Hinglish

The Good Maharaja and Tibetan Refugees

Class 7 Social Science · Chapter 17: India, a Home to Many · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 17.5

Learn

In Warsaw, Poland, a square is named after the Good Maharaja. During the Second World War (1939–45), Poland was invaded and many children were orphaned. Jam Sahib Digvijaysinhji of Nawanagar (Jamnagar) worked with the Red Cross to bring about a thousand Polish orphans to Jamnagar between 1942 and 1946, giving them homes, food and care, and also welcomed thousands of other Polish refugees. After the war they returned home safely, and Poland later honoured him.

Tibet, the "Land of Snows", embraced Buddhism in the 7th century, and Indian monks fleeing the destruction of Nālandā carried manuscripts there. From 1950 China overran Tibet. In 1959, after an uprising in Lhasa, the 14th Dalai Lama fled across the Himalayas and India gave him asylum. He lives in Dharamshala, where the Tibetan government-in-exile works. India helped Tibetans build settlements, schools and monasteries, such as those at Bylakuppe in Karnataka. They brought Sowa Rigpa, a medicine blending Ayurveda with other traditions, now part of India's AYUSH programme.

Explore: place events on the timeline.

  1. Polish orphans began arriving at Jamnagar in 1942. Put the marker there.
  2. The Dalai Lama took refuge in India in 1959. Put the marker there.

Remember

  • The Maharaja of Nawanagar sheltered about a thousand Polish orphans in World War II.
  • Tibetan refugees with the Dalai Lama have made India a second home since 1959.

Quick check

Where does the Tibetan government-in-exile work from?

  1. Dharamshala
  2. Jamnagar
  3. Kochi
  4. Udvada
Answer

Dharamshala. The Dalai Lama has lived there as an honoured guest since 1959.

Think about it

Why would Poland build a monument to an Indian king decades later?

One answer

To say thank you for saving its children when no one else could, and to remember that kindness across borders matters long after a war ends.

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.