Medieval towns
Topic: Human Settlements and Urbanisation in India · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Human Settlements"
Meaning
Medieval towns are about 100 of India's present towns whose roots lie in the medieval period. Most began as headquarters (capitals) of kingdoms and principalities. Many were fort towns, often built on the ruins of older, ancient towns. Their old cores still show crowded streets around a fort or bazaar.
Example
Jaipur in Rajasthan grew as the capital of a kingdom and has its forts and walled old city. Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Agra and Nagpur are other medieval towns.
Don't confuse with
- Ancient towns: these are over 2,000 years old and grew mostly as religious and cultural centres, such as Varanasi and Madurai.