Maharashtra Board Class 6 History Chapter 1 The Indian Subcontinent and History PDF Download

1. The Indian Subcontinent And History

1.1 Geographical Conditions And History

In the fifth standard, we saw at some length that there is a close relationship between man and his environment. We saw how the changes in the lifestyle of the early man and his technology were related to the changes in his surroundings. We also reviewed the history of human civilization from the Stone Age to the agricultural civilizations that flourished on the banks of rivers.

History is a coherent account of the significant past events in the progress of human culture. Time, place, society and individuals are the four major pillars of history. We cannot write history without them. Of these four components, 'place' is related to geography or geographical conditions. In this sense, history and geography are inseparable. History is influenced by geographical conditions in many ways.

What occupations are seen in your locality?

What crops are grown in your surroundings?

Our diet, clothing, housing, occupation, in fact, all human life in any region depends to a large extent on its geographical characteristics. For example, the life of the people in hilly regions is more strenuous than that of the people on the plains. Not much fertile land is available in the hilly regions, while in the plains, it is available on a large scale. That is why, grains and vegetables are scarce in hilly areas.

In comparison, people on the plains get them in a sufficient measure. Naturally, this has an impact on the diet of the people. In hilly regions, people depend more on hunting and gathering for their food. We also find other such differences in the lifestyle of the people of the hilly regions and those of the plains.

The climate, rainfall, agricultural produce, flora and fauna of the region where we live are the sources of our livelihood. The lifestyle and culture of a region develops with their support. Human settlements have flourished wherever the means of living are plentiful. Over a period of time, these settlements develop further into villages and towns. But sometimes reasons like the degradation of the environment, drought, invasions, etc. lead to the scarcity of those means. People are forced to leave their settlements. Villages and towns become deserted. We see many such instances in history. Thus we see that there is a very close relation between history and geography.

Teacher's Note

Geography shapes how people live. In India, hill people and plain people have different food and houses because of their land.

Exam Trick

Remember: Hills have no fertile land, so people hunt. Plains have fertile land, so people farm. This is the main difference in lifestyle.

Points to Remember

History and geography are connected together.
Time, place, society and individuals are the four pillars of history.
Hilly regions have less fertile land than plains.
People in hills depend on hunting and gathering.
Geography decides how people live and work.

1.2 Geographical Features Of India

Our country India extends far and wide. At its north lie the Himalayas; to the east, the Bay of Bengal; to the west the Arabian Sea; and to the south, the Indian Ocean. Except for the islands of Andaman - Nicobar and Lakshwadeep, the rest of the country is contiguous.

We have to take into account this region, henceforth referred to as 'ancient India', when we study the ancient history of India. Before 1947, today's Pakistan and Bangladesh were also a part of India.

The following regions are seen to be important when we look at the course of Indian history.

1. The Himalayas

2. The plains of Sindhu-Ganga-Brahmaputra rivers

3. The Thar Desert

4. The Deccan Plateau

5. The coastal regions

6. The islands in the seas

1. Himalayas

The Hindukush and Himalaya ranges have created an impenetrable wall on the northern side of the Indian subcontinent. This wall has separated the Indian subcontinent from the deserts of Central Asia. However, there is a land route through the Khyber and Bolan passes in the Hindukush mountains. This route was connected to an ancient trade route. The trade route from China passed through Central Asia and reached Arabia. It is known as the 'Silk Route' or 'Silk Road', because silk was the main commodity exported to the western countries using this road. The route through the passes was used by many foreign invaders to enter ancient India. Many foreign travellers also came to India by this route.

Teacher's Note

The Khyber Pass was like a gate to India. Many people came through it for trade and war, just like how we use airports today.

Exam Trick

Remember: Silk Road = trade route from China. Khyber Pass = invasion route into India. Both are passages to reach India from the north.

Points to Remember

Himalayas are in the north of India.
Khyber and Bolan passes are routes through the mountains.
Silk Road was an ancient trade route from China to Arabia.
Silk was the main thing sold on this road.
Both traders and invaders used these mountain passes.

2. The Plains Of The Sindhu-Ganga-Brahmaputra

This region consists of the basins of the three big rivers, Sindhu, Ganga, Brahmaputra and their tributaries. This region extends from Sindh-Punjab in the west to the present day Bangladesh in the east. It was in this region that the earliest Indian civilization of Harappa and the later States and empires of ancient India emerged.

3. The Thar Desert

The Thar desert spreads across Rajasthan, Haryana and some parts of Gujarat. A part of the desert lies in today's Pakistan. The desert has the Satluj river to its north, the Aravalli mountain range to its east, the Rann of Kachchh to its south and the Indus (Sindhu) river to its west. The Ghaggar river that originates in Himachal Pradesh reaches the Thar desert. It is known as 'Hakra' in Pakistan. Its course in Rajasthan and Pakistan has now dried up. Many sites of the Harappan civilization are situated along the now dry course of the river.

Teacher's Note

The Thar Desert is dry and sandy. Many ancient cities are hidden under its dry riverbeds, like treasure buried in sand.

Exam Trick

Remember: Thar Desert in Rajasthan. Ghaggar river is now dry in this desert. Harappan sites are found along this dry river.

Points to Remember

Thar Desert is in Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat.
Satluj river is to its north.
Aravalli mountains are to its east.
Ghaggar river has dried up in this desert.
Harappan civilization sites are found along the dry Ghaggar river.

4. The Deccan Plateau

The region between the east and the west coast of India tapers off to the south. This region has the Arabian Sea to its west, the Indian Ocean to its south, and the Bay of Bengal to its east. A region thus bound by the sea on three sides is called a peninsula. A major part of the Indian peninsula is occupied by the Deccan Plateau.

The mountain ranges of the Vindhya and Satpuda are located to the north of the Deccan Plateau. The Sahyadri mountain ranges are to its west. They are also known as the 'Western Ghats'. To the west of the Sahyadris is the coastal region of Konkan and Malabar. The mountains on the eastern side of the Deccan plateau are known as the 'Eastern Ghats'. Deccan Plateau has fertile land where many post-Harappan agrarian cultures flourished. Deccan Plateau was a part of the Maurya empire, the largest in ancient India. After the decline of the Maurya empire, too, several other kingdoms and smaller empires continued to flourish in this region.

Teacher's Note

The Deccan Plateau is a large flat area in south India. It has good soil for farming, so many kingdoms were powerful here long ago.

Exam Trick

Remember: Deccan = peninsula. Peninsula = land with sea on three sides. Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats are mountain ranges around the Deccan.

Points to Remember

Deccan Plateau is in south India.
It is surrounded by sea on three sides, making it a peninsula.
Western Ghats are on the west side.
Eastern Ghats are on the east side.
Many kingdoms grew in this region because of fertile land.

5. The Coastal Regions

From the time of the Harappan civilization, ancient India had trade relations with the western countries. This trade was carried on by sea. Therefore, India had developed contact and interaction with foreign cultures and people at the sea ports. Later on, land routes came to be used for trade and transport. But the importance of sea routes did not diminish.

6. The Islands In The Sea

Andaman and Nicobar are the Indian islands in the Bay of Bengal. Lakshadweep is a group of Indian islands in the Arabian Sea. The location of these islands may have been important in ancient sea trade. The manuscript 'Periplus of the Erythrean Sea' or 'Handbook of the Red Sea' makes a mention of Indian islands. It has been written by an unknown Greek sailor.

Teacher's Note

Andaman and Lakshadweep are Indian islands in the sea. Long ago, traders used ships to stop at these islands on their way to trade.

Exam Trick

Remember: Andaman and Nicobar = Bay of Bengal. Lakshadweep = Arabian Sea. Both were used as stops for ancient sea traders.

Points to Remember

Coastal regions had sea trade with foreign countries.
Andaman and Nicobar islands are in the Bay of Bengal.
Lakshadweep islands are in the Arabian Sea.
These islands were important for ancient sea trade.
Greek sailors wrote about Indian islands in old books.

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