The Age of Reorganisation Class 7 Notes Social Science Chapter 6 Free PDF

Introduction

• These kingdoms competed to become powerful, reshaping India’s map and people’s lives.
• The northwest became weak, allowing foreign invaders like the Indo-Greeks, shakas, and Kushanas to enter.
• This era saw a mix of cultures, creating new styles in art, architecture, and literature.
• Rulers valued fairness, supported all schools of thought, and encouraged trade and culture.

Prominent Dynasties of India during Reorganisation

Surge of the Shungas

Some Shunga Contribution to Art

• The Shungas added beautiful carvings to the Bharhut Stupa in Madhya Pradesh, originally built during Ashoka’s time.
• The stupa’s railings and reliefs show stories from the Buddha’s life, among the earliest Buddhist art.
• Carvings include Lakshmi, singers, dancers, and elephants holding the wheel of dharma.

Shunga Contribution to Art

• Pillars with Greek warriors, showing cultural mixing.
• Terracotta figures of men, women, and royal families, with detailed hair ornaments.
• Bronze bangles with gold coating, ivory combs, and necklace beads.
• These artworks show daily life, clothing, jewellery, and the skill of Shunga craftsmen.

The Satavahanas

• Their capitals included Amravati and Pratishṭhana (Paithan).
• They likely fought the Shungas, their northern neighbors.
• Trade and agriculture thrived, supported by the fertile Krishna-Godavari river system.
• Satavahana coins, found from Gujarat to Andhra Pradesh, often showed ships, indicating strong maritime trade.
• They traded spices, textiles, sandalwood, gold-plated pearls, and ivory with the Roman Empire, importing glass and perfumed ointments.
• Tolls and taxes from trade added wealth to the kingdom.
• The Naneghat Caves near Pune, on a trade route, were used for collecting tolls and as rest stops for traders.

Naneghat Cave Near Pune

• Peace and wealth led to growth in literature, art, and culture.
• By the 3rd century CE, weak central control and economic decline broke the empire into smaller kingdoms.

Life under the Satavahanas

• Princes were named after their mothers, like Gautamiputra Satakarni, son of Gautami Balashri.
• Gautami Balashri, was a powerful queen who donated land to Buddhist monks and had an inscription carved in Nashik.
• A Satavahana widow queen performed the ashvamedha yajna and other Vedic rituals, as recorded in Naneghat inscriptions.
• She donated land, cows, horses, elephants, and silver coins to priests, scholars, and monks.

Karla Caves

• Inscriptions in Brahmi script included early numerals, some resembling modern numbers, showing India’s role in numeral development.
• The Satavahanas followed Vasudeva (Krishna)but supported Vedic scholars, Jains, and Buddhists by giving them tax-free land.
• They built the Karla Caves in Maharashtra for Buddhist monks, with carved pillars and a stupa.
• A yaksha sculpture from the Pitalkhora Caves, made by a goldsmith named Kanahadasa, shows artisans worked in both metal and stone.

Coming of the Chedis

Udayagiri Caves near Bhubaneshwar

• King Kharavela, a key ruler, followed Jain teachings and was called a “monk-king” but respected all beliefs.
• The Udayagiri-Khandagiri Caves near Bhubaneswar, built for Jain monks, have detailed carvings and spacious rooms, showcasing rock-cut architecture.
• The Hathigumpha inscription in Brahmi script records Kharavela’s victories, welfare works, and creation of a council of sages from many regions.
• Kharavela supported all schools of thought, repaired temples, and showed the Indian ethos of fairness and inclusivity.

Kingdoms and Life in the South

Chera, Chola, Pandya

• These kingdoms competed for control but boosted trade and culture.
• They remained independent even during the Maurya Empire, as noted in Ashoka’s edicts.
• Kharavela claimed to defeat a south Indian alliance, but he did not invade the south.
• The period is called the Sangam Age, named after Sangam literature, poems by poets in assemblies (sangha).
• Sangam literature, the oldest in south India, includes poems about love, heroism, and generosity, giving insights into society and culture.

The Cholas

• The Cholas ruled parts of south India from the 3rd century BCE to the 13th century CE.
• King Karikala defeated the Cheras and Pandyas, becoming a powerful ruler.
• Karikala built the Kallanai (Grand Anicut), a water diversion system on the Kaveri River, to irrigate the delta, making it the “rice bowl of the South.”
• The Kallanai, still in use, supports farming in Tamil Nadu.
• The Chola capital, Puhar (Kaveripattinam), was a rich trading city.

Silappadikaram: The Tale of the Anklet

• Silappadikaram, an epic from the Sangam Age, tells the story of Kannagi and her husband Kovalan in the Chola city of Puhar.

Statue of Kannagi, Chennai

• Kovalan left Kannagi for a dancer, lost his wealth, and returned to her. She forgave him, and they moved to Madurai (Pandya capital).
• Kovalan was wrongly accused of theft while selling Kannagi’s anklet and executed by the Pandya king.
• Kannagi proved his innocence with her second anklet, and the king died of shock.
• Kannagi cursed Madurai, and the city was destroyed by fire. She then went to the Chera kingdom, where she was worshipped as a goddess.
• The story highlights justice and a ruler’s duty to protect it, showing life in the Chola, Pandya, and Chera kingdoms.

The Cheras

• The Cheras, also called Keralaputra, ruled western Tamil Nadu and Kerala, with their capital at Vanji (Karur).

Coins under Chera Kings

• They shaped the region’s culture and economy, supporting Sangam poets and Tamil literature.
• The Cheras traded spices, timber, ivory, and pearls with the Roman Empire and West Asia.
• Their coins featured a royal emblem, showing their identity.

The Pandyas

• The Pandyas ruled parts of Tamil Nadu, with their capital at Madurai, from several centuries BCE.
• They were a prosperous kingdom with strong administration, as noted by Megasthenes in his book Indika.
• The Pandyas traded pearls and other goods with the Greeks, Romans, and within India (Kharavela mentioned their pearls).
• They were a major naval power in the subcontinent.
• Pandya kings cared for their people’s welfare and supported all schools of thought, as recorded in inscriptions.
• Later Pandyas contributed to art, architecture, and prosperity.

Invasions of the Indo-Greeks

• After the Maurya Empire’s fall, the Indo-Greeks took control of northwestern, northern, and central India.
• They adopted Indian culture, blending Greek and Indian styles in governance, art, and daily life.
• The Heliodorus pillar near Vidisha, built by an Indo-Greek ambassador, praises Vasudeva as the “god of gods” and lists virtues like self-restraint, charity, and consciousness.
• Indo-Greek coins of gold, silver, copper, and nickel showed kings, Greek deities, or Indian deities like Vasudeva-Kṛishna and Lakshmi.
• Their rule ended with invasions by the Shakas (Indo-Scythians).

The Emergence of the Kushanas

Headless Statue of King Kanishka

• King Kanishka promoted art and culture when not fighting wars.
• Kushana coins showed Kanishka as “King of Kings,” with Buddha or Shiva and Nandi, reflecting support for multiple beliefs.
• They controlled parts of the Silk Route, boosting trade with Asia and the West.
• Kushana art, like the Gandhara and Mathura schools, mixed Indian and Greek styles.
• Gandhara art (Punjab) used grey-black schist stone, showing detailed Buddha images with realistic anatomy and flowing robes.
• Mathura art (Uttar Pradesh) used red sandstone, depicting Indian deities like Kubera, Lakshmi, and Shiva with fuller figures.
• These art styles showed deities like Surya, laying the foundation for later temple architecture.

Points to Remember

• After the Maurya Empire fell, many new kingdoms formed, leading to the Age of Reorganisation.
• Foreign invasions and internal conflicts reorganized political powers.
• Cultures mixed, creating new art, architecture, and coinage styles, with Indian themes dominating.
• Sanskrit literature, like the Mahabharata and Ramayana, flourished.
• Trade grew, both within India and with other regions, boosting prosperity.

Difficult Words

• Age of Reorganisation: The period after the Maurya Empire when new kingdoms formed and competed.
• Ashvamedha yajna: A Vedic ritual where a horse roamed to claim land for the king.
• Brahmi script: An ancient Indian writing system used for inscriptions.
• Sangam literature: South Indian poems from the Sangam Age about love and societal values.
• Rock-cut architecture: Buildings carved directly into rock, like caves.
• Indo-Greeks: Greek rulers in northwest India who adopted Indian culture.
• Shakas: Indo-Scythians who invaded and ruled northwest India.
• Kushanas: Central Asian rulers who formed an empire in northern India.
• Silk Route: A trade route connecting Asia and the West.
• Gandhara art: Art style blending Greek and Indian elements, using schist stone.
• Mathura art: Indian art style using red sandstone for deities.