NCERT History Class 6 – Notes of Chapter 1: What, Where,How and When?

 Earliest people who lived near Narmada were expert collectors.

 People of Narmada had knowledge regarding the vast wealth of plants in the
nearby forests, collected roots, fruits for food and hunted animals.
 About 8000 years ago first crops such as wheat and barley were grown at
Sulaiman band Kirthar hills: (currently known as the Sindh province) and was
known for rearing animals.
 Garo Hills & Vindhya was the Center for agriculture and rice was first grown
at the north of the Vindhyas.
 Civilization of Indus is about 4700 years old and some of the earliest cities
flourished on the banks Son, Ganga’s tributary was the center for Magadha
Empire and a huge kingdom.

Chapter 2: On The Trail of The Earliest People

 Factory sites is a center for stone and people made tools.

 People lived at Habitation-cum-factory for longer attractions of time at the
factory and did production work.
 Kurnool Site (Andhra Pradesh) was well known for bits of ash and this advises
that people were used to with the use of fire.
 Paleolithic was known as age of stone tools about 12,000 years ago. It is
divided into the Lower, Middle and Upper Paleolithic and almost covers 99%
of human history.
 Mesolithic was known for environmental changes with stone tools that are
tiny (microliths) - stuck on to handles of bone or wood to make tools like saws
and sickles about 10,000 years ago.
 During Paleolithic period at Patne (Maharashtra) a large quantities shells
were found and these designs were engraved on some pieces.

Notes of Chapter 3: From Gathering to Growing Food

 Weather of the world was changing and peoples were change, they started to
preferred plants and animals for food.
 The ancestor of the dog was the first animal under tame was of and then
moderately calm animals were controlled like sheep, goat, cattle and about
12,000 years ago Domestication was began.
 Settled Life, Peoples form Burzahom (Kashmir) had started to build pit-
houses -dug into the ground with steps leading into them and provided shelter
in cold weather.
 Compared to the earlier Paleolithic tools stone tools from sites were different
and so called Neolithic.
 These also comprised many types of earthen pots.
Customs and Practices
 Many farmers and herders started live in groups which are recognized as
tribes.
 Women did the agrarian work such as making the ground etc. and Men acted
as leaders.
 They may be old and knowledgeable, or young, brave warriors, or priests.
  And then tribes have rich and unique cultural traditions and had their own
gods and goddesses.
 Children frequently observed after florae and group animals.
Mehrgarh Site
 It is located near Bolan Pass (currently Baluchistan) on way to Iran.
 Previously archaeological site found drafts of wild animals counting deer and
pig.
 And diggings of sheep and goat were also seen so that we get idea that people
were herders. So Mehrgarh peoples were considered as hunters and later as
herders previously.
 It is one of the earliest villages People grew barley and wheat, and rear sheep
and goats at that time.
 And the houses are in the shape of square or rectangular.
 According to their burial grounds People believed in life after death.
Daojali Hading
 It is located on hills near the Brahmaputra Valley.
 Jadeite, a stone which was brought from China
 Tools were made up from fossil wood and stone tools like mortars and pestles
 Form we get idea clear idea that people also did agricultural activities.

Notes of Chapter 4: In the earliest cities

Harappa
 Around 4700 years ago these cities were established. And many of these cities
were separated into two or more parts.
 1. The part to the west was smaller but higher: strongholds
 2. The part to the east was larger but lower: lower town
 The elements were placed in a meshing design which made walls strong.
 Special buildings were created on the citadel for example, in Mahenjodaro, a
tank: Great Bath.
 Kalibangan and Lothal had fire platforms.
 Mahenjodaro, Harappa and Lothal had rich store houses.
 Houses were has one or two storeys high and the rooms are built around a
courtyard and most of the houses had a separate showering area, and some
had wells to supply water.
 Many of these cities also had covered plumbing.
 Houses, sanitations and streets were possibly scheduled and built at the same
time.
 Maximum numbers of the things are made of stone, shell and metal, counting
copper, bronze, gold and silver.
 Tools, weapons, ornaments and vessels are made from copper and bronze and
Gold and silver were used to make ornaments and vessels.
 Harappan also made seals using stone in rectangular shape and had an animal
figured on them and also made pots with beautiful black designs.
 At Mehrgarh from about 7000 years ago Cotton was probably grown.
 Some women and men may have been experts to perform crafts.
 The Harappan got the copper probably from present-day Rajasthan and even
from Oman and tin probably from present-day Afghanistan and Iran.
 Gold might had come from the present-day Karnataka.
  To dig the earth a new tool, the plough for turning were used for the soil and
planting seeds.
 Some irrigation form was used because this region does not receive heavy
rainfall due to Dholavira was located at Khadir Beyt in the Rann of Kutch.
 Dholavira was distributed into three parts but two parts are other Harappan
cities.
 Lothal mounted nearby the Sabarmati River so the raw materials like semi-
precious stones were basically available.
 A dockyard at Lothal Ships and boats came from the sea and finished the river
channel.

Notes of Chapter 5: Early Republic

Janapadas
 The kings that perform big ritual incidentals. The word janapada accurately
means the land where the Jana [people] set its foot, and recognized down.
 At Purana Qila in Delhi, Hastinapur near Meerut, and Atranjikhera, near Etah
(the last two are in Uttar Pradesh), Archaeological site of Janapadas,
settlements, were create.
 The people referred huts, and kept cattle to lives other animals also referred it.
 They also grew variety of crops such as rice, wheat, barley, pulses, sugarcane,
sesame and mustard.
 At Painted Grey Ware of humble lines and regular patterns sites special type
of pottery found.
Mahajanapadas
 Some Janapadas became more important than others Mahajanapadas before
2500 years ago.
 Many of these were encouraged most had a capital city
 The new kings began maintaining army’s and solders also get salaries.
 New styles of farming were seen in this time and here more grain could be
produce with made of wood plough.
 Second, people instigated transplanting paddy.
 During this people started instead of scattering seed on the ground, saplings
were grown and then planted in the fields.
Magadha
 Ganga and Son revers are nearer to it so that water requirements for both
drinking and farming were easily feed.
 Min Magadha Iron ore mines are used to make strong tools and weapon.
 The two powerful rulers Bimbisara and Ajatasatru are used all means to
conquer other janapadas.
 Mahapadma Nanda increases his impair to the north-west part of
subcontinent.
 Magadha’s capital was replaced from Rajagriha (present Rajgir) to Pataliputra
(present Patna)
 Alexander of Macedonia reached to the banks of river Beas in Magadha, but
his soldiers rejected to fight because of the fear of Magadha’s elephant and
chariot armies.
Vajji
 It was having separated government from Mahajanapadas which was known
gana or Sangha and its capital was Vaishali (Bihar).
  This institute had many leaders (more than1000) not one and they were
known as Raja.
 These rajas completed traditions together and they also used to arrange
meetings for upcoming course of action if wanted.
 Any women including dasas and kammakaras were not participating in these
assemblies.
 Both the Buddha and Mahavira belonged to ganas.
 Vajji has ruled for more than 1500 years many powerful Rajas had tried to
overcome sanghas than Gupta era overcome empire when last Sangha ruler
was defeated.

Notes of Chapter 6: New Questions and Ideas

 Cities affluent and lifestyles were altering in villages after Mahajanapadas and
then many thinkers were started to appreciate these changes in society. They
probably want to recognize as true connotation of life
Buddha
 Buddha fit in to a small gana known as the Sakya gana, and was a Kshatriya.
 He decided to conclude his own path to realization and meditation for days
under a peepal tree at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, where he reached enlightenment
and then he was renowned as the Buddha or the Wise One.
 He taught for the first time at Sarnath, near Varanasi.
 He had taken his last breath at Kusinara.
 The Buddha had told that life is full of suffering and unhappiness; he told that
this is formed because we have desires and requirements and he had defined
this as Thirst or Tanah and he had teach that the continual desire could be
removed by following limitation in everything.
 He also told that people to be kind, and give respect to all the lives of others,
counting animals.
 He had told that outcomes of our actions (called karma), whether good or bad,
touch us both in this life and the next.
 He also revitalized people to think for them.
Upanishads
 Other thinkers also had tried to find answers of difficult questions like “life
after death”, performing of “ritual sacrifices” etc. before Buddha.
 According to them there was something that last even after death and they
had named it atman or the individual soul and the Brahman or worldwide soul
and also believed that both the atman and the Brahman were one.
 These concepts were recorded in the Upanishads and recognized as Vedic
texts.
Jainism
 Vardhamana Mahavira a most famous thinker of the Jainas was a
contemporary of Buddha.
 Vardhamana Mahavira was a prince of Kshatriya, Lichchhavis a group which
was part of the Vajji sangha.
 His simple policy is “men and women who wished to know the truth must
leave their homes” and also has to follow very strictly the rules of ahimsa,
which means that not hurting or killing any living beings.
  For most men and women it was very difficult to follow these severe rules like
continue nude or upholding celibacy eg: farmers find it difficult to follow
because they can’t wild plant out bugs.
 Normal people were able to understand the teachings because it is in Prakrit
language.
 Traders had mostly maintained Jainism.
The Sangha
 The Mahavira and the Buddha both felt that only those who left their homes
could gain true knowledge and they decided for them to stay composed in the
sangha, an association of those who left their homes.
 Vinaya Pitaka is the book which includes instructions for the Buddhist sangha.
 And peoples including brahmins, kshatriyas, merchants, labourers, barbers,
courtesans, children and slaves who engaged with the sangha led simple lives.
Monasteries
 During the rainy season, when it was very difficult to travel only at that time
both Buddhists and Jainists remained in one place.
 These shelters were called viharas and the initial viharas were made of wood,
and then of brick. Some were even in caves that were dug out in knolls,
particularly in western India.
System of Ashramas
 Brahmins developed this ashramas at the same time of Buddha and Jain.
 It is used as for a stage of life in its place of people live and meditates.
 Four ashramas were recognised:
 1. Brahmacharya
 2. Grihastha
 3. Vanaprastha
 4. Samnyasa
 Women were not allowed to study the Vedas, and they had to follow the
ashramas chosen by their husbands normally.

Notes of Chapter 7: Ashoka The Emperor

 More than 2300 years ago the Mauryas were a dynasty with three significant
rulers Chandragupta who was the founder of empire, his son Bindusara, and
Bindusara’s son, Ashoka.
 Chandragupta has support from wise man Chanakya or Kautilya.
 Many ideas of Chanakya were panned in book named Arthashastra.
 Megasthenese was ambassador who was focused to the court of Chandragupta
by the Greek ruler of West Asia named Seleucus Nicator.
 Ashoka was one of the greatest rulers of Mauryas Empire on his orders
instructions inscriptions were scratched on pillars, as well as on rock surfaces.
 Most of Ashoka’s carvings were in Prakrit and were carved in to the Brahmi
script.
Ruling the Empire
 Mauryas Empire was so large so different parts were ruled differently.
 Pataliputra was the capital of emperor and officials were selected to collect
taxes.
 Kings were kept a watch on the executives and additional areas or provinces
were ruled from a regional capital such as Taxila or Ujjain.
 Governor’s handles local customs according to Royal kings guidelines.
Ashoka’S Dhamma
  After winning Kalinga [current coastal Odisha] Ashoka had gave up war and
started to implement Dhamma [prakrit term for Dharma]
 Worship of a god, or performance of a sacrifice were not part of Ashoka’s
Dhamma, he felt that it was his responsibility to provide guidance of his
subjects through thoughts of Buddha.
 So For this he has appointed officials known as the dhamma mahamatta who
teach people about dhamma and went place to place for this.
 Ashoka also figured his messages on rocks and pillars and told his dhamma
mahamatta to read that message for all those who could not spoke it by
themselves.
 Apart from it he also had send his messengers to spread his ideas about
dhamma to other lands, such as Syria, Egypt, Greece and Sri Lanka.
Great Wall of China
 About 2400 years ago earlier then Mauryan Empire, Construction of This wall
was began to protect the northern frontier of the empire from pastoral people.
 Embellishment of wall was started by Qin Shi Huand by Qin dynasty rulers
and it was extened by many states.
 The wall was made over a period of 2000 years because the borders of the
empire kept constructed by different dynasty.
Chapter 8: Vital Villages, Thriving Towns
 Around 3000 years ago the use of iron produced in the subcontinent.
 About 2300 years ago some of the initial works in Tamil, known as Sangam
literature, were collected.
 Because of texts were supposed to have been composed and compiled in
assemblies (known as sangams) of poets that were held in the city of Madurai,
they were called Sangam.
 Jatakas was stories that were probably calm by ordinary people, and then
written down and conserved by Buddhist monks.
 We only just have any leftovers of palaces, markets, or of homes of ordinary
people.
 Perhaps some are yet to be exposed by archaeologists.
 Another way of discovery out about primary capitals is from the balance sheet
of sailors and travelers who visited them.
 Crafts comprise particularly fine pottery, known as the Northern Black
Polished Ware.
 In the north part of the subcontinent it was usually found. It is typically black
in colour, and has a fine sheen.
 Many crafts people and wholesalers now shaped associations known as
shrenis.
 These shrenis of crafts persons provided training, procured raw material, and
distributed the finished product. Shrenis also served as banks.
Chapter 9: Traders, Kings and Pilgrims
 Sangam poems mention the muvendar which is a Tamil word that means
three chiefs, used for the heads of three ruling families, the Cholas, Cheras,
and Pandyas.
 Around 2300 years ago they became powerful in south India.
 Each of the three rulers had two centres of power:
 1. one inland
 2. one on the coast
  Two cites were very important from those six, Puhar or Kaveripattinam, the
port of the Cholas, and Madurai, the capital of the Pandyas.
 The rulers did not collect regular taxes. Instead, they required and received
gifts from the people.
 A dynasty known as the Satavahanas became powerful in western India about
200 years later.
 Gautamiputra Shri Satakarni was the most important ruler of the
Satavahanas.
 He and other Satavahana leaders were recognized as lords of the
dakshinapatha, literally the route leading to the south.
Silk Route & Kushans
 Some people from China who went to cold lands on foot, horseback, and on
camels, carried silk with them. The paths they shadowed came to be known as
the Silk Route.
 Some kings tense to control large helpings of the route.
 This was since they could income from taxes, tributes and gifts that were
transported by buyers travelling along the route.
 They often endangered the dealers who passed through their empires from
occurrences by robbers.
 The best-known of the rulers who controlled the Silk Route were the
Kushanas, who ruled over central Asia and north-west India around 2000
years ago.
 Their two chief centres of power were Peshawar and Mathura. Taxila was also
comprised in their kingdom.
 Throughout their rule, a division of the Silk Route lengthy from Central Asia
down to the seaports at the mouth of the river Indus, from where silk was
transported westwards to the Roman Empire.
 The Kushanas brought gold coins. These were secondhand by dealers
sideways the Silk Route.
Spread of Buddhism
 The most celebrated Kushana ruler was Kanishka, who ruled about 1900 years
ago.
 He prepared a Buddhist council, where academics met and debated important
substances.
 Ashvaghosha, a poet who composed a biography of the Buddha, the
Buddhacharita, existed in his court.
 He and other Buddhist researchers now created writing in Sanskrit.
 A new form of Buddhism, known as Mahayana Buddhism, now developed.
 Here it got 2 distinct features:
 1. earlier, the Buddha’s presence was shown in sculpture by using certain
signs. Now statues are made. From Mathura and Taxila.
 2. regarded with belief inBodhisattvas. Earlier once they attained
Enlightenment they could live in complete isolation and meditate in peace.
 Now they continued in the world to teach and help other people and this type
of worship
 prevailed throughout Central Asia, China, and later to Korea and Japan.
 Dealers probably halted in cave abbeys during their travels.
  The older form of Buddhism, known as Theravada Buddhism was more
general in areas like Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, and other parts of
Southeast Asia as well as Indonesia.
 About 1600 years ago the well-known Chinese Buddhist travelers were
FaXian, who came to the subcontinent, Xuan Zang came about 1400 years ago
and I-Qing, who came about 50 years after Xuan Zang.
Bhakti
 The worship of certain idols, which became a dominant feature of later
Hinduism, increased in position were the generations of additional religion
 Anyone either rich or poor, appropriate to the so-called ‘high’ or ‘low’ castes,
man or woman, are able to follow the path of Bhakti.
 In the Bhagavad Gita the idea of Bhakti is current.
 Those who shadowed the system of Bhakti highlighted devoutness and
separate worship of a god or goddess, rather than the presentation of
decorative sacrifices and once this idea increased acceptance, artists made
beautiful images of these deities.

Notes of Chapter 11: New Empires and Kingdoms

Guptas
 Guptas history is written in inscriptions and coins.
 Samudragupta was succeeded by Chandragupta.
 Samudragupta, Gupta has ruled before 1700 years, i.e. AD 300 and Harisena
was his court poet.
 The first ruler of the Gupta dynasty to adopt the grand title of maharaj-
adhiraja, a title that Samudragupta which is also used for the Chandragupta’s
father.
 “Prashasti” = which means ‘in praise of’. Prashasti about Samudragupta was
inscribed on the Asokan pillar at Allahabad (Prayag).
 Main centers of Guptas was
 1. Prayag (Allahabad, UP)
 2. Ujjain (Avanti, MP)
 3. Pataliputra (Patna, Bihar)
Harshavardhan & Harshacharita
 Harshavardhan Biographies include all the information about their dynasty.
 They had started their rule from Pushyabhuti Dynasty when Gupta dynasty
was fading.
 Banabhatta was his court poet who has wrote his biography named “the
Harshacharita” in Sanskrit.
 At Harsha’s court Xuan Zang spent a lot of time and left an exhaustive account
of what he saw.
 Harsha had succeeded kingdom of Kanauj, and then led an army in illogicality
of the ruler of Bengal.
 He was very successful in the east, and occupied both Magadha and Bengal.
 He also has tried to cross the Narmada to march into the Deccan, but
Pulakeshin II from Chalukya dynasty has stopped him.
The Pallavas, Chalukyas and Pulakeshin
 The most important ruling dynasties in south India during this period was the
Pallavas and Chalukyas.
 The kingdom of the Pallavas was speeded up to the Kaveri delta around its
capital
  Kanchipuram, whereas the Chalukyas was concentrated around the Raichur
Doab, between the rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra.
 The Pallavas and Chalukyas normally invaded one another’s lands which were
wealthy ones.
 Pulakeshin II was the best Chalukya ruler. Ravikirti was poet of his court who
has written his bibliography.

Notes of Chapter 12: Buildings, Paintings and Books

Buildings
 Iron pillar – during the time of ChandraGupta
 Stupas (mound) – it shows physical remnants of the Buddha or his supporters
or the effects they used. Pradakshina path was left around the stupa. (Eg:
Sanchi, Amaravathi)
 Cave temples.
 Rock cut temples.
 Hindu temples:
 Garbhagriha = place where the image of the chief deity was placed.
 Shikhara = tower made on the top of Garbhagriha to mark this out as a sacred
place.
 Mandapa = hall where people could assemble.
 Examples of early temples :
 Bhitargaon, UP (AD 500) – made of baked brick and stone,
 Mahaballipuram – monolithic temples, Aihole Durga temple (AD 600).
 PS: Connotation of ivory functioned paid for one the lovely entries at Sanchi.
 Jain monastery in Orissa
Paintings
 Paintings – Ajanata caves – Buddhist monks.
Books
 Silappadikaram by Ilango Adikal, AD 200
 Manimekalai by Sattanar, AD 600
 Meghaduta by Kalidasa
 Puranas were future to be heard by everybody whom was supposed to be
compiled by Vyasa.
 Jataka and Panchatantra stories

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