NCERT Solutions Class 6th History Chapter – 10 Buildings, Paintings and Books Notes

October 9, 2023

NCERT Solutions Class 6th History Chapter – 10 Buildings, Paintings and Books

Textbook	NCERT
Class	6^th
Subject	Social Science (History)
Chapter	10^th
Chapter Name	Buildings, Paintings and Books
Category	Class 6th History Notes
Medium	English
Source	Last Doubt

NCERT Solutions Class 6th History Chapter – 10 Buildings, Paintings and Books Notes in this chapter we will read such topics : The iron pillar, Buildings in brick and stone, Stupa, Hindu Temples, How were stupas and temples built ?, Painting, The World of Books, Puranas, The Mahabharata, The Ramayana, Stories told by ordinary people and Writing books on science

NCERT Solutions Class 6th History Chapter – 10 New Empires and Kingdoms

Chapter – 10

Buildings, Paintings and Books

Notes

The iron pillar

(i) Location – Mehrauli, delhi.
(ii) Height – 7.2m
(iii) Weight – 3 tones
(iv) Made about 1500 years ago by Chadra of Gupta dynasty( inscribed on the pillar).
(v) Made of iron yet hasn’t RUSTED yet.

Buildings in brick and stone

Stupa: The word stupa means a mound.

(i) Stupas are of several kind yet have a common feature that is :
(a) There is a small box placed at the center or heart of the stupa.
(b) contains bodily remains or objects used by the Buddha or his followers and is known relic casket.

(ii) Relic casket is covered with earth .
(a) Later, a layer of mud brick or baked brick is added on top.
(b) Then the dome like structure is covered with craved stone slab.

(iii) A path, known as the pradakshina patha, was laid around the stupa surrounded wit railings.

(v) Devotee walked around stupa in clockwise direction as a mark of devotion.

(iv) Both railings and gateways were often decorated with sculpture.

In Amaravati, a magnificent 2000 years old stupa existed with many stone cravings.

Hindu Temples

(i) Deities such as Vishnu, Shiva, and Durga were worshipped in these shrines.

(ii) The most important part of the temple – garbhagriha.
(a) image of the chief deity was placed.
(b) riest performed religious riuals
(c) devotees offered their worship.

(iii) Often, a tower, known as the shikhara, was built on top of the garbhagriha, to mark this out as a sacred place.

(iv) Most temples also had a space known as the mandapa where a hall where people could assemble.

How were stupas and temples built ?

(i) several stages in building a stupa or a temple.
(a) good quality stone had to be found, quarried, and transported to the chosen place.
(b) rough blocks of stone are shaped and carved into pillars, and panels for walls, floors and ceilings.
(c) then these had to be placed in precisely the right position.

(ii) Usually, kings or queens decided to build these as it was an expensive affair.

(iii) They probably spent money from their treasury to pay the crafts persons who worked to build these splendid structures.

(iv) Devotees often brought gifts which were used to decorate the buildings.

Painting

(i) Ajanta is a place where several caves were hollowed out of the hills over centuries.

(ii) Most of these were monasteries for Buddhist monks, and some of them were decorated with paintings.

(iii) The colors, which are vivid even after 1500 years, were made of plants and minerals.

The World of Books

(i) Epics are grand, long compositions, about heroic men and women, and include stories about gods.

(ii) Some of the famous epics written during this period are:
(a) The Tamil epic Silappadikaram was composed 1800 years ago by a poet, Ilango.
(b) Manimekalai, another Tamil epic, was composed by Sattanar 1400 years ago.
(c) Meghduta was written by Kalidasa in Sanskrit.

Recording and preserving old stories

(i) Puranas : literally mean old.

(ii) contain stories about gods and goddesses, such as Vishnu, Shiva, Durga or Parvati.

(iii) also contain details on how they were to be worshipped.

(iv) accounts about the creation of the world, and about kings.

(v) were written in simple Sanskrit verse, and were meant to be heard by everybody, including women and shudras.

(vi) recited in temples by priests, and people came to listen to them.

The Mahabharata

(i) about a war fought between the Kauravas and Pandavas, who were cousins.

(ii) This was a war to gain control of the throne of the Kurus, and their capital, Hastinapura.

(iii) The Bhagavad Gita was also included in the Mahabharata.

(iv) written down in the form in which we know it today, about 1500 years ago.

(v) Both the Puranas and the Mahabharata are supposed to have been compiled by Vyasa.

The Ramayana

(i) about Rama, a prince of Kosala, who was sent into exile.

(ii) His wife Sita was abducted by the king of Lanka, named Ravana.

(iii) Rama had to fight a battle to get her back.

(iv) He won and returned to Ayodhya, the capital of Kosala, after his victory.

(v) Valmiki is recognised as the author of the Sanskrit Ramayana.

Stories told by ordinary people

(i) Ordinary people also told stories, composed poems and songs, sang, danced, and performed plays.

(ii) The stories of ordinary people were collected in the form of Jatakas and the Panchatantra.

(iii) Stories from the Jatakas were often shown on the railings of stupas and in paintings in places such as Ajanta.

Writing books on science

(i) This was also the time when Aryabhata, a mathematician and astronomer, wrote a book in Sanskrit known as the Aryabhatiyam.

a) stated that day and night were caused by the rotation of the earth on its axis, even though it seems as if the sun is rising and setting everyday.
b) developed a scientific explanation for eclipses as well.
c) found a way of calculating the circumference of a circle

(ii) Varahamihira, Brahmagupta and Bhaskaracharya were some other mathematicians and astronomers who made several discoveries.