Class -6 History Lesson-10

New Empires and Kingdoms.

Link of the lesson-
https://youtu.be/pgLmnfx9XX4
https://youtu.be/Pff5m3E_D9c
Q1.Fill in the blanks-
1. The first ruler of the Gupta Dynasty to adopt the title of Maharaja -Adhiraja
was – Chandragupta.
2. Prashasti of Samudragupta was composed as a Kavya by- Harishena.
3. Harshacharita, the biography of Harshavardhana was written by –
Banabhatta.
4. An important ruler of Chaulakya Dynasty was –Pulakeshin –II
5. A renowned astronomer of Gupta period- Aryabhata.
6. An assembly of Brahmin land owners was called –Sabha.
7. A village assembly where land owners were not Brahmins was called –Ur.
8. A Chinese traveller who left a detailed account of Harshavardhana’s reign-
Xuan Zang.
Q2.Answer the following questions-
Q1.What do you mean by Prashastis ? In which language were they written?
Ans)i) Prashasti is a Sanskrit word meaning –‘In praise of’.
ii) They were composed in praise of some rulers like
Samudragupta,Gautamiputra Shri Satakarani etc.
iii)Prashastis were written in Sanskrit and became more popular from the time
of the Gupta.
Q2.What does Samudragupta’s Prashasti tell us?
Ans) i) The poet of Samudragupta’s Prashasti praised the king in glowing
terms-as a warrior, as a king who won victories in battle, who was learned and
the best of the poets.
ii) He is also described as equal to the Gods.
iii)It was composed in very long sentences.
Q3.Who wrote Harshcharita and in which language?
Ans) Banabhatta, who was a poet in king Harshavardhana’s court, wrote his
biography –Harshcharita.It was written in Sanskrit.
Q4.Name the important dynasties ruling in South?
Ans)The Chalukyas and the Pallavas were the two most important dynasties
ruling in the South.
Q5.What was the capital of Chalukyas and what was it famous for?
Ans) Aihole was the capital of Chalukyas .It was an important trading and
religious center.The best known Chalukya ruler was Pulakeshin II.
Q6.Who were the rulers of Aryavarta and Dakshinapatha?
Ans)i) There were nine rulers of Aryavarta were nine rulers who were uprooted
and their kingdoms were made a part of Samudragupta’s empire.
ii) There were tweeleve rulers on the eastern coast of Dakshinapatha.They
surrendered to samudragupta after being defeated and he then allowed them
to rule again.
Q7.Name the famous play of Kalidasa?What does it tell about?
Ans) The famous play of Kalidasa is Abhijnana Shakuntalam .It is the story of
the love between a king named Dushyanta and a young woman named
Shakuntala.
Q8.Who were Samantas? Write their features.
Ans) i) Samatas were military leaders who provided the king with troops
whenever he needed.
Their features were-
i) They were not given regular salaries, instead some of them received grants
of land.
ii) The collected the revenue from the land and used this to maintain soldiers
and horses and provided equipment for the warfare.
iii) Whenever the ruler was weak, samantas tried to become independent.
Q9.What was Nagaram?
Ans)Nagaram was an organization of merchants.
Q10.Explain the administration of kings under the Gupta dynasty.
Ans)i) Some important posts were hereditary. This means that the sons
succeeded the posts of the fathers.
ii) Sometimes, one person held many offices.
iii) Important men probably had a say in the local administration.
iv) Important men included the nagara shreshthi or the chief banker or the
sarthavaha or the leader of the merchant caravans.
Q11.Source based analysis-
Story- A fisherman finds a ring.(Page 110)
Q1.Name the famous play on which the above story is based?
Ans) The above story is based on the play –Abhijnana Shakuntalam
Q2.Who is the author of the play?
Ans) Kalidasa
Q3.In which language was this play written originally?
Ans) Sanskrit.
Q12.Map skills-
On a river map of India ,mark the following.(Refer to page 105 of History book)
1.Mathura
2.Patliputra
3.Satavahana
4.Chalukya
5.Pallava
6.Chera
7.Pandya
8.Chola
 Mathura

Patliputra

Satavahana

Chalukya
Pallava

Chola
Chera

Pandya

Q13. Activity- On an A-4 sheet .

Q-What is Vikram samvat? Write the names of Vikram Samvat and Georgian
calendar which we use.(Page 106/ Search net for Vikram samvat))