Textbook: Ancient Kingdoms of the South | History and Civics Class 6 (Maharashtra Board) PDF Download

 Page 1


42 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 42 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
9.1 The Cher, Pandya and Chola  dynasties
9.2 The Satavahana dynasty
9.3 The Vakataka dynasty
9.1  The Cher, Pandya and Chola 
 dynasties
Of the many dynasties in South 
India, three are mentioned in the literature 
of those times. These are the Cher, 
Pandya and Chola dynasties. These 
Mark the important places in 
South India on an outline map of 
India.
9.4 The Chalukya dynasty 
9.5 The Pallava dynasty
9.6 The Rashtrakut dynasty
9. Ancient Kingdoms of the South
42
You can do this.
Page 2


42 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 42 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
9.1 The Cher, Pandya and Chola  dynasties
9.2 The Satavahana dynasty
9.3 The Vakataka dynasty
9.1  The Cher, Pandya and Chola 
 dynasties
Of the many dynasties in South 
India, three are mentioned in the literature 
of those times. These are the Cher, 
Pandya and Chola dynasties. These 
Mark the important places in 
South India on an outline map of 
India.
9.4 The Chalukya dynasty 
9.5 The Pallava dynasty
9.6 The Rashtrakut dynasty
9. Ancient Kingdoms of the South
42
You can do this.
43
means ‘water’. The title means, ‘One 
whose horses have drunk the water of 
three seas’. The three seas are the 
Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the 
Indian Occean. During his reign, the 
empire of the Satavahanas extended from 
the river Narmada in the north to the 
Tungabhadra river in the south.
The famous poetic work ‘Gatha-
Saptashati’ in Maharashtri, a Prakrit 
language, was composed by the 
Satavahana king Hala. This work 
provides information about the life of the 
people during the Satavahana period.
Indian trade increased greatly during 
the Satavahana period. Paithan, Ter, 
Bhokardan, Kolhapur were recognised as 
important centres of trade. During this 
period, many artistic objects were 
produced at these places. Indian goods 
were exported as far away as Rome. 
Some of the Satavahana coins carry 
Nane Pass (Naneghat) : The 
mountain pass, part of Junnar 
Murbad, joining Pune and Thane 
districts is known as Naneghat. This 
5 km long road was built about two 
thousand years ago during the rule 
of the Satavahanas. It used to be 
one of the main trade routes between 
the Konkan coast and the Deccan 
Plateau (Desh). It was used for trade 
and transport. A carved pitcher 
(ranjan) can still be seen there. 
Statues of the Satavahana kings and 
some ancient inscriptions are to be 
found in the caves at Naneghat. 
Descriptions of the donations given 
by the Satavahana kings and queens 
are to be found in the cave 
inscriptions.
dynasties were in power around the 
fourth century BCE or even before that. 
They find mention in the Ramayana and 
Mahabharata epics. They have also been 
mentioned in the ‘Sangham Literature’ in 
Tamil and in the inscriptions of the 
Maurya Emperor Ashoka. In the ‘Periplus 
of the Erythrean Sea’, ‘Muziris’ is 
mentioned as an important port on the 
coast of Kerala. This port was in the 
Cher kingdom and was a major centre 
for the export of spices, pearls, precious 
stones etc. to Rome in Italy and to other 
countries of the west. The Pandya 
kingdom was a part of today’s Tamil 
Nadu. There was a great demand for 
their high quality pearls. The capital of 
this kingdom was Madurai. The ancient 
kingdom of the Cholas occupied the 
region of Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu.
9.2  The Satvahana Dynasty
As in the north, after the decline of 
the Maurya Empire, the local kings in 
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka 
also became independent. They 
established small kingdoms of their own. 
One of these was the Satvahana dynasty. 
Pratishthan or the present day Paithan in 
Maharashtra was their capital. King 
Simuk was the founder of the Satavahana 
dynasty. The inscriptions in the Naneghat 
caves near Junnar in Pune district bear 
the names of the important persons of 
this dynasty. Some of the Satavahana 
kings were known to write their mother’s 
name before their own. For example, 
Gautamiputra Satakarni.
Of the Satavahana kings, 
Gautamiputra Satakarni is particularly 
well known. A stone inscription in a 
cave at Nashik describes his deeds of 
valour. He had defeated the Shaka king 
Nahpana. He is described as  
‘Tri-samudra-toya-peet-vahan’.  ‘Toya’ 
Do you know ?
Page 3


42 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 42 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
9.1 The Cher, Pandya and Chola  dynasties
9.2 The Satavahana dynasty
9.3 The Vakataka dynasty
9.1  The Cher, Pandya and Chola 
 dynasties
Of the many dynasties in South 
India, three are mentioned in the literature 
of those times. These are the Cher, 
Pandya and Chola dynasties. These 
Mark the important places in 
South India on an outline map of 
India.
9.4 The Chalukya dynasty 
9.5 The Pallava dynasty
9.6 The Rashtrakut dynasty
9. Ancient Kingdoms of the South
42
You can do this.
43
means ‘water’. The title means, ‘One 
whose horses have drunk the water of 
three seas’. The three seas are the 
Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the 
Indian Occean. During his reign, the 
empire of the Satavahanas extended from 
the river Narmada in the north to the 
Tungabhadra river in the south.
The famous poetic work ‘Gatha-
Saptashati’ in Maharashtri, a Prakrit 
language, was composed by the 
Satavahana king Hala. This work 
provides information about the life of the 
people during the Satavahana period.
Indian trade increased greatly during 
the Satavahana period. Paithan, Ter, 
Bhokardan, Kolhapur were recognised as 
important centres of trade. During this 
period, many artistic objects were 
produced at these places. Indian goods 
were exported as far away as Rome. 
Some of the Satavahana coins carry 
Nane Pass (Naneghat) : The 
mountain pass, part of Junnar 
Murbad, joining Pune and Thane 
districts is known as Naneghat. This 
5 km long road was built about two 
thousand years ago during the rule 
of the Satavahanas. It used to be 
one of the main trade routes between 
the Konkan coast and the Deccan 
Plateau (Desh). It was used for trade 
and transport. A carved pitcher 
(ranjan) can still be seen there. 
Statues of the Satavahana kings and 
some ancient inscriptions are to be 
found in the caves at Naneghat. 
Descriptions of the donations given 
by the Satavahana kings and queens 
are to be found in the cave 
inscriptions.
dynasties were in power around the 
fourth century BCE or even before that. 
They find mention in the Ramayana and 
Mahabharata epics. They have also been 
mentioned in the ‘Sangham Literature’ in 
Tamil and in the inscriptions of the 
Maurya Emperor Ashoka. In the ‘Periplus 
of the Erythrean Sea’, ‘Muziris’ is 
mentioned as an important port on the 
coast of Kerala. This port was in the 
Cher kingdom and was a major centre 
for the export of spices, pearls, precious 
stones etc. to Rome in Italy and to other 
countries of the west. The Pandya 
kingdom was a part of today’s Tamil 
Nadu. There was a great demand for 
their high quality pearls. The capital of 
this kingdom was Madurai. The ancient 
kingdom of the Cholas occupied the 
region of Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu.
9.2  The Satvahana Dynasty
As in the north, after the decline of 
the Maurya Empire, the local kings in 
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka 
also became independent. They 
established small kingdoms of their own. 
One of these was the Satvahana dynasty. 
Pratishthan or the present day Paithan in 
Maharashtra was their capital. King 
Simuk was the founder of the Satavahana 
dynasty. The inscriptions in the Naneghat 
caves near Junnar in Pune district bear 
the names of the important persons of 
this dynasty. Some of the Satavahana 
kings were known to write their mother’s 
name before their own. For example, 
Gautamiputra Satakarni.
Of the Satavahana kings, 
Gautamiputra Satakarni is particularly 
well known. A stone inscription in a 
cave at Nashik describes his deeds of 
valour. He had defeated the Shaka king 
Nahpana. He is described as  
‘Tri-samudra-toya-peet-vahan’.  ‘Toya’ 
Do you know ?
44
have read that the Gupta Emperor 
Chandragupta II had married his daughter 
Prabhavati to Rudrasen II, the Vakataka 
king. Varahdev, a minister of the 
Vakataka king Harishen, was a follower 
of Buddhism. Cave number 16 at Ajanta 
was dug at his instance. Some other 
A Satvahana coin with a ship’s image
The Chaityagriha at Karla
A cave at Ajanta
Bodhisattva Padmapani - Ajanta
images of ships. The cave sculptures at 
Ajanta, Nashik, Karla, Bhaje, Kanheri, 
Junnar in Maharashtra were carved 
caves at Ajanta were dug and beautified 
with paintings during Harishena’s reign. 
The Vakataka king, Pravarsen II, 
composed ‘Setubandh’ in Maharashtri, a 
Prakrit language. Similarly, Kalidasa’s 
‘Meghadoot’ also belongs to this period.
during the Satavahana period.
9.3  The Vakataka Dynasty
The power of the Satavahanas began 
to weaken by the third century CE. 
Among the dynasties that emerged after 
that, the Vakataka was a powerful 
dynasty. It was founded by the king 
‘Vindhyashakti’. He was succeeded by 
Pravarsen I. After his death, the kingdom 
of the Vakatakas got divided. There were 
two main branches. The capital of the 
first was at Nandivardhan (near Nagpur) 
and the capital of the other branch was 
at Vatsagulm which is today’s Washim. 
Pravarsen I, son of Vindhyashakti, 
extended the Vakataka kingdom in the 
north up to Malwa and Gujarat and in 
the south up to Kolhapur. At that time, 
Kolhapur was known as ‘Kuntal’. We 
Page 4


42 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 42 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
9.1 The Cher, Pandya and Chola  dynasties
9.2 The Satavahana dynasty
9.3 The Vakataka dynasty
9.1  The Cher, Pandya and Chola 
 dynasties
Of the many dynasties in South 
India, three are mentioned in the literature 
of those times. These are the Cher, 
Pandya and Chola dynasties. These 
Mark the important places in 
South India on an outline map of 
India.
9.4 The Chalukya dynasty 
9.5 The Pallava dynasty
9.6 The Rashtrakut dynasty
9. Ancient Kingdoms of the South
42
You can do this.
43
means ‘water’. The title means, ‘One 
whose horses have drunk the water of 
three seas’. The three seas are the 
Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the 
Indian Occean. During his reign, the 
empire of the Satavahanas extended from 
the river Narmada in the north to the 
Tungabhadra river in the south.
The famous poetic work ‘Gatha-
Saptashati’ in Maharashtri, a Prakrit 
language, was composed by the 
Satavahana king Hala. This work 
provides information about the life of the 
people during the Satavahana period.
Indian trade increased greatly during 
the Satavahana period. Paithan, Ter, 
Bhokardan, Kolhapur were recognised as 
important centres of trade. During this 
period, many artistic objects were 
produced at these places. Indian goods 
were exported as far away as Rome. 
Some of the Satavahana coins carry 
Nane Pass (Naneghat) : The 
mountain pass, part of Junnar 
Murbad, joining Pune and Thane 
districts is known as Naneghat. This 
5 km long road was built about two 
thousand years ago during the rule 
of the Satavahanas. It used to be 
one of the main trade routes between 
the Konkan coast and the Deccan 
Plateau (Desh). It was used for trade 
and transport. A carved pitcher 
(ranjan) can still be seen there. 
Statues of the Satavahana kings and 
some ancient inscriptions are to be 
found in the caves at Naneghat. 
Descriptions of the donations given 
by the Satavahana kings and queens 
are to be found in the cave 
inscriptions.
dynasties were in power around the 
fourth century BCE or even before that. 
They find mention in the Ramayana and 
Mahabharata epics. They have also been 
mentioned in the ‘Sangham Literature’ in 
Tamil and in the inscriptions of the 
Maurya Emperor Ashoka. In the ‘Periplus 
of the Erythrean Sea’, ‘Muziris’ is 
mentioned as an important port on the 
coast of Kerala. This port was in the 
Cher kingdom and was a major centre 
for the export of spices, pearls, precious 
stones etc. to Rome in Italy and to other 
countries of the west. The Pandya 
kingdom was a part of today’s Tamil 
Nadu. There was a great demand for 
their high quality pearls. The capital of 
this kingdom was Madurai. The ancient 
kingdom of the Cholas occupied the 
region of Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu.
9.2  The Satvahana Dynasty
As in the north, after the decline of 
the Maurya Empire, the local kings in 
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka 
also became independent. They 
established small kingdoms of their own. 
One of these was the Satvahana dynasty. 
Pratishthan or the present day Paithan in 
Maharashtra was their capital. King 
Simuk was the founder of the Satavahana 
dynasty. The inscriptions in the Naneghat 
caves near Junnar in Pune district bear 
the names of the important persons of 
this dynasty. Some of the Satavahana 
kings were known to write their mother’s 
name before their own. For example, 
Gautamiputra Satakarni.
Of the Satavahana kings, 
Gautamiputra Satakarni is particularly 
well known. A stone inscription in a 
cave at Nashik describes his deeds of 
valour. He had defeated the Shaka king 
Nahpana. He is described as  
‘Tri-samudra-toya-peet-vahan’.  ‘Toya’ 
Do you know ?
44
have read that the Gupta Emperor 
Chandragupta II had married his daughter 
Prabhavati to Rudrasen II, the Vakataka 
king. Varahdev, a minister of the 
Vakataka king Harishen, was a follower 
of Buddhism. Cave number 16 at Ajanta 
was dug at his instance. Some other 
A Satvahana coin with a ship’s image
The Chaityagriha at Karla
A cave at Ajanta
Bodhisattva Padmapani - Ajanta
images of ships. The cave sculptures at 
Ajanta, Nashik, Karla, Bhaje, Kanheri, 
Junnar in Maharashtra were carved 
caves at Ajanta were dug and beautified 
with paintings during Harishena’s reign. 
The Vakataka king, Pravarsen II, 
composed ‘Setubandh’ in Maharashtri, a 
Prakrit language. Similarly, Kalidasa’s 
‘Meghadoot’ also belongs to this period.
during the Satavahana period.
9.3  The Vakataka Dynasty
The power of the Satavahanas began 
to weaken by the third century CE. 
Among the dynasties that emerged after 
that, the Vakataka was a powerful 
dynasty. It was founded by the king 
‘Vindhyashakti’. He was succeeded by 
Pravarsen I. After his death, the kingdom 
of the Vakatakas got divided. There were 
two main branches. The capital of the 
first was at Nandivardhan (near Nagpur) 
and the capital of the other branch was 
at Vatsagulm which is today’s Washim. 
Pravarsen I, son of Vindhyashakti, 
extended the Vakataka kingdom in the 
north up to Malwa and Gujarat and in 
the south up to Kolhapur. At that time, 
Kolhapur was known as ‘Kuntal’. We 
45
The temple at Pattadakal
The ratha or chariot temples at Mahabalipuram
9.5  The Pallava dynasty
The Pallavas were also a powerful dynasty in South India. Kanchipuram in 
the Chalukya dynasty in the sixth century 
CE. His capital was Badami which was 
earlier called ‘Vatapi’. The Chalukya 
King Pulakeshi II had successfully 
repulsed Emperor Harshavardhan’s 
invasion. The famous temples at Badami, 
Aihole and Pattadakal were built during 
the Chalukya period.
9.4  The Chalukya Dynasty
The Chalukya dynasty in Karnataka 
was a powerful one. The kingdoms of 
Kadamba, Kalachuri had become 
powerful after the decline of the 
Vakatakas. But the Chalukya kings 
established their dominance over all of 
them. Pulakeshi I established the rule of 
Page 5


42 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 42 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
9.1 The Cher, Pandya and Chola  dynasties
9.2 The Satavahana dynasty
9.3 The Vakataka dynasty
9.1  The Cher, Pandya and Chola 
 dynasties
Of the many dynasties in South 
India, three are mentioned in the literature 
of those times. These are the Cher, 
Pandya and Chola dynasties. These 
Mark the important places in 
South India on an outline map of 
India.
9.4 The Chalukya dynasty 
9.5 The Pallava dynasty
9.6 The Rashtrakut dynasty
9. Ancient Kingdoms of the South
42
You can do this.
43
means ‘water’. The title means, ‘One 
whose horses have drunk the water of 
three seas’. The three seas are the 
Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the 
Indian Occean. During his reign, the 
empire of the Satavahanas extended from 
the river Narmada in the north to the 
Tungabhadra river in the south.
The famous poetic work ‘Gatha-
Saptashati’ in Maharashtri, a Prakrit 
language, was composed by the 
Satavahana king Hala. This work 
provides information about the life of the 
people during the Satavahana period.
Indian trade increased greatly during 
the Satavahana period. Paithan, Ter, 
Bhokardan, Kolhapur were recognised as 
important centres of trade. During this 
period, many artistic objects were 
produced at these places. Indian goods 
were exported as far away as Rome. 
Some of the Satavahana coins carry 
Nane Pass (Naneghat) : The 
mountain pass, part of Junnar 
Murbad, joining Pune and Thane 
districts is known as Naneghat. This 
5 km long road was built about two 
thousand years ago during the rule 
of the Satavahanas. It used to be 
one of the main trade routes between 
the Konkan coast and the Deccan 
Plateau (Desh). It was used for trade 
and transport. A carved pitcher 
(ranjan) can still be seen there. 
Statues of the Satavahana kings and 
some ancient inscriptions are to be 
found in the caves at Naneghat. 
Descriptions of the donations given 
by the Satavahana kings and queens 
are to be found in the cave 
inscriptions.
dynasties were in power around the 
fourth century BCE or even before that. 
They find mention in the Ramayana and 
Mahabharata epics. They have also been 
mentioned in the ‘Sangham Literature’ in 
Tamil and in the inscriptions of the 
Maurya Emperor Ashoka. In the ‘Periplus 
of the Erythrean Sea’, ‘Muziris’ is 
mentioned as an important port on the 
coast of Kerala. This port was in the 
Cher kingdom and was a major centre 
for the export of spices, pearls, precious 
stones etc. to Rome in Italy and to other 
countries of the west. The Pandya 
kingdom was a part of today’s Tamil 
Nadu. There was a great demand for 
their high quality pearls. The capital of 
this kingdom was Madurai. The ancient 
kingdom of the Cholas occupied the 
region of Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu.
9.2  The Satvahana Dynasty
As in the north, after the decline of 
the Maurya Empire, the local kings in 
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka 
also became independent. They 
established small kingdoms of their own. 
One of these was the Satvahana dynasty. 
Pratishthan or the present day Paithan in 
Maharashtra was their capital. King 
Simuk was the founder of the Satavahana 
dynasty. The inscriptions in the Naneghat 
caves near Junnar in Pune district bear 
the names of the important persons of 
this dynasty. Some of the Satavahana 
kings were known to write their mother’s 
name before their own. For example, 
Gautamiputra Satakarni.
Of the Satavahana kings, 
Gautamiputra Satakarni is particularly 
well known. A stone inscription in a 
cave at Nashik describes his deeds of 
valour. He had defeated the Shaka king 
Nahpana. He is described as  
‘Tri-samudra-toya-peet-vahan’.  ‘Toya’ 
Do you know ?
44
have read that the Gupta Emperor 
Chandragupta II had married his daughter 
Prabhavati to Rudrasen II, the Vakataka 
king. Varahdev, a minister of the 
Vakataka king Harishen, was a follower 
of Buddhism. Cave number 16 at Ajanta 
was dug at his instance. Some other 
A Satvahana coin with a ship’s image
The Chaityagriha at Karla
A cave at Ajanta
Bodhisattva Padmapani - Ajanta
images of ships. The cave sculptures at 
Ajanta, Nashik, Karla, Bhaje, Kanheri, 
Junnar in Maharashtra were carved 
caves at Ajanta were dug and beautified 
with paintings during Harishena’s reign. 
The Vakataka king, Pravarsen II, 
composed ‘Setubandh’ in Maharashtri, a 
Prakrit language. Similarly, Kalidasa’s 
‘Meghadoot’ also belongs to this period.
during the Satavahana period.
9.3  The Vakataka Dynasty
The power of the Satavahanas began 
to weaken by the third century CE. 
Among the dynasties that emerged after 
that, the Vakataka was a powerful 
dynasty. It was founded by the king 
‘Vindhyashakti’. He was succeeded by 
Pravarsen I. After his death, the kingdom 
of the Vakatakas got divided. There were 
two main branches. The capital of the 
first was at Nandivardhan (near Nagpur) 
and the capital of the other branch was 
at Vatsagulm which is today’s Washim. 
Pravarsen I, son of Vindhyashakti, 
extended the Vakataka kingdom in the 
north up to Malwa and Gujarat and in 
the south up to Kolhapur. At that time, 
Kolhapur was known as ‘Kuntal’. We 
45
The temple at Pattadakal
The ratha or chariot temples at Mahabalipuram
9.5  The Pallava dynasty
The Pallavas were also a powerful dynasty in South India. Kanchipuram in 
the Chalukya dynasty in the sixth century 
CE. His capital was Badami which was 
earlier called ‘Vatapi’. The Chalukya 
King Pulakeshi II had successfully 
repulsed Emperor Harshavardhan’s 
invasion. The famous temples at Badami, 
Aihole and Pattadakal were built during 
the Chalukya period.
9.4  The Chalukya Dynasty
The Chalukya dynasty in Karnataka 
was a powerful one. The kingdoms of 
Kadamba, Kalachuri had become 
powerful after the decline of the 
Vakatakas. But the Chalukya kings 
established their dominance over all of 
them. Pulakeshi I established the rule of 
46
Tamil Nadu was their capital. Mahendra 
Varman was an able Pallava ruler. He 
expanded the Pallava kingdom. He was 
also a playwright. His son 
Narasimhavarman repulsed the attack on 
his kingdom by the Chalukya king, 
Pulakeshi II. The famous ‘ratha’ temples 
of Mahabalipuram were sculpted during 
his reign. These temples have been 
sculpted in single rock.
The Pallavas had a powerful and 
well-equipped navy. During this period, 
India came in close contact with the 
countries of Southeast Asia. Internal and 
foreign trade flourished. Yuan Chwang 
had visited Kanchi and recorded that 
people of all religions received tolerant 
The Kailas Temple at Ellora (Verul)
and just treatment under the rule of the 
Pallava kings.
9.6  The Rashtrakuta Dynasty
At the height of their power, the 
dominion of the Rashtrakuta dynasty 
extended from the Vindhya mountains up 
to Kanniyakumari in the south. Their 
power was first established in 
Maharashtra by king Dantidurg. Krishna 
Raja I had the famous Kailas temple 
carved at Ellora. 
Up to now, we have learnt about the 
different dynasties that ruled ancient 
India. In the next lesson, we will review 
the social and cultural life in ancient 
India.