Indian School Bouser GR6 Social Studies Notes PDF

INDIAN SCHOOL BOUSHER (Affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi) (Affiliation No: 6630203 and School No: 90252) P.O. Box: 2886, Postal Code: 130, Al Awabi, Al Ansab, Sultanate of...

INDIAN SCHOOL BOUSHER (Affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi) (Affiliation No: 6630203 and School No: 90252) P.O. Box: 2886, Postal Code: 130, Al Awabi, Al Ansab, Sultanate of Oman ACADEMIC YEAR 2024 - 2025 NOTES Subject: SOCIAL SCIENCE Resource Person: Ms. Jinu Mary PJ Grade: 6 Section: Date: Name of the Student: Topic: CHAPTER-5- INDIA, THAT IS BHARAT Key Points: In the course of history, India has been called by many names — both by its inhabitants and by visitors from outside. These names come to us from ancient texts, accounts of travelers and pilgrims, and inscriptions. HOW INDIANS NAMED INDIA? VEDIC TEXTBOOK ⇒ In Rig Veda the northwestern region of the subcontinent is termed as ‘Sapta Sindhava’. That is the ‘Land of Seven Rivers’. ⇒ The word ‘Sindhava comes from ‘Sindhu’, which refers to the Indus River, or at times to a river in general. MAHABHARATA ⇒ The Mahabharata uses terms, ‘Bharatavarsha’ and ‘Jambudvipa’ to refer to the Indian Subcontinent. ⇒ Bharathavarsha means the country of the ‘Bharatas’. ⇒ The second term Jambudvipa means ‘the island of the fruit of the jamun tree’. ⇒ This is indeed a common tree native to India. ⇒ In India Jamun tree is also known as jambul tree and Malabar plum tree. Mahabharatha and other parts of India ⇒ Names of other parts of India appear in Mahabharat. ⇒ It lists many regions, such as Kashmira (more or less today’s Kashmir), Kurukshetra (parts of Haryana today), Vanga (parts of Bengal), Pragjyotisha (roughly today’s Assam), Kaccha  (today’s Kutch), Kerala (more or less today’s Kerala). ASHOKA’S INSCRIPTIONS ⇒ In one of the inscriptions which was erected during the reign of emperor Ashoka, the name Jambudvipa was used to describe the whole of India. ⇒ Jambudvipa during the reign of Ashoka included today’s Bangladesh, Pakistan, as well as parts of Afghanistan. FROM BHARATAVARSHA AND JAMBUDVIPA TO BHARAT ⇒ A few centuries later, ‘Bharata Became the name generally used for the Indian Subcontinent. ⇒ For example in ancient text Vishnupurana describes Bharata as a country that lies between north of an ocean and south of snowy covered mountains. ACCORDING TO TAMIL LITERATURE ⇒ The Indian Subcontinent is vividly described in the poem from Tamil literature around 2000 years ago. ⇒ It praises about a king whose fame travelled from ‘Cape Kumari’ from South to Great Mountains in the North. From the ocean in the east to the ocean in the west. THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION ⇒ The English version of The Constitution of India uses the phrase India, that is Bharat’ right at the beginning. ⇒ Similarly, the Hindi version of the Constitution mentions the same as ‘ Bharat arthath India’. HOW FOREIGNERS NAMED INDIA? ⇒ The first foreigners to mention India were the Persians. ⇒ In 6th century BCE, a Persian emperor launched a military campaign and gained control of the region of the Indus River, which was known as river Sindhu in ancient times. ⇒ The Persians referred to India as ‘Hind’, Hidu’ or ‘Hindu’, which are adaptations of their language of ‘Sindhu’. ⇒ Persians also termed India as ‘Hindustan’. ⇒ The name Hindustan was later on used by invaders to describe the Indian Subcontinent. THE GREEK VERSION ⇒ Based on the Persian influence the ancient Greeks named the region ‘Indoi’ or ‘Indike’. ⇒ They dropped the initial letter ‘h’ of ‘Hindu’ because this letter did not exist in their Greek language. INDIAN SCHOOL BOUSHER/GRADE VI/DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCE/2024-2025 page 1  THE CHINESE VERSION ⇒ The ancient Chinese also interacted with India. ⇒ In several texts, they refer to India as ‘Yintu’ or ‘Yindu’. This word is also influenced by the word ‘Sindhu’. ⇒ Another Chinese word that derived from Sindhu was ‘Tianzhu’. ⇒ This word is also meant as ‘heavenly master’. ⇒ The Chinese used the term ‘ Tianzu’ as a respect for India as the land of the Buddha. XUANZANG A CHINESE VISITOR ⇒ Xuanzang traveled from China to India In the 7th Century CE. ⇒ He visited many parts of India, met scholars and collected Buddhist texts. ⇒ He returned back to China after 17 years. ⇒ In China Xuanzang translated the manuscripts he took back from India. ⇒ He translated the Buddhist texts which were written in Sanskrit language to Chinese language. (TO BE COPIED IN NOTEBOOK) I. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. Q1. : What are the two names used to refer to the Indian nation in the Constitution? A: The two names are India and Bharat. The English version uses "India, that is Bharat" and the Hindi version states ‘Bhārat arthāth India’. Q2: Describe how the Indian Subcontinent is mentioned in Rig Veda. A: The Ṛig Veda mentions the region called ‘Sapta Sindhava’, which refers to the land of seven rivers, particularly the Indus River. Q3: What does the term ‘Jambudvīpa’ mean? A: ‘Jambudvīpa’ means "the island of the jamun tree" and was used to describe the Indian Subcontinent. Q4: Who was Xuanzang, and what was his contribution to Indian history? A: Xuanzang traveled from China to India In the 7th Century CE. ⇒ He visited many parts of India, met scholars and collected Buddhist texts. ⇒ He returned back to China after 17 years. INDIAN SCHOOL BOUSHER/GRADE VI/DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCE/2024-2025 page 2  ⇒ In China Xuanzang translated the manuscripts he took back from India. ⇒ He translated the Buddhist texts which were written in Sanskrit language to Chinese language. Q5: How did the name ‘Hindustān’ originate, and how did it differ from earlier names like ‘Bhāratavarṣha’? A: The name ‘Hindustān’ originated from Persian usage around 1,800 years ago. Hindustan was primarily a geographical term used by invaders to describe the Indian Subcontinent. ‘Bhāratavarṣha’, on the other hand, was a name used in ancient Indian texts like the Mahābhārata. and referred specifically to the land of the Bharatas, an ancient Vedic group. While ‘Bhāratavarṣha’ was deeply rooted in Indian history and culture, ‘Hindustān’ came from foreign influence. Q6: Compare the ways in which different cultures (Persians, Greeks, and Chinese) referred to India. What commonality do you observe in their names for India? A: Differences: Persians referred to India as ‘Hind’, ‘Hidu’, or ‘Hindu’, adapting from Sindhu. Greeks used the term ‘Indoi’ or ‘Indike’, derived from the Persian influences. The Greek people dropped the initial letter"h" in ‘Hindu’. Chinese called India ‘Yintu’, ‘Yindu’, or ‘Tianzhu’, all originally derived from Sindhu. Commonality: All these cultures based their names on the Indus River (Sindhu), reflecting how significant the river was in defining the region geographically. Q7: How does the term ‘Jambudvīpa’ reflect the Indian Subcontinent's geographical identity? A: ‘Jambudvīpa’ translates to "the island of the jamun tree" (a native tree of India), which highlights India’s natural geography as an isolated, distinct landmass. It also symbolizes the connection between India's rich natural environment and its cultural identity. Q8: Imagine you are an ancient traveler visiting India 2,000 years ago. Based on the names and descriptions from ancient texts like the Mahābhārata, describe what parts of modern India you might visit and the names you would use to refer to them. A: As an ancient traveler, I might visit: Kāshmīra Kashmira (more or less today’s Kashmir) Kurukshetra (parts of Haryana today) Vanga (parts of Bengal) Pragjyotisha (roughly today’s Assam) Kaccha (today’s Kutch) INDIAN SCHOOL BOUSHER/GRADE VI/DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCE/2024-2025 page 3  Kerala (more or less today’s Kerala). I would use these ancient names to refer to each region, reflecting the geographical understanding from the Mahābhārata. Q9: Based on what you have learned about India’s ancient names, how might these historical terms influence modern India’s cultural and regional identities? A: Historical names like Bhāratavarṣha, Kāshmīra, and Kurukṣhetra continue to influence modern regional identities by linking present-day India to its ancient heritage. For instance, names of places, regions, and cultural practices are still rooted in these ancient terms, fostering a sense of continuity and pride in India's long, uninterrupted civilization. Additionally, these terms reinforce India's cultural diversity and unity, where each region has its distinct historical significance while contributing to the larger identity of Bharat. Q10: If you were tasked with explaining the importance of the name ‘Bhāratavarṣha’ to someone unfamiliar with Indian history, how would you approach this? A: I would explain that ‘Bhāratavarṣha’ is not just a name, but a historical term deeply rooted in India’s ancient texts like the Mahābhārata. It represents the land of the Bharatas, one of the early Vedic groups, and symbolizes the cultural and historical identity of the Indian Subcontinent. The term conveys a sense of unity across diverse regions, cultures, and peoples of the land, and its continued use today shows the enduring legacy of India’s ancient civilization. ************************************************************** INDIAN SCHOOL BOUSHER/GRADE VI/DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCE/2024-2025 page 4