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Competencies related to History : Std VIIt is expected that at the end of Std VI, the students will have developed the following competencies.S. No.UnitCompetencies1.Geographical conditions and - To understand that geographical conditions influence human life.the course of history- To see how history and geography are inter-related.2.An introduction to thesources of the study ofancient Indian history-3.Harappan Civilization4.Vedic Culture- To compare today’s town planning with that of the Harappan period.- To understand how systematic and comprehensive the drainage system of theHarappan period was.- To learn about the way of life and trade of the Harappan period.- To learn about the literature of the Vedic period.- To learn about the way of life during the Vedic period.- To learn about the ‘ashrama’ system.- To discuss the social status of women of ancient India.5.The religious trends inancient India6.Janapadas andMahajanapadas7.India of the Maurya Period8.Ancient States in the North9.Ancient States in the South10.11.To be able to identify by observation, the sources of history.To compile sources of history.To classify sources of history.To make efforts to conserve historical artefacts and structures and to motivateothers to do so.- Respect for all religions.- Identifying the commonalities between the teachings of all religions.- To understand the importance of the Teachings of Vardhaman Mahavir andGautama Buddha.- To understand that secularism and a humanitarian attitude are the highestvalues.- To show the locations of the janapadas and mahajanapadas on a map.- To learn about the republic system of the janapadas and mahajanapadas inancient India.- To understand the changing nature of the forms of government.- To learn that India had established relations with Greece and Iran and how thatled to mutual exchanges between India and these countries.- To learn about the well-run administration of the Maurya period.- To learn about the works undertaken by Emperor Ashoka for the welfare of hissubjects.- To learn about ancient Indian art and literature.- To learn about the political, economic, social and cultural life of this period.- To learn about travellers from foreign countries who came to India.- To learn about the dynasties which ruled in the northeast of India.- To learn about the dynasties of this period.- To learn about the cultural progress made during this period.- To understand that India had cultural relations with Southeast Asia during thePallava period.- To learn about the progress of ancient Indian art and literature.- To learn about the progress made by Indians in the field of Mathematics andScience.- To learn about the way of life of the people of this period.- To explain the progress made during this period in the field of academics.Ancient India and the World - To learn about the mutual exchanges between the Indian civilization and othercivilizations.- To understand that human knowledge is enriched by a give and take of ideasand by cultural exchange.Ancient India : Cultural

1. The Indian Subcontinent and History1.1 Geographical conditions and thecourse of history1.2 Geographical features of India1.3 The Indian subcontinent1.1 Geographical conditions and historyIn the fifth standard, we saw at somelength that there is a close relationshipbetween man and his environment. We sawhow the changes in the lifestyle of the earlyman and his technology were related to thechanges in his surroundings. We alsoreviewed the history of human civilizationfrom the Stone Age to the agriculturalcivilizations that flourished on the banksof rivers.Types of housesHistory is a coherent account of thesignificant past events in the progress ofhuman culture. Time, place, society andindividuals are the four major pillars ofhistory. We cannot write history withoutthem. Of these four components, ‘place’ isrelated to geography or geographicalconditions. In this sense, history andOur diet, clothing, housing, occupation,in fact, all human life in any region dependsto a large extent on its geographicalcharacteristics. For example, the life of thepeople in hilly regions is more strenuousthan that of the people on the plains. Notmuch fertile land is available in the hillyregions, while in the plains, it is availableon a large scale. That is why, grains andvegetables are scarce in hilly areas.In comparison, people on the plains getthem in a sufficient measure. Naturally,this has an impact on the diet of the people.In hilly regions, people depend more onhunting and gathering for their food. Wealso find other such differences in thelifestyle of the people of the hilly regionsand those of the plains.Let’s discuss. What occupations are seen inyour locality? What crops are grown in yoursurroundings?geography are inseparable. History isinfluenced by geographical conditions inmany ways.1

The climate, rainfall, agriculturalproduce, flora and fauna of the regionwhere we live are the sources of ourlivelihood. The lifestyle and culture of aregion develops with their support. Humansettlements have flourished wherever themeans of living are plentiful. Over a periodof time, these settlements develop furtherinto villages and towns. But sometimesreasons like the degradation of theenvironment, drought, invasions, etc. leadto the scarcity of those means. People areforced to leave their settlements. Villagesand towns become deserted. We see manysuch instances in history. Thus we see thatthere is a very close relation between historyand geography.Himalaya1. Himalayas : The Hindukush andHimalaya ranges have created animpenetrable wall on the northern side ofthe Indian subcontinent. This wall hasseparated the Indian subcontinent from thedeserts of Central Asia. However, there is aland route through the Khyber and Bolanpasses in the Hindukush mountains. Thisroute was connected to an ancient traderoute. The trade route from China passedthrough Central Asia and reached Arabia. Itis known as the ‘Silk Route’ or ‘Silk Road’,because silk was the main commodityexported to the western countries using thisroad. The route through the passes was usedby many foreign invaders to enter ancientIndia. Many foreign travellers also came toIndia by this route.1.2 Geographical features of IndiaOur country India extends far and wide.At its north lie the Himalayas; to the east,the Bay of Bengal; to the west the ArabianSea; and to the south, the Indian Ocean.Except for the islands of Andaman Nicobar and Lakshwadeep, the rest of thecountry is contiguous.We have to take into account thisregion, henceforth referred to as ‘ancientIndia’, when we study the ancient history ofIndia. Before 1947, today’s Pakistan andBangladesh were also a part of India.The following regions are seen to beimportant when we look at the course ofIndian history.1. The Himalayas2. The plains of Sindhu-Ganga-Brahmaputra rivers3. The Thar Desert4. The Deccan Plateau5. The coastal regions6. The islands in the seasKhyber Pass2. The plains of the Sindhu-GangaBrahmaputra : This region consists of thebasins of the three big rivers, Sindhu,Ganga, Brahmaputra and their tributaries.This region extends from Sindh-Punjab in2

Arabian Sea to its west, the Indian Oceanto its south, and the Bay of Bengal to itseast. A region thus bound by the sea onthree sides is called a peninsula. A majorpart of the Indian peninsula is occupied bythe Deccan Plateau.The mountain ranges of the Vindhyaand Satpuda are located to the north of theDeccan Plateau. The Sahyadri mountainranges are to its west. They are also knownas the ‘Western Ghats’. To the west of theSahyadris is the coastal region of Konkanand Malabar . The mountains on the easternside of the Deccan plateau are known as the‘Eastern Ghats’. Deccan Plateau has fertileland where many post-Harappan agrariancultures flourished. Deccan Plateau was apart of the Maurya empire, the largest inancient India. After the decline of theMaurya empire, too, several other kingdomsand smaller empires continued to flourishin this region.River Gangathe west to the present day Bangladesh inthe east. It was in this region that the earliestIndian civilization of Harappa and the laterStates and empires of ancient Indiaemerged.5. The coastal regions : From the timeof the Harappan civilization, ancient Indiahad trade relations with the westerncountries. This trade was carried on by sea.Therefore, India had developed contact andinteraction with foreign cultures and peopleat the sea ports. Later on, land routes cameto be used for trade and transport. But theimportance of sea routes did not diminish.Thar Desert3. The Thar Desert : The Thar desertspreads across Rajasthan, Haryana andsome parts of Gujarat. A part of the desertlies in today’s Pakistan. The desert has theSatluj river to its north, the Aravallimountain range to its east, the Rann ofKachchh to its south and the Indus (Sindhu)river to its west. The Ghaggar river thatoriginates in Himachal Pradesh reaches theThar desert. It is known as ‘Hakra’ inPakistan. Its course in Rajasthan andPakistan has now dried up. Many sites ofthe Harappan civilization are situated alongthe now dry course of the river.6. The islands in the sea : Andamanand Nicobar are the Indian islands in theBay of Bengal. Lakshadweep is a group ofIndian islands in the Arabian Sea. Thelocation of these islands may have beenimportant in ancient sea trade. Themanuscript ‘Periplus of the Erythrean Sea’or ‘Handbook of the Red Sea’ makes amention of Indian islands. It has beenwritten by an unknown Greek sailor.4. The Deccan Plateau : The regionbetween the east and the west coast of Indiatapers off to the south. This region has the3

You can do this.Show the following on an outlinemap of India.1. The Himalaya mountain2. The Thar Desert3. East CoastAndaman island4

1.3 The Indian subcontinentThecitiesofHarappaandMohen-jo-daro are in today’s Pakistan.Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan,Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India togetherform the region known as South Asia.Considering the expanse and significanceof India in this region, it is also known asthe Indian subcontinent. The Harappancivilization had spread mainly in thenorthwestern part of the Indian subcontinent.China and Myanmar, our neighbouringcountries, are not a part of South Asia orthe Indian subcontinent. However, they hadcultural and trade relations with ancientIndia. They have an important place in thestudy of ancient Indian history.Exercise1.Answer the following in one sentence.(1) What is history ?(2) Where do human settlements flourish?(3) What do the people in the hilly regiondepend on for their food ?(4) Which is the earliest civilization inIndia ?2.Answer the following questions in short.(1) What does human life depend on ?(2) What features of our surroundingsform the means of our livelihood ?(3) Which region is known as the Indiansubcontinent ?3.Give reasons.(1) There is a close relation betweenhistory and geography.(2) People are forced to leave theirsettlements.4.Explain the difference in the human lifein the hilly regions and that on theplains.5. Observe the physical map of India andanswer the questions based on it.(1) Which mountain ranges lie in the northof India ?(2) Which are the routes to India from thenortheast ?(3) Where do the Ganga and Brahmaputrameet ?(4) Name the islands to the east of theIndian peninsula.(5) In which part of India do we see theThar Desert ?Activity :(1) Obtain information about the lakes orreservoirs in your locality.(2) Show the following on a world map :1. The Himalaya Mountain2. The Silk Road3. Arabia***Various costumes5

2. Sources of History2.12.22.32.42.5Material sourcesWritten sourcesOral sourcesSources of ancient Indian historyPrecautions to be taken whilewriting historydesigns on ancient potsherds. The ornamentsand other artefacts throw light on socialinteraction. We get information about thediet of the people from the remains offoodgrains, seeds and bones of animalsfound in excavations. Also, we find theremains of houses and buildings built indifferent historical periods. We also findancient coins and seals. All these give usinformation about human activities in thepast. All such artefacts, articles,monuments or their ruins are called the‘material sources’ of history.Try this.llMake a list of things in your housewhich belong to your grandparents’time.Collect information about an oldstructure in your locality.A number of objects used by ourancestors still exist. Some inscriptions fromthe past have been recovered. Sources likethese help us to understand our history.History can also be learnt through customsand traditions, folk arts, folk literature aswell as historical documents. All these areknown as ‘sources of history’. These are ofthree types : material sources, writtensources and oral sources.Do you know ?Foodgrains do not last long.They get easily infested and turn intopowder.In ancient times, people used toroast foodgrain before grindingthem. If a few grains got charredwhile roasting, they were thrownaway. Such charred grains canremain intact for a very long period.During excavations, such charredgrains can be recovered. When theseare inspected in a laboratory, wecome to know what grain it is.Can you tell ?Structures such as forts, rock-cutcaves, stupa, etc. are known asmaterial sources of history. Try toguess what other structures can becalled material sources.2.1 Material SourcesMan uses a variety of things inhis day-to-day life. They are known asartefacts. Artefacts used by humans in thepast provide us valuable information aboutlife in the ancient times. We can decide theperiod of ancient artefacts like earthernpots by studying the shape, colour andCoins6

Potsherd2.2 Written sourcesThe Stone Age people have recordedmany events and expressed their emotionsin paintings on rocks. It was only afterthousands of years that man learnt the artof writing.In the beginning, humans used symbolsand signs to record their thoughts and ideas.However, it took thousands of years for ascript to develop from these.In the beginning, man wrote onpotsherds, unbaked bricks using pointedobjects. He also used birch (bhurja) treebark to write on. As his experience andknowledge increased, he began to write indifferent ways. He began to record theevents that took place around him. Accountsof the proceedings of royal courts were alsowritten systematically. Many rulers hadtheir orders, judicial decisions, donationsetc inscribed on stone or copper-plates.Over a period of time, many forms ofliterature developed. They included bookson religious and social subjects, plays,poetry, travelogues and scientific works.All this literature helps us to understand thehistory of the various historical periods.These sources are known as the ‘writtensources of history’.OrnamentsEarthen PotsDo you know ?Written sources of history includeinscriptions carved on temple walls,walls of rock-cut caves and rocks;inscriptions on copper-plates, pots,bricks and on writing sheets made frompalm leaves and birch bark, etc.Do you know ?Bhurjapatra means writing sheetsmade from the bark of a birch tree.BhurjaistheSanskrit name of thebirch tree. Birchtrees are found inKashmir.A copper-plateBirch (Bhurja) treeInscription on a rock7Bhurjapatra

Do you know ?Do this.lVisit a museum in your locality.Write an essay describing theartefacts displayed there.lCollect the traditional verses such as‘owis’.lCollect folk songs. Present one ofthem in the cultural programme ofyour school.lAn owiपांडुरंग पिता । रूक्मिण माझी बया ।आषाढ वारीयेला । पुंडलिक आला न्याया ।।lLines from a folk songv‘महानगरी उजनीv(Ujjain)लई पुण्यवान दानीतेथे नांदत होता राजासुखी होती प्रजातिन्ही लोकी गाजावाजाअसा उजनीचा इक्रामv राजा’ v(Vikramaditya)2.3 Oral sourcesOwis, folk songs, folk tales andsimilar literature is passed on fromgeneration to generation by word ofmouth. This literature is not in the writtenform. Its authors are unknown. This typeof literature preserved by oral traditionforms the ‘oral sources’ of history.Do you know ?Sources of Ancient Indian HistoryMaterial SourcesArtefactsStructural remainsWritten SourceslInscriptions on Harappan sealsRock paintingsCaveslVedic literaturePotteryHousesllMesopotamian clay tabletsManuscript copies ofMahabharata and RamayanalJain and Buddhist literaturelWritings of Greek historions,TravelogueslTravelogues by ChinesetravellerslBooks on Grammar,Puranas and inscriptionsTerra cotta objects StupasBeadsRock-cut cavesOrnamentsTemplesSculpturesChurchesMetal objectsMosquesCoinsPillarsWeapons8Oral SourcesThe Vedic, Buddhistand Jain literature ofancient India waspreserved by oraltradition. It is nowavailable in thewritten form. Evenso, the oral traditionis still alive. Whenoral compositionsare used for historywriting, they areincluded in the oralsources.

2.4 Sources of ancient Indian historyThe ancient period of Indian historyextends from the Stone Age to the eighthcentury CE. We learn about the Stone Ageperiod of Indian history througharchaeological excavations. Since scriptshad not developed at that time, no writtensources are available. However, informationabout the ancient period from 1500 BCEonwards can be derived from Vedicliterature. In the beginning, the Vedas werenot in the written form. The ancient Indianshad developed the technique of memorizingand reciting them. The Vedas were writtendown later on. The Vedas and the postVedic literature form an important sourceof ancient Indian history. It includes theBrahmanas, the Upanishads, the epicsRamayana and Mahabharata, the Jain andBuddhist literature, plays, poems, stoneand pillar inscriptions, travelogues offoreign travellers etc. We also learn aboutancient Indian history through materialsources like archaeological remains,ancient monuments and coins found inexcavations.2.5 Precautions to be taken while writinghistoryIt is necessary to take precautions whileusing these sources to write history. Awritten document cannot be said to beauthentic just because it is old - it needs tobe examined critically as to who wrote it,why and when it was written. Theconclusions drawn on the basis of variousgenuine documents have to be crosschecked and corroborated with one another.Such a critical analysis is very important inthe writing of history.What would you do ?You have found an old coin.- Keep it to yourself.- Give it to your parents.- Give it to a museum.lExercise1.2.Answer in one sentence.(1) In the past, what materials were usedfor writing ?(2) What information is obtained fromVedic literature ?(3) Which literature in preserved by oraltradition ?Classify the following sources asmaterial, written and oral sources.Copper-plate, folk tales, pottery, beads,travelogues, owis, inscriptions, Vedicliterature, stupa, coin, e the picture of earthen pots andtry to make similar ones.4.Observe any coin and note the followingthings.Inscription on the coin .Metal used .Year of the coin .Symbol on the coin .Picture, language, shape and denominationof the coin .5.Do you know a few things by heart ?Present them in your group.For example : poems, prayers, tables, etc.Activity :Collect pictures / photos of material andwritten sources and exhibit them.9***

3. The Harappan Civilization3.1 Harappan CivilizationArchaeological excavation first beganin 1921 CE at Harappa in the Punjab on thebanks of the river Ravi. That is how thiscivilization came to be known as HarappanCivilization. It is also known as IndusCivilization.Excavations were also carried out atMohen-jo-daro, a place about 650 km tothe south of Harappa in the Indus valley.There was a striking resemblance betweenthe remains of structures and artefactsfound at the two places. Similar remainshave been found at Dholavira, Lothal,Kalibang

Jun 04, 2016 · The Primary Education Curriculum 2012 was prepared in the State of Maharashtra following the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, and the National Curriculum Framework 2005.This syllabus approved by the State Government is bei