CBSE Class 6

On this page, you will find NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 11 Notes Pdf free download. CBSE Class 6 Social Science Notes History Chapter 11 SST New Empires and Kingdoms will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

New Empires and Kingdoms Class 7 Notes Social Science History Chapter 11

CBSE Class 6 History Chapter 11 Notes Understanding the Lesson

1. Samudragupta was a famous ruler of a dynasty known as the Guptas. There is an inscription about Samudragupta on the Ashokan pillar at Allahabad.

2. This inscription is in the form of Kavya and composed by Harishena. This inscription is a prashasti which means written in praise of someone. Harishena was poet and a minister in the court of Samudragupta.

3. Samudragupta was a great warrior. In this regard, a prashasti described that many scars were present in the body of Samudragupta.

4. Prayaga (old name of Allahabad), Ujjain and Pataliputra were important centres of the Gupta rulers.

5. Samudragupta’s mother’s name was Kumara Devi. She belonged to the Lichchhavi gana. His father’s name was Chandragupta, who was first ruler of the Gupta dynasty. His title was maharaj-adhiraja.

6. Later, Chandragupta II became ruler of the Gupta dynasty who was the son of Samudragupta. His court was full of learned people. Kalidasa and Aryabhata were in the court of the dynasty. As written by Kalidasa that king and most Brahmins used Sanskrit, while other than the King and Brahmins used ‘Prakrit’ language.

7. Harshavardhana, who ruled nearly 1400 years ago, was one such ruler. Banabhatta was a poet who wrote his biography, the Harshacharita. Xuan Zang also spent a lot of time at Harsha’s court and he left detailed account of what he saw.

8. Harsha became king of Thanesar after death of his father and elder brother. His brother-in-law was the ruler of Kanauj and he was killed by the ruler of Bengal. Harsha took over the kingdom of Kanauj, and then led an army against the ruler of Bengal. He conquered both Magadha and Bengal. He tried to cross the Narmada to march into the Deccan, but was stopped by a ruler belonging to the Chalukya dynasty named Pulakeshin II.

9. During the same period, in south India, there were most important ruling dynasties—Pallavas and Chalukyas.

10. Pallavas capital was Kanchipuram. The ruling was upto the Kaveri delta. In the Pallavas ruling, there were many local assemblies called ‘sabha’ which was of Brahmin landowners. Assemblies functioned through sub-committees. These looked after irrigation, agricultural operations, making roads, local temples, etc. When there were no Brahmins, assembly was called ‘ur’ in the villages. The ‘nagaram’ was an organization of merchants.

11. The best known Chalukya ruler was Pulakeshin-II. He got the kingdom from his uncle. Claukyas capital was Aihole. The capital was an important trading centre and a religious centre with a number of temples. Reign was centered around the Raichur Doab, between the rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra. Pulakeshin’s court poet was Ravikirti.

12. The Pallavas and Chalukyas frequently raided one another’s lands, especially attacking the capital cities, which were prosperous towns. Pulakeshin attacked the Pallav king, who took shelter behind the walls of Kanchipuram. But this victory was for a short time, new rulers belonging to the Rashtrakuta and Chola dynasties, took over Pulakeshin.

13. A new military system developed during the period. The leaders who provided the troops to the kings were called ‘samantas’. They were not paid by the king but were given grants of land.

14. Chinese pilgrim Fa Xian wrote that there was untouchability existing in the society.

15. Around 1400 years ago, Prophet Muhammad introduced a new religion, Islam, in Arabia. This religion spread all over word in a very short period. This laid emphasis on equality and unity of all.

New Empires and Kingdoms Class 7 CBSE Notes Important Terms

Prashasti: It is a Sanskrit word which means ‘in praise of.

Aryavarta: An area of subcontinent. During the period of Samudragupta none rulers controlled it. Later it was conquered by Samudragupa.

Dakshinapatha: The word is made of Dakshin and Path means the route leading to the south.

Genealogy: A sequence of generation is called genealogy. In other words, a step-wise record of ancestors.

Hereditary officer: When any post is transferred from one generation to another. During the Guptas reign, some important posts were hereditary.

Samanta: Samantas were military leaders. They provided army troop to the king.

Assembly: A group of people who took decisions on the matters. Sabha and ur were the assemblies of the Pallavas.

Nagaram: The nagaram was an organization of merchants and controlled by rich and powerful landowners and merchants.

Notes of History Class 6 Chapter 11 Time Period

1700 years ago: Beginning of the Gupta dynasty.

1400 years ago: The rule of Harshavardhana. Emergence of Islam in Arabia.

On this page, you will find NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 10 Notes Pdf free download. CBSE Class 6 Social Science Notes History Chapter 10 SST Traders, Kings and Pilgrims will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

Traders, Kings and Pilgrims Class 7 Notes Social Science History Chapter 10

CBSE Class 6 History Chapter 10 Notes Understanding the Lesson

1. South India was famous for gold, spices, especially pepper and precious stones. Traders carried many of these goods to Rome in ships across the sea.

2. Pepper was particularly valued in the Roman Empire. It was known as black gold.

3. Roman gold coins were found in South India which express that there was quite a lot of Roman trade.

4. Traders explored several sea routes. There were sea routes in Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Sailors took advantage of the monsoon winds to cross the seas quickly. They required sturdy ships for long journeys.

5. The southern half of the subcontinent is marked by a long coastline including hills, plateaus and river valleys.

6. Amongst the river valleys, Kaveri was the most fertile.

7. Chiefs and kings who controlled the river valleys and the coasts became rich and powerful.

8. Sangam poems mention the ‘muvendar’. This is a Tamil word which means three chiefs, used for the heads of three ruling families-Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas who became powerful in south India around 2300 years ago.

9. Each of the three chiefs had two centres of power. One inland and one on the coasts. Out of six cities, two were very important: Puhar or Kaveripattinam, the port of Cholas, and Madurai the capital of the Pandyas.

10. The chiefs did not collect regular taxes. They demanded and received gifts from the people. This was used for family, soldiers and poets. Sangam poets were often rewarded with precious stones, gold, horses, elephants, chariots, and fine cloth.

11. Around 200 years ago, in western India, there was a powerful dynasty known as the Satavahanas. The most important ruler was Gautamiputra Shri Satakami. We know about him by an inscription composed by his mother, Gautami Balashri. He and other Satavahana rulers were known as lords of the Dakshinapatha.

12. The silk was a highly valued fabric in most societies. Making silk is a complicated process.

13. Techniques of making silk were first invented in China around 7000 years ago. Some people from China who went to distant lands on foot, horseback, and on camels carried silk with them. The paths they followed came to be known as the Silk Route.

14. Some Kings also tried to control large portion of the route and benefited from taxes, tributes and gifts by the traders. In return, they often protected the traders who passed through their kingdoms from attacks by robbers.

15. Sometimes, Chinese rulers sent gifts of silk to rulers in Iran and West Asia, and from there the knowledge of silk spread further west. People living along the route often demanded payments for allowing traders to pass through.

16. The best known are Kushanas who were the rulers controlling the Silk Route. Kushanas ruled over Central Asia and north-west India around 2000 years ago. Their two major centres of power were Peshawar and Mathura. Taxila was also included in their kingdom.

17. During the rule of Kushanas, a branch of the Silk Route extended from Central Asia to the seaports at the mouth of the river Indus. The silk was shipped westwards to the Roman Empire.

18. Kushanas were amongst the earliest rulers of the subcontinent to issue gold coins.

19. Kanishka was the most famous Kushna ruler, who ruled around 1900 years ago. A famous poet Ashvaghosha lived in his court. He wrote biography of the Buddha named Buddhacharita. Now they began writing in Sanskrit.

19. A new form of Buddhism now developed which is known as Mahayana Buddhism. Statues of the Buddha were made in Mathura and Taxila. Worship of Bodhisattvas became very popular and spread throughout Central Asia, China, and later to Korea and Japan.

20. Apart from western and southern India, Buddhism also spread throughout Central Asia, China and later to Korea and Japan.

21. In western and southern India, dozens of caves were hollowed out of hills for monks to live in. These caves were made by the orders of kings and queens, some by merchants and some by farmers. These caves were often located near passes through the Western Ghats. Probably traders also halted in these cave monasteries during travels.

22. Buddhism also spread to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia.

23. Fa-Xian, who is one of the best known Chinese Buddhist pilgrims came to the subcontinent about 1600 years ago. Xuan Zang and I-Qing came around 1400 years ago. They visited places associated with the life of the Buddha as well as famous monasteries.

24. This was also the time when the worship of certain deities became popular. It became a central feature of later Hinduism. These deities included Shiva, Vishnu and goddesses such as Durga.

25. Idea of Bhakti became very popular at this time. Bhakti is generally understood as a person’s devotion to his or her chosen deity. Anybody whether rich or poor, belonging to the so-called ‘high’ or ‘low’ castes, men or women, could follow the path of Bhakti.

26. The idea of Bhakti is present in Bhagavad Gita. In Bhagavad Gita, Krishna (the God) asks Arjuna (his devotee and friend) to abandon all dharmas and take refuge in him, as only he can set Arjuna free from every evil. Those who followed the system of Bhakti emphasized devotion and individual worship of a god or goddess rather than the performance of elaborate sacrifices.

27. According to this system of belief, if a devotee worships the chosen deity with a pure heart, the deity will appear in the form in which he or she may desire. So, the deity could be thought of as a human being, lion, tree or any other form. Once this idea gained acceptance, artists made beautiful images of these deities.

28. About 2000 years ago, Christianity emerged in West Asia, Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, which was then part of the Roman empire. Christ’s teachings were that he was the saviour of the world. Bible is the holy book of Christianity.

Traders, Kings and Pilgrims Class 7 CBSE Notes Important Terms

Trader: Businessman who sells or purchase items for getting profits.

Muvendar: This is a Tamil word which means three chiefs-Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas.

Route: The path which used for commuting.

Silk: Silk is a fabric which is made from cocoon of silkworms.

Kushanas: Kushanas were the rulers, ruled over Central Asia and north-west India around 2000 years ago.

Mahayana: A form of Buddhism developed during the Kushana.

Theravada: Old form of Buddhism.

Bodhisattva: A person who attain enlightenment.

Pilgrim: Those who undertake journey for the purpose of worship.

Bhakti: Bhakti is a way of worship under Hinduism. Under Bhakti, devotion is expressed to the chosen deity.

Notes of History Class 6 Chapter 10 Time Period

About 7000 years ago: Discovery of silk making in China.

About 2300 years ago: Reign of the Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas.

About 2000 years ago: Growing demand of silk in the Roman Empire.

About 1900 years ago: Ruling time of Kanishka.

About 1600 years ago: Fa-Xian, a Chinese pilgrim came to India.

About 1400 years ago: Xuan Zang came to India.

On this page, you will find NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 9 Notes Pdf free download. CBSE Class 6 Social Science Notes History Chapter 9 SST Vital Villages, Thriving Towns will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

Vital Villages, Thriving Towns Class 7 Notes Social Science History Chapter 9

CBSE Class 6 History Chapter 9 Notes Understanding the Lesson

1. The use of iron began in the subcontinent around 3000 years ago.

2. Around 2500 years ago, there is evidence of growing use of iron tools such as axes and iron ploughshare.

3. The irrigation arrangements such as canals, wells, tanks and artificial lakes increased production.

4. In the southern and northern parts of the subcontinent, in most of the villages 3 kinds of people lived; in Tamil region, large landowners (called vellalar), ordinary ploughmen (called uzhavar) and landless labourers including slaves (called kadaisiyar and adimai).

5. In the northern part of the country largest landowner (called grama bhojaka), independent farmers (called grihapatis), landless people (called dasa karmakara), lived.

6. In most villages there were also some crafts persons such as the blacksmith, potter, carpenter and weaver.

7. Sangam literature was composed around 2300 years ago in Tamil.

8. Jatakas were stories that were probably composed by ordinary people and then written down and preserved by Buddhist monks.

9. In many cities of Mahajanapadas archaeologist have found rows of pots or ceramic rings arranged one on top of the other. These are known as ring wells. In some cases these ring wells might have been used as toilets, as drains and garbage dumps.

10. Sailors and travellers who visited different places are another source of finding about the early cities. A Greek unknown sailor described all the ports he visited.

11. Archaeologists have found several thousands of coins which were in use for about 500 years. These were punch-marked coins on the metal like silver or copper.

12. About Mathura: More than 2500 years ago, Mathura was an important settlement. It was important because it was located at the crossroads of two major routes of travel and trade. Around 2000 years ago Mathura became the second capital of the Kush anas. Mathura was also a religious centre for Buddhism, Jainism as well as Hinduism.

13. Mathura was one of the centres of goldsmiths, blacksmiths, weavers, basket makers, garland makers, perfumers etc.

14. The evidence of extremely fine pottery known as the Northern Black Polished Ware has been found. It is usually black in colour and has a fine sheen. In the manufacturing of cloths, famous centres were Varanasi in the north and Madurai in the south..

15. Formation of Associations: Many crafts persons and merchants now formed associations known as ‘shrenis’.

16. Rules for spinning and weaving have been listed in the Arthashastra.

17. In Arikamedu, Pondicherry, between 2200 and 1900 years ago, was coastal settlement where ships unloaded goods from distant lands. A massive brick structure which may have been a warehouse, pottery such as amphorae and Arretine Ware was found. An another type of pottery which was made locally through Roman designs was used. Roman lamps, glassware and gems have also been found at the Arikamedu site.

Vital Villages, Thriving Towns Class 7 CBSE Notes Important Terms

Iron: Iron is a metal used for making various types of tools for agriculture and machines in modern time.

Irrigation: Watering in the crop fields for more production of grains.

Village: Small settlement of people where the people engage in agricultural activities for their livelihood.

Port: These are the places where ships loaded and unloaded the goods.

Ring well: Rows of clay or ceramic made pots arranged one on the top of other is called ring-well.

City: A big settlement of families where people enjoy more modem facilities in comparison to town and villages.

Shreni: A group of traders was called ‘Shreni’.

Sangam: It is a Tamil literature composed in assemblies of poets.

On this page, you will find NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 8 Notes Pdf free download. CBSE Class 6 Social Science Notes History Chapter 8 SST Ashoka, The Emperor Who Gave Up War will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

Ashoka, The Emperor Who Gave Up War Class 7 Notes Social Science History Chapter 8

CBSE Class 6 History Chapter 8 Notes Understanding the Lesson

1. The empire that Ashoka ruled was founded by his grandfather, Chandragupta Maurya, more than 2300 years ago.

2. Chandragupta was supported by a wise man named Chanakya or Kautilya. The ideas of Chanakya are written down in his book called the Arthashastra.

3. There were several cities in the empire. These included the capital Pataliputra, Taxila and Ujjain. Merchants, officials and craftspersons probably lived in these cities.

4. Taxila was a gateway to the northwest including Central Asia. Ujjain lay on the route from north to south India.

5. In other areas there were villages of farmers and herders. In central India, there were forests where people gathered forest produce and hunted animals for food.

6. People in different parts of the empire spoke different languages.

7. They ate different kinds of food and wore different kinds of clothes.

8. The area around Pataliputra was under the direct control of the emperor. There were other areas or provinces. Each of these was ruled from a provincial capital such as Taxila or Ujjain. Also there was some amount of control from Pataliputra and royal princes were often sent as Governors.

9. Taxes were collected from farmers, herders, craftspersons and traders. Officials were appointed to collect the taxes and they were given salaries.

10. Megasthenes was an ambassador who was sent to the court of Chandragupta by Greek ruler named Seleucus Nicator.

11. The most famous Mauryan ruler was Ashoka. He was the first ruler who tried to take his message to the people through inscriptions. Inscriptions were in Prakrit and were written in the Brahmi script.

12. Coastal Orissa not Odisha was known as Kalinga. Ashoka fought a war to conquer Kalinga. He was horrified when he saw the violence and bloodshed, and he decided not to fight any more wars. He was the only king in the history of the world who gave up after winning a war.

13. Ashoka declared it in one of his inscriptions, main points are:

14. Eight years after becoming king I conquered Kalinga.

15. About 1.5 lakh people were captured and more than 1 lakh of people were killed.

16. Brahmins and monks also die.

17. People who were kind to their relatives die or lose their loved ones.

18. That is why I am sad and have decided to observe dhamma and to teach others about it as well. I believe that winning people over through dhamma is much better than conquering them through force. I am inscribing this message for the future, so that my son and grandson after me should not think about war. Instead, they should try to think about how to spread

19. Ashoka’s dhamma did not involve worship of a god, or performance of a sacrifice. He felt that just as a father tries to teach his children, he had a duty to instruct his subjects.

20. He wanted to remove the problems related to religions, animals sacrifices, slaves and ill-treatment of servants, families and neighbours quarrels etc. He appointed officials known as the dhamma mahamatta, who went from place to place for teaching the people about dhamma.

21. Ashoka also sent messengers to spread ideas about dhamma to other lands such as Syria, Egypt, Greece and Sri Lanka.

22. He built roads, dug wells and arranged for medical treatment for both human beings and animals.

23. People performed a variety of rituals when they fell ill, children got married, children were born or when they started journey. Ashoka thought that rituals were not useful. He emphasized, being gentle with slaves and servants, respecting one’s elders, treating all creatures with compassion, and not criticizing others.

Ashoka, The Emperor Who Gave Up War Class 7 CBSE Notes Important Terms

Empire: Many kingdoms or provinces when come under a same domain is called Empire.

Capital: A place where king or emperor generally lived and performed his task through its office.

Province: State or division of kingdom.

Dhamma: Ashoka’s ideas are called Dhamma. This is a Prakrit word which means religion.

Messenger: An official or representative who passes messages from one place to another place.

Official: Employees of existing government.

Notes of History Class 6 Chapter 8 Time Period

More than 2300 years ago: Beginning of the Mauryan Empire

On this page, you will find NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 7 Notes Pdf free download. CBSE Class 6 Social Science Notes History Chapter 7 SST New Questions and Ideas will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

New Questions and Ideas Class 7 Notes Social Science History Chapter 7

CBSE Class 6 History Chapter 7 Notes Understanding The Lesson

1. Siddhartha also known as Gautama was the founder of Buddhism. Later, he was called as Gautama Buddha. He was born about 2500 years ago. He belonged to a small gana known as the Sakya gana and he was a Kshatriya.

2. In this period, life was changing and kings in the mahajanapadas were growing more powerful.

3. They also wanted to try and find out the true meaning of life.

4. He left the comforts of home in search of knowledge. He wandered for several years. Finally, he decided to find his home in path to realization and meditated long under a Peepal tree at Bodh Gaya, Bihar, where he attained enlightenment.

5. After attaining the enlightenment, he was known as Buddha. After that, he went to Samath, near Varanasi, where he taught for the first time. He spent his life travelling on foot, going from place to place, teaching people, till he passed away at Kusinara.

6. Buddha taught in the language of the ordinary people that was in Prakrit, so that everybody could under­stand his message.

7. The Buddha teachings included:

• Life is full of suffering and unhappiness.
• The causes are our cravings and desires, which often cannot be fulfilled.
• Sometimes, even if we get what we want, we are not satisfied and want even more or other things. The Buddha described this as thirst or ‘tanha’.
• He taught that this constant craving could be removed by following moderation in everything.
• He taught people to be kind and to respect the lives of others including animals.
• The results of our actions (called karma), whether good or bad, affect us both in this life and the next.

8. The rules made for the Buddhist sangha were written down in a book called the Vinaya Pitaka’. There were separate branches for men and women. All men could join the sangha. However, children, slaves, employees of king, debtors and women needed permission of their parents, masters, kings, creditors and from husbands respectively.

9. Men and women went to cities and villages to beg for food during fixed hours, due to this they were known as ‘bhikkhus’ and ‘bhikkhunis’ (beggar).

10. Around the time that the Buddha was preaching and perhaps a little earlier, other thinkers also tried to find answers to difficult questions. They wanted to know about life after death, why sacrifices should be performed, whether something is permanent event after death. They described this was the atman or the individual soul and the brahman or the universal soul. They believed that both the atman and the brahman were one. These ideas were recorded in the Upanishads. These were part of the later Vedic texts.

11. Upanishad literally means ‘approaching and sitting near’. Texts contain conversations between teachers and students.

12. Most Upanishadic thinkers were men, especially Brahmins and rajas.

13. Gargi is mentioned as a woman thinker who was famous for learning and participated in debates held in royal courts.

14. Poor people rarely took part in these discussions.

15. Around the time, about 2500 years ago, the last and 24^th tirthankara of the Jainas, Vardhamana Mahavira also spread his message. He was a Kshatriya prince of the Lichchhavis a group that was part of the Vajji sangha. At the age of thirty, he left home and went to live in a forest. For 12 years he led a hard and lonely life, at the end of which he attained enlightenment. He taught simple doctrine in Prakrit which was a language used by the people. His thoughts are:

16. Men and women who wished to know the truth must leave their home.

17. They must follow rules of ahimsa very strictly, which means not hurting or killing living beings. All beings, long to live. To all things, life is dear.

18. Followers of Mahavira are known as Jainas.

19. Followers lead very simple lives, begging for food. They had to be absolutely honest and never steal. They also observed celibacy and had to give up everything, including their clothes.

20. Male followers who left the home were called monks and women as nuns.

21. Jainism spread to different parts of north India and to Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

22. The teaching of Mahavira was transmitted orally for several centuries. Teachings were written down at place Valabhi in Gujarat about 1500 years ago.

23. Both Mahavira and Buddha felt that only those who left their homes could gain true knowledge. They arranged for them to stay together in the ‘sangha’, an association of those who left their homes.

24. Both Jaina and Buddhist monks went from place to place throughout the year for teaching the people. Only in the rainy session they stayed at one place. Earlier, his followers built temporary shelter for them, later permanent shelters were constructed which were known as ‘viharas’ i.e. monasteries. These ‘viharas’ were made of wood and then of brick.

25. In western India, caves were dugout. Very often vihara was built on the land donated by a rich merchant or a landowner or the king. The local people came with gifts of food, clothing and medicines for the monks and nuns.

New Questions and Ideas Class 7 CBSE Notes Important Terms

Tanha: Thirst or desire for more things.

Prakrit: Prakrit was an ancient language.

Upanishad: Upanishad was composed by Brahmins. These were written after the Rigveda.

Atman: It means individual soul which remains permanent even after death.

Jaina: The word Jaina comes from the term Jina which means conqueror. The follower of Mahavira is called Jaina.

Sangha: Sangha means association. Both Buddha and Mahavira favoured to join sangha for getting true knowledge.

Bhikkhu: Beggar is known as Bhikkhu in Prakrit. Those who joined the sangha went cities and villages for begging the food.

Vihara: Permanent shelters of bhikkus were called Viharas.

Monastery: Permanent shelters for monks and nuns of Jainism and Buddhism.

Ashrama: Ashrama is way of living which was described in the Vedas. Four Ashrama stages have been described i.e. Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha and Samnyas.

Notes of History Class 6 Chapter 7 Time Period

About 2500 years ago: Upanishadic thinkers, the Jaina teacher Mahavira and the Buddha.

About 1500 years ago: Writing down of the Jaina texts.