visiting the fort.”

The fort is on a hill, overlooking the town of Maheshwar on one side and the Narmada River on the other. There are many beautifully designed temples near the fort.

Ananya: “And what else, Chachi? Is there more?”

Chachi: “Yes, there is something special you will love!”

The people of Maheshwar are known for weaving the famous Maheshwari sarees. They are made from cotton and silk, and their designs are very unique.

Aarav: “So, the fort has overhanging balconies, statues and temples! It seems like an interesting place to visit.”

Ananya: “Let us visit Maheshwar one day.”

Chachi: “Why not? Let's plan a visit soon. The fort is waiting for you to discover its secrets. One day, we shall explore it together.”

सरल भावार्थ: आारव और अनन्या अपनी चाची से महेश्वर के बारे में जानते हैं। चाची उन्हें बताती हैं कि महेश्वर का ऐतिहासिक किला रानी अहिल्याबाई से जुड़ा है। यह नर्मदा नदी के किनारे पहाड़ी पर स्थित है। किले की झूलती हुई बालकनियाँ, सुंदर सीढ़ियाँ और विशेष निर्माण शैली इसे आकर्षक बनाती हैं। महेश्वर महेश्वरी साड़ियों की बुनाई के लिए भी प्रसिद्ध है।

📚 New Words — Click to Learn

Click any word to learn: Phonics • Pronunciation • Hindi Meaning • Easy Sentence • Audio

💭 Let us Think

1 Who was Ahilya Bai?

Ahilya Bai was a warrior queen of the Holkar family who ruled Maheshwar. She protected her people and built temples, schools and wells.

अहिल्याबाई होलकर परिवार की वीर रानी थीं जिन्होंने महेश्वर पर शासन किया। उन्होंने अपने लोगों की रक्षा की तथा मंदिर, विद्यालय और कुएँ बनवाए।

2 Where is Maheshwar Fort located? What makes its location special?

The fort is located on a hill in Maheshwar. It overlooks the town on one side and the Narmada River on the other.

महेश्वर का किला एक पहाड़ी पर स्थित है। एक ओर से वहाँ से महेश्वर नगर और दूसरी ओर नर्मदा नदी का सुंदर दृश्य दिखाई देता है।

3 What materials were used to build Maheshwar Fort, and where did they come from?

Special red stones were used to build the fort. They were brought from Gujarat and Rajasthan.

किले के निर्माण में विशेष लाल पत्थरों का प्रयोग किया गया था। ये पत्थर गुजरात और राजस्थान से लाए गए थे।

4 What does the statue of Queen Ahilya Bai in front of the palace represent?

The statue stands like a guardian watching over her land.

रानी अहिल्याबाई की प्रतिमा एक संरक्षक की तरह अपने राज्य की देखभाल करती हुई प्रतीत होती है।

🌟 Think and Discuss

5 What do you think makes historical places interesting?

Historical places are interesting because they tell us about the people, culture, architecture and events of the past.

ऐतिहासिक स्थान हमें अतीत के लोगों, संस्कृति, स्थापत्य कला और घटनाओं के बारे में बताते हैं, इसलिए वे रोचक होते हैं।

6 If you visited Maheshwar Fort, what would you like to see most and why?

I would like to see the overhanging balconies because their design is unusual and beautiful.

मैं किले की झूलती हुई बालकनियाँ सबसे पहले देखना चाहूँगा/चाहूँगी क्योंकि उनका डिजाइन अनोखा और सुंदर है।

📚 Let us Learn — Similar Meaning Words

Some words have similar meanings. For example:

happy joyful cheerful brave bold fearless

Choose the word that does not belong to the group.

1. Find the Odd Word

sad • unhappy • tearful • thrilled

2. Find the Odd Word

talk • discuss • kind • speak

3. Find the Odd Word

noisy • quiet • silent • calm

4. Find the Odd Word

cotton • wooden • silk • woollen

🔗 Match the Words with Their Meanings

Column A

Column B

🧠 Make Your Own Word Groups

Find two groups of three words with similar meanings.

🔇 Silent 'g'

Read the word design aloud.

ध्यान दें: design में g लिखा जाता है, लेकिन इसका उच्चारण नहीं किया जाता। इसे silent g कहते हैं।

Click the words that contain a silent g.

sign

light

goat

night

sing

sugar

king

high

magnet

💡 Remember: In words such as sign, night, sing, king and high, the letter g is silent.

🎧 Let us Listen — Maheshwari Sarees

👂 Listen Carefully

The Maheshwari sarees were originally made of pure silk, but cotton yarn was later introduced.

As they gained popularity, the handloom weaving tradition in Maheshwar began.

These sarees are famous for their unique reversible borders and pallus, showcasing a blend of cotton and silk threads.

They are traditionally made in colours like peacock blue, bright yellow, forest green, and an Indian red dye called Aal.

Today, Maheshwari sarees are available in both national and international markets.

🔢 Arrange the Events

Choose the correct order number for each statement.

Later, Maheshwari sarees are made with a blend of silk and cotton.

Today, these sarees are available both in India and other countries.

The weavers originally used pure silk.

The sarees are famous for their reversible borders.

📝 Grammar — Articles: a, an and the

📌 Easy Rule

a और an सामान्य/एकवचन वस्तु के लिए प्रयोग होते हैं।

a — consonant sound से पहले: a monkey, a bag, a pear

an — vowel sound से पहले: an apple, an elephant, an old man

the — किसी विशेष/पहले से ज्ञात वस्तु के लिए: the bag, the pear, the carrot

🎯 Choose the Correct Article

1. Once upon time...

2. There lived monkey...

3. On oak tree...

4. One day, monkey saw...

5. He saw old man...

6. The old man had bag.

7. naughty monkey snatched it.

8. Inside bag was...

9. There was apple.

10. It kept olive and apple.

11. Inside empty box.

12. While monkey slept, dog found apple.

13. The monkey was left with only olive.

Choose the articles to check your answers.

🗣️ Let us Speak — Explore a Historical Place

Talk to elders at home or people in your locality and find out about a historical place in or near your town.

🏛️ My Historical Place

1. Name of the place

2. Name of the monument

3. Historical people associated with the monument

4. Special features of the monument

5. How is the monument connected to people emotionally?

6. Any other interesting information

प्रस्तुति का अभ्यास: अपने चुने हुए ऐतिहासिक स्थान के बारे में 1–2 मिनट की छोटी प्रस्तुति कक्षा में दीजिए।

✍️ Let us Write

A. Imagine a Visit to Maheshwar Fort

Imagine that you are visiting Maheshwar Fort with your family. Write about what you see and feel as you explore its balconies and temples.

B. Write a Paragraph on Maheshwar Fort

Use the facts you learned in this chapter.

🌟 Challenge: My Heritage Place

Write five sentences about a historical place you have visited or would like to visit.

🧩 Let us Do — Build the Fort Puzzle

The textbook asks learners to draw a puzzle template on thick chart paper, draw a fort on the reverse, cut the pieces and rearrange them. Here is a simple digital version for practice.

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Arrange the pieces and click “Check Puzzle”.

कक्षा गतिविधि: चार्ट पेपर/कार्डबोर्ड पर इसी तरह puzzle बनाकर उसके पीछे किले का चित्र बनाइए। puzzle के टुकड़े काटकर मिलाइए और फिर दोस्तों के साथ दोबारा किला बनाइए।

🏛️ Let us Explore — Maheshwar & Heritage

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Maheshwar Fort

Explore its history, balconies, staircases, temples and architecture.

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Queen Ahilya Bai

Find out about her life, leadership, kindness and public works.

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Narmada River

Find out how the river is connected with Maheshwar and its culture.

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Maheshwari Sarees

Learn about handloom weaving, cotton, silk, borders and pallus.

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My Local Heritage

Find one historical monument near your home and research it.

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Heritage Presentation

Collect pictures and facts and present them to your class.

🔎 My Heritage Research

📖 Interactive English Vocabulary

Click any highlighted word to learn: Phonics • Pronunciation • Hindi Meaning • Easy Sentence • Audio

🇬🇧 English Summary

Maheshwar is a chapter about the historical city of Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh.

Aarav and Ananya learn about Maheshwar from their Chachi after seeing a picture of its fort in a newspaper.

The majestic fort was built long ago by Queen Ahilya Bai. It stands on a hill beside the Narmada River and is also known as Ahilya Fort.

Queen Ahilya Bai belonged to the Holkar family. She protected her people and built temples, schools and wells. People loved her for her kindness and wisdom.

The fort is famous for its overhanging balconies, grand staircases and unique construction. Special red stones were brought from Gujarat and Rajasthan for its construction.

Maheshwar is also famous for Maheshwari sarees. They are woven using cotton and silk and are known for their beautiful and unique designs.

The chapter also teaches synonyms, silent g, articles a, an, the, listening, speaking, writing and heritage exploration.

🇮🇳 हिंदी सारांश

“Maheshwar” अध्याय में मध्य प्रदेश के ऐतिहासिक नगर महेश्वर के बारे में बताया गया है।

आरव और अनन्या अपनी चाची के साथ महेश्वर के किले का चित्र देखते हैं और उसके बारे में जानते हैं।

महेश्वर का प्रसिद्ध किला रानी अहिल्याबाई द्वारा बनवाया गया था। यह नर्मदा नदी के किनारे एक पहाड़ी पर स्थित है और इसे अहिल्या किला भी कहा जाता है।

रानी अहिल्याबाई होलकर परिवार से थीं। उन्होंने अपने लोगों की रक्षा की और मंदिर, विद्यालय तथा कुएँ बनवाए। वे अपनी दयालुता और बुद्धिमत्ता के लिए प्रसिद्ध थीं।

किला अपनी झूलती हुई बालकनियों, भव्य सीढ़ियों और अनोखी निर्माण शैली के लिए प्रसिद्ध है। इसके निर्माण में गुजरात और राजस्थान से लाए गए विशेष लाल पत्थरों का प्रयोग किया गया।

महेश्वर अपने प्रसिद्ध महेश्वरी वस्त्र/साड़ियों के लिए भी जाना जाता है। इन्हें कपास और रेशम के धागों से बनाया जाता है और इनके डिजाइन बहुत सुंदर और अनोखे होते हैं।

अध्याय में समानार्थी शब्द, silent g, articles a, an, the, listening, speaking, writing और स्थानीय ऐतिहासिक स्थलों की खोज जैसी गतिविधियाँ भी कराई गई हैं।

✅ Self Assessment

1. I can understand the new words.

😊 By myself 👩‍🏫 With my teacher 👫 With classmates 📖 With a dictionary

2. I can answer questions about Maheshwar.

⭐ Easily 🙂 With some help 🧑‍🏫 With teacher's help

3. I can use a, an and the correctly.

💯 Yes 🙂 Sometimes 📚 I need practice

4. I can identify words with silent 'g'.

👍 Yes 🙂 Almost 🔁 Need more practice

5. I can speak about a historical place.

🎤 Confidently 🙂 With some help 📝 I need practice

Choose one option in each section to reflect on your learning.

📖 Chapter 12 Reading Assessment

Class 4 Passage 1 / 5 ⏱ 00:00

Assessment Ready — Start Reading

Read the passage aloud. If a word is read incorrectly, click it to mark it RED.

Words: 0

Wrong Words: 0

Class 4 Chapter 12 - "Maheshwar"