Category: CBSE Class 6

On this page, you will find NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 11 Notes Pdf free download. CBSE Class 6 Social Science Notes History Chapter 11 SST New Empires and Kingdoms will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

New Empires and Kingdoms Class 7 Notes Social Science History Chapter 11

CBSE Class 6 History Chapter 11 Notes Understanding the Lesson

1. Samudragupta was a famous ruler of a dynasty known as the Guptas. There is an inscription about Samudragupta on the Ashokan pillar at Allahabad.

2. This inscription is in the form of Kavya and composed by Harishena. This inscription is a prashasti which means written in praise of someone. Harishena was poet and a minister in the court of Samudragupta.

3. Samudragupta was a great warrior. In this regard, a prashasti described that many scars were present in the body of Samudragupta.

4. Prayaga (old name of Allahabad), Ujjain and Pataliputra were important centres of the Gupta rulers.

5. Samudragupta’s mother’s name was Kumara Devi. She belonged to the Lichchhavi gana. His father’s name was Chandragupta, who was first ruler of the Gupta dynasty. His title was maharaj-adhiraja.

6. Later, Chandragupta II became ruler of the Gupta dynasty who was the son of Samudragupta. His court was full of learned people. Kalidasa and Aryabhata were in the court of the dynasty. As written by Kalidasa that king and most Brahmins used Sanskrit, while other than the King and Brahmins used ‘Prakrit’ language.

7. Harshavardhana, who ruled nearly 1400 years ago, was one such ruler. Banabhatta was a poet who wrote his biography, the Harshacharita. Xuan Zang also spent a lot of time at Harsha’s court and he left detailed account of what he saw.

8. Harsha became king of Thanesar after death of his father and elder brother. His brother-in-law was the ruler of Kanauj and he was killed by the ruler of Bengal. Harsha took over the kingdom of Kanauj, and then led an army against the ruler of Bengal. He conquered both Magadha and Bengal. He tried to cross the Narmada to march into the Deccan, but was stopped by a ruler belonging to the Chalukya dynasty named Pulakeshin II.

9. During the same period, in south India, there were most important ruling dynasties—Pallavas and Chalukyas.

10. Pallavas capital was Kanchipuram. The ruling was upto the Kaveri delta. In the Pallavas ruling, there were many local assemblies called ‘sabha’ which was of Brahmin landowners. Assemblies functioned through sub-committees. These looked after irrigation, agricultural operations, making roads, local temples, etc. When there were no Brahmins, assembly was called ‘ur’ in the villages. The ‘nagaram’ was an organization of merchants.

11. The best known Chalukya ruler was Pulakeshin-II. He got the kingdom from his uncle. Claukyas capital was Aihole. The capital was an important trading centre and a religious centre with a number of temples. Reign was centered around the Raichur Doab, between the rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra. Pulakeshin’s court poet was Ravikirti.

12. The Pallavas and Chalukyas frequently raided one another’s lands, especially attacking the capital cities, which were prosperous towns. Pulakeshin attacked the Pallav king, who took shelter behind the walls of Kanchipuram. But this victory was for a short time, new rulers belonging to the Rashtrakuta and Chola dynasties, took over Pulakeshin.

13. A new military system developed during the period. The leaders who provided the troops to the kings were called ‘samantas’. They were not paid by the king but were given grants of land.

14. Chinese pilgrim Fa Xian wrote that there was untouchability existing in the society.

15. Around 1400 years ago, Prophet Muhammad introduced a new religion, Islam, in Arabia. This religion spread all over word in a very short period. This laid emphasis on equality and unity of all.

New Empires and Kingdoms Class 7 CBSE Notes Important Terms

Prashasti: It is a Sanskrit word which means ‘in praise of.

Aryavarta: An area of subcontinent. During the period of Samudragupta none rulers controlled it. Later it was conquered by Samudragupa.

Dakshinapatha: The word is made of Dakshin and Path means the route leading to the south.

Genealogy: A sequence of generation is called genealogy. In other words, a step-wise record of ancestors.

Hereditary officer: When any post is transferred from one generation to another. During the Guptas reign, some important posts were hereditary.

Samanta: Samantas were military leaders. They provided army troop to the king.

Assembly: A group of people who took decisions on the matters. Sabha and ur were the assemblies of the Pallavas.

Nagaram: The nagaram was an organization of merchants and controlled by rich and powerful landowners and merchants.

Notes of History Class 6 Chapter 11 Time Period

1700 years ago: Beginning of the Gupta dynasty.

1400 years ago: The rule of Harshavardhana. Emergence of Islam in Arabia.

On this page, you will find NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 10 Notes Pdf free download. CBSE Class 6 Social Science Notes History Chapter 10 SST Traders, Kings and Pilgrims will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

Traders, Kings and Pilgrims Class 7 Notes Social Science History Chapter 10

CBSE Class 6 History Chapter 10 Notes Understanding the Lesson

1. South India was famous for gold, spices, especially pepper and precious stones. Traders carried many of these goods to Rome in ships across the sea.

2. Pepper was particularly valued in the Roman Empire. It was known as black gold.

3. Roman gold coins were found in South India which express that there was quite a lot of Roman trade.

4. Traders explored several sea routes. There were sea routes in Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Sailors took advantage of the monsoon winds to cross the seas quickly. They required sturdy ships for long journeys.

5. The southern half of the subcontinent is marked by a long coastline including hills, plateaus and river valleys.

6. Amongst the river valleys, Kaveri was the most fertile.

7. Chiefs and kings who controlled the river valleys and the coasts became rich and powerful.

8. Sangam poems mention the ‘muvendar’. This is a Tamil word which means three chiefs, used for the heads of three ruling families-Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas who became powerful in south India around 2300 years ago.

9. Each of the three chiefs had two centres of power. One inland and one on the coasts. Out of six cities, two were very important: Puhar or Kaveripattinam, the port of Cholas, and Madurai the capital of the Pandyas.

10. The chiefs did not collect regular taxes. They demanded and received gifts from the people. This was used for family, soldiers and poets. Sangam poets were often rewarded with precious stones, gold, horses, elephants, chariots, and fine cloth.

11. Around 200 years ago, in western India, there was a powerful dynasty known as the Satavahanas. The most important ruler was Gautamiputra Shri Satakami. We know about him by an inscription composed by his mother, Gautami Balashri. He and other Satavahana rulers were known as lords of the Dakshinapatha.

12. The silk was a highly valued fabric in most societies. Making silk is a complicated process.

13. Techniques of making silk were first invented in China around 7000 years ago. Some people from China who went to distant lands on foot, horseback, and on camels carried silk with them. The paths they followed came to be known as the Silk Route.

14. Some Kings also tried to control large portion of the route and benefited from taxes, tributes and gifts by the traders. In return, they often protected the traders who passed through their kingdoms from attacks by robbers.

15. Sometimes, Chinese rulers sent gifts of silk to rulers in Iran and West Asia, and from there the knowledge of silk spread further west. People living along the route often demanded payments for allowing traders to pass through.

16. The best known are Kushanas who were the rulers controlling the Silk Route. Kushanas ruled over Central Asia and north-west India around 2000 years ago. Their two major centres of power were Peshawar and Mathura. Taxila was also included in their kingdom.

17. During the rule of Kushanas, a branch of the Silk Route extended from Central Asia to the seaports at the mouth of the river Indus. The silk was shipped westwards to the Roman Empire.

18. Kushanas were amongst the earliest rulers of the subcontinent to issue gold coins.

19. Kanishka was the most famous Kushna ruler, who ruled around 1900 years ago. A famous poet Ashvaghosha lived in his court. He wrote biography of the Buddha named Buddhacharita. Now they began writing in Sanskrit.

19. A new form of Buddhism now developed which is known as Mahayana Buddhism. Statues of the Buddha were made in Mathura and Taxila. Worship of Bodhisattvas became very popular and spread throughout Central Asia, China, and later to Korea and Japan.

20. Apart from western and southern India, Buddhism also spread throughout Central Asia, China and later to Korea and Japan.

21. In western and southern India, dozens of caves were hollowed out of hills for monks to live in. These caves were made by the orders of kings and queens, some by merchants and some by farmers. These caves were often located near passes through the Western Ghats. Probably traders also halted in these cave monasteries during travels.

22. Buddhism also spread to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia.

23. Fa-Xian, who is one of the best known Chinese Buddhist pilgrims came to the subcontinent about 1600 years ago. Xuan Zang and I-Qing came around 1400 years ago. They visited places associated with the life of the Buddha as well as famous monasteries.

24. This was also the time when the worship of certain deities became popular. It became a central feature of later Hinduism. These deities included Shiva, Vishnu and goddesses such as Durga.

25. Idea of Bhakti became very popular at this time. Bhakti is generally understood as a person’s devotion to his or her chosen deity. Anybody whether rich or poor, belonging to the so-called ‘high’ or ‘low’ castes, men or women, could follow the path of Bhakti.

26. The idea of Bhakti is present in Bhagavad Gita. In Bhagavad Gita, Krishna (the God) asks Arjuna (his devotee and friend) to abandon all dharmas and take refuge in him, as only he can set Arjuna free from every evil. Those who followed the system of Bhakti emphasized devotion and individual worship of a god or goddess rather than the performance of elaborate sacrifices.

27. According to this system of belief, if a devotee worships the chosen deity with a pure heart, the deity will appear in the form in which he or she may desire. So, the deity could be thought of as a human being, lion, tree or any other form. Once this idea gained acceptance, artists made beautiful images of these deities.

28. About 2000 years ago, Christianity emerged in West Asia, Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, which was then part of the Roman empire. Christ’s teachings were that he was the saviour of the world. Bible is the holy book of Christianity.

Traders, Kings and Pilgrims Class 7 CBSE Notes Important Terms

Trader: Businessman who sells or purchase items for getting profits.

Muvendar: This is a Tamil word which means three chiefs-Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas.

Route: The path which used for commuting.

Silk: Silk is a fabric which is made from cocoon of silkworms.

Kushanas: Kushanas were the rulers, ruled over Central Asia and north-west India around 2000 years ago.

Mahayana: A form of Buddhism developed during the Kushana.

Theravada: Old form of Buddhism.

Bodhisattva: A person who attain enlightenment.

Pilgrim: Those who undertake journey for the purpose of worship.

Bhakti: Bhakti is a way of worship under Hinduism. Under Bhakti, devotion is expressed to the chosen deity.

Notes of History Class 6 Chapter 10 Time Period

About 7000 years ago: Discovery of silk making in China.

About 2300 years ago: Reign of the Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas.

About 2000 years ago: Growing demand of silk in the Roman Empire.

About 1900 years ago: Ruling time of Kanishka.

About 1600 years ago: Fa-Xian, a Chinese pilgrim came to India.

About 1400 years ago: Xuan Zang came to India.

On this page, you will find NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 9 Notes Pdf free download. CBSE Class 6 Social Science Notes History Chapter 9 SST Vital Villages, Thriving Towns will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

Vital Villages, Thriving Towns Class 7 Notes Social Science History Chapter 9

CBSE Class 6 History Chapter 9 Notes Understanding the Lesson

1. The use of iron began in the subcontinent around 3000 years ago.

2. Around 2500 years ago, there is evidence of growing use of iron tools such as axes and iron ploughshare.

3. The irrigation arrangements such as canals, wells, tanks and artificial lakes increased production.

4. In the southern and northern parts of the subcontinent, in most of the villages 3 kinds of people lived; in Tamil region, large landowners (called vellalar), ordinary ploughmen (called uzhavar) and landless labourers including slaves (called kadaisiyar and adimai).

5. In the northern part of the country largest landowner (called grama bhojaka), independent farmers (called grihapatis), landless people (called dasa karmakara), lived.

6. In most villages there were also some crafts persons such as the blacksmith, potter, carpenter and weaver.

7. Sangam literature was composed around 2300 years ago in Tamil.

8. Jatakas were stories that were probably composed by ordinary people and then written down and preserved by Buddhist monks.

9. In many cities of Mahajanapadas archaeologist have found rows of pots or ceramic rings arranged one on top of the other. These are known as ring wells. In some cases these ring wells might have been used as toilets, as drains and garbage dumps.

10. Sailors and travellers who visited different places are another source of finding about the early cities. A Greek unknown sailor described all the ports he visited.

11. Archaeologists have found several thousands of coins which were in use for about 500 years. These were punch-marked coins on the metal like silver or copper.

12. About Mathura: More than 2500 years ago, Mathura was an important settlement. It was important because it was located at the crossroads of two major routes of travel and trade. Around 2000 years ago Mathura became the second capital of the Kush anas. Mathura was also a religious centre for Buddhism, Jainism as well as Hinduism.

13. Mathura was one of the centres of goldsmiths, blacksmiths, weavers, basket makers, garland makers, perfumers etc.

14. The evidence of extremely fine pottery known as the Northern Black Polished Ware has been found. It is usually black in colour and has a fine sheen. In the manufacturing of cloths, famous centres were Varanasi in the north and Madurai in the south..

15. Formation of Associations: Many crafts persons and merchants now formed associations known as ‘shrenis’.

16. Rules for spinning and weaving have been listed in the Arthashastra.

17. In Arikamedu, Pondicherry, between 2200 and 1900 years ago, was coastal settlement where ships unloaded goods from distant lands. A massive brick structure which may have been a warehouse, pottery such as amphorae and Arretine Ware was found. An another type of pottery which was made locally through Roman designs was used. Roman lamps, glassware and gems have also been found at the Arikamedu site.

Vital Villages, Thriving Towns Class 7 CBSE Notes Important Terms

Iron: Iron is a metal used for making various types of tools for agriculture and machines in modern time.

Irrigation: Watering in the crop fields for more production of grains.

Village: Small settlement of people where the people engage in agricultural activities for their livelihood.

Port: These are the places where ships loaded and unloaded the goods.

Ring well: Rows of clay or ceramic made pots arranged one on the top of other is called ring-well.

City: A big settlement of families where people enjoy more modem facilities in comparison to town and villages.

Shreni: A group of traders was called ‘Shreni’.

Sangam: It is a Tamil literature composed in assemblies of poets.

On this page, you will find NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 8 Notes Pdf free download. CBSE Class 6 Social Science Notes History Chapter 8 SST Ashoka, The Emperor Who Gave Up War will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

Ashoka, The Emperor Who Gave Up War Class 7 Notes Social Science History Chapter 8

CBSE Class 6 History Chapter 8 Notes Understanding the Lesson

1. The empire that Ashoka ruled was founded by his grandfather, Chandragupta Maurya, more than 2300 years ago.

2. Chandragupta was supported by a wise man named Chanakya or Kautilya. The ideas of Chanakya are written down in his book called the Arthashastra.

3. There were several cities in the empire. These included the capital Pataliputra, Taxila and Ujjain. Merchants, officials and craftspersons probably lived in these cities.

4. Taxila was a gateway to the northwest including Central Asia. Ujjain lay on the route from north to south India.

5. In other areas there were villages of farmers and herders. In central India, there were forests where people gathered forest produce and hunted animals for food.

6. People in different parts of the empire spoke different languages.

7. They ate different kinds of food and wore different kinds of clothes.

8. The area around Pataliputra was under the direct control of the emperor. There were other areas or provinces. Each of these was ruled from a provincial capital such as Taxila or Ujjain. Also there was some amount of control from Pataliputra and royal princes were often sent as Governors.

9. Taxes were collected from farmers, herders, craftspersons and traders. Officials were appointed to collect the taxes and they were given salaries.

10. Megasthenes was an ambassador who was sent to the court of Chandragupta by Greek ruler named Seleucus Nicator.

11. The most famous Mauryan ruler was Ashoka. He was the first ruler who tried to take his message to the people through inscriptions. Inscriptions were in Prakrit and were written in the Brahmi script.

12. Coastal Orissa not Odisha was known as Kalinga. Ashoka fought a war to conquer Kalinga. He was horrified when he saw the violence and bloodshed, and he decided not to fight any more wars. He was the only king in the history of the world who gave up after winning a war.

13. Ashoka declared it in one of his inscriptions, main points are:

14. Eight years after becoming king I conquered Kalinga.

15. About 1.5 lakh people were captured and more than 1 lakh of people were killed.

16. Brahmins and monks also die.

17. People who were kind to their relatives die or lose their loved ones.

18. That is why I am sad and have decided to observe dhamma and to teach others about it as well. I believe that winning people over through dhamma is much better than conquering them through force. I am inscribing this message for the future, so that my son and grandson after me should not think about war. Instead, they should try to think about how to spread

19. Ashoka’s dhamma did not involve worship of a god, or performance of a sacrifice. He felt that just as a father tries to teach his children, he had a duty to instruct his subjects.

20. He wanted to remove the problems related to religions, animals sacrifices, slaves and ill-treatment of servants, families and neighbours quarrels etc. He appointed officials known as the dhamma mahamatta, who went from place to place for teaching the people about dhamma.

21. Ashoka also sent messengers to spread ideas about dhamma to other lands such as Syria, Egypt, Greece and Sri Lanka.

22. He built roads, dug wells and arranged for medical treatment for both human beings and animals.

23. People performed a variety of rituals when they fell ill, children got married, children were born or when they started journey. Ashoka thought that rituals were not useful. He emphasized, being gentle with slaves and servants, respecting one’s elders, treating all creatures with compassion, and not criticizing others.

Ashoka, The Emperor Who Gave Up War Class 7 CBSE Notes Important Terms

Empire: Many kingdoms or provinces when come under a same domain is called Empire.

Capital: A place where king or emperor generally lived and performed his task through its office.

Province: State or division of kingdom.

Dhamma: Ashoka’s ideas are called Dhamma. This is a Prakrit word which means religion.

Messenger: An official or representative who passes messages from one place to another place.

Official: Employees of existing government.

Notes of History Class 6 Chapter 8 Time Period

More than 2300 years ago: Beginning of the Mauryan Empire

On this page, you will find NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 7 Notes Pdf free download. CBSE Class 6 Social Science Notes History Chapter 7 SST New Questions and Ideas will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

New Questions and Ideas Class 7 Notes Social Science History Chapter 7

CBSE Class 6 History Chapter 7 Notes Understanding The Lesson

1. Siddhartha also known as Gautama was the founder of Buddhism. Later, he was called as Gautama Buddha. He was born about 2500 years ago. He belonged to a small gana known as the Sakya gana and he was a Kshatriya.

2. In this period, life was changing and kings in the mahajanapadas were growing more powerful.

3. They also wanted to try and find out the true meaning of life.

4. He left the comforts of home in search of knowledge. He wandered for several years. Finally, he decided to find his home in path to realization and meditated long under a Peepal tree at Bodh Gaya, Bihar, where he attained enlightenment.

5. After attaining the enlightenment, he was known as Buddha. After that, he went to Samath, near Varanasi, where he taught for the first time. He spent his life travelling on foot, going from place to place, teaching people, till he passed away at Kusinara.

6. Buddha taught in the language of the ordinary people that was in Prakrit, so that everybody could under­stand his message.

7. The Buddha teachings included:

• Life is full of suffering and unhappiness.
• The causes are our cravings and desires, which often cannot be fulfilled.
• Sometimes, even if we get what we want, we are not satisfied and want even more or other things. The Buddha described this as thirst or ‘tanha’.
• He taught that this constant craving could be removed by following moderation in everything.
• He taught people to be kind and to respect the lives of others including animals.
• The results of our actions (called karma), whether good or bad, affect us both in this life and the next.

8. The rules made for the Buddhist sangha were written down in a book called the Vinaya Pitaka’. There were separate branches for men and women. All men could join the sangha. However, children, slaves, employees of king, debtors and women needed permission of their parents, masters, kings, creditors and from husbands respectively.

9. Men and women went to cities and villages to beg for food during fixed hours, due to this they were known as ‘bhikkhus’ and ‘bhikkhunis’ (beggar).

10. Around the time that the Buddha was preaching and perhaps a little earlier, other thinkers also tried to find answers to difficult questions. They wanted to know about life after death, why sacrifices should be performed, whether something is permanent event after death. They described this was the atman or the individual soul and the brahman or the universal soul. They believed that both the atman and the brahman were one. These ideas were recorded in the Upanishads. These were part of the later Vedic texts.

11. Upanishad literally means ‘approaching and sitting near’. Texts contain conversations between teachers and students.

12. Most Upanishadic thinkers were men, especially Brahmins and rajas.

13. Gargi is mentioned as a woman thinker who was famous for learning and participated in debates held in royal courts.

14. Poor people rarely took part in these discussions.

15. Around the time, about 2500 years ago, the last and 24^th tirthankara of the Jainas, Vardhamana Mahavira also spread his message. He was a Kshatriya prince of the Lichchhavis a group that was part of the Vajji sangha. At the age of thirty, he left home and went to live in a forest. For 12 years he led a hard and lonely life, at the end of which he attained enlightenment. He taught simple doctrine in Prakrit which was a language used by the people. His thoughts are:

16. Men and women who wished to know the truth must leave their home.

17. They must follow rules of ahimsa very strictly, which means not hurting or killing living beings. All beings, long to live. To all things, life is dear.

18. Followers of Mahavira are known as Jainas.

19. Followers lead very simple lives, begging for food. They had to be absolutely honest and never steal. They also observed celibacy and had to give up everything, including their clothes.

20. Male followers who left the home were called monks and women as nuns.

21. Jainism spread to different parts of north India and to Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

22. The teaching of Mahavira was transmitted orally for several centuries. Teachings were written down at place Valabhi in Gujarat about 1500 years ago.

23. Both Mahavira and Buddha felt that only those who left their homes could gain true knowledge. They arranged for them to stay together in the ‘sangha’, an association of those who left their homes.

24. Both Jaina and Buddhist monks went from place to place throughout the year for teaching the people. Only in the rainy session they stayed at one place. Earlier, his followers built temporary shelter for them, later permanent shelters were constructed which were known as ‘viharas’ i.e. monasteries. These ‘viharas’ were made of wood and then of brick.

25. In western India, caves were dugout. Very often vihara was built on the land donated by a rich merchant or a landowner or the king. The local people came with gifts of food, clothing and medicines for the monks and nuns.

New Questions and Ideas Class 7 CBSE Notes Important Terms

Tanha: Thirst or desire for more things.

Prakrit: Prakrit was an ancient language.

Upanishad: Upanishad was composed by Brahmins. These were written after the Rigveda.

Atman: It means individual soul which remains permanent even after death.

Jaina: The word Jaina comes from the term Jina which means conqueror. The follower of Mahavira is called Jaina.

Sangha: Sangha means association. Both Buddha and Mahavira favoured to join sangha for getting true knowledge.

Bhikkhu: Beggar is known as Bhikkhu in Prakrit. Those who joined the sangha went cities and villages for begging the food.

Vihara: Permanent shelters of bhikkus were called Viharas.

Monastery: Permanent shelters for monks and nuns of Jainism and Buddhism.

Ashrama: Ashrama is way of living which was described in the Vedas. Four Ashrama stages have been described i.e. Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha and Samnyas.

Notes of History Class 6 Chapter 7 Time Period

About 2500 years ago: Upanishadic thinkers, the Jaina teacher Mahavira and the Buddha.

About 1500 years ago: Writing down of the Jaina texts.

On this page, you will find NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 6 Notes Pdf free download. CBSE Class 6 Social Science Notes History Chapter 6 SST Kingdoms, Kings and an Early Republic will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

Kingdoms, Kings and an Early Republic Class 6 Notes Social Science History Chapter 6

CBSE Class 6 History Chapter 6 Notes Understanding the Lesson

1. Earlier, the Raja was chosen by the jana, (the people). Around 3000 years ago, we find some changes in choosing the ‘rajas’. Some men became recognized as rajas by performing very big sacrifices.

2. This was the time, when ashvamedha or horse sacrifices was one such ritual for choosing the rajas. A horse was let loose to wander freely and it was guarded by the raja’s men. If the horse entered into the kingdoms of other rajas and they stopped it, they had to fight. If they allowed the horse to pass, it meant that they accepted that the raja who wanted to perform the sacrifice was stronger than them.

3. These rajas were then invited to the sacrifice, which was performed by specially trained priests. The raja who organized the sacrifice was recognized as being very powerful, and all those who came brought gifts for him.

4. In the rituals, the raja was a central figure. He had a special seat, a throne or a tiger skin. His charioteer, who was his companion in the battlefield and witnessed his adventures, chanted tale of his glory. On the occasion, wives and sons performed minor rituals, other kings participated as spectators, priest performed rituals, ordinary people and vaishya brought gifts.

5. In north India, many books composed in the area were drained by the Ganga and the Yamuna. These books are called later Vedic, because these were composed after the Rigveda. These were composed by priests. These books described how rituals were to be performed and rules about society.

6. There were several different groups in society at this time such as priests, warriors, farmers, herders, traders, craftspersons, labourers, fishing folk and forest people.

7. Some priests and warriors were rich as were some farmers and traders. Others, were poor.

8. The priests divided people into four groups, called Varnas’. These vamas are-Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. According to them, each varna had a different set of functions.

9. Brahmins were expected to study the Vedas, perform sacrifices and receive gifts.

10. Kshatriyas were the rulers. They were expected to fight battles and protect people.

11. Vaishyas were expected to be farmers, herders and traders.

12. Shudras were last who had to serve the other three groups and could not perform any sacrifice. Later, they were classified untouchables. The priests said that contact with these was polluting.

13. Both Shudras and women were not allowed to study the Vedas.

14. Rajas, who performed these big sacrifices, were now recognized as being rajas of janapadas rather them janas. The word Janapadas means jana+pada i.e. land where jana set its foot.

15. The old Janapadas are – Purana Quila (at Delhi), Hastinapur (near Meerut), Atrajikhera (near Etah, UP).

16. Archaeologists found that people lived in huts, and kept cattle as well as other animals. They also grew a variety of crops such as rice, wheat, barley, pulses, sugar cane, seasame and mustard.

17. They also made earthen pots. Some of them were grey in colour, others were red. One special type of
pottery found at these sites is known as Painted Grey Ware. These gray pots had painted designs, usually simple lines in geometric patterns.

18. Some janapadas became more important than others, and were known as mahajanapadas. Most mahajanapadas had a capital city. Many of these were fortified. This means that huge walls of wood, brick or stone were built around them.

19. Forts were built because people were afraid of attacks from other kings and needed protection. Some kings also wanted to show how rich and powerful they are by building really large, tall and impressive walls around their cities. People were controlled easily by kings due to fortification.

20. The new rajas now began maintaining armies. Soldiers were paid regular salaries and maintained by the king throughout the year.

21. They also started collecting regular taxes. Tax on crops was begun, that was V₆^th part of what was produced. This tax was called ‘bhaga’. Taxes on craftspersons were in form of labour. They had to work for a day in every month for the king. Herders also paid taxes in the form of animals and animals produce. There were also tax on goods that were brought and sold through trade. Hunters and gatherers also had to provide forest produce to the raja as tax.

22. Major changes occurred in the agriculture. One was the use of iron ploughshares. Second, people begun transplanting paddy. Generally, slave and landless people and labourers had to do this work.

23. Magadha was the most important mahajanapada. The Ganga and the Son flowed through Magadha. This was important for transportation, water supplies, making the land fertile.

24. Part of the Magadha was forested. Elephants lived in forest and could be captured and trained for armies. Forest also provided wood for building houses, carts and chariots. In this region, there were iron ore mines, which were used to make the tools and weapons.

25. Bimbisara, Ajatasattu, Mahapadma Nanda were the very powerful rulers of Magadha. Rajgir in Bihar was the capital of Magadha for several years. Later, the capital was shifted to Pataliputra present day Patna.

26. Alexander, who lived in Macedonia in Europe about 2300 years ago, wanted to conquer the world. He reached upto the bank of the Beas. When he wanted to march the further, his soldiers refused because they heard about the Indian kings and their armies, chariots and elephants.

27. Vajji, whose capital was Vaishali (Bihar) was under a different form of government, known as gana or sangha.

28. In a gana or sangha, there were not one, but many rulers. Sometimes, even when thousands of men ruled together, each one was known as a raja. These rajas performed rituals together. They also met in assemblies and decisions were taken through discussions and debates. However, women, dasas and kammakaras could not participate in these assemblies. Both the Buddha and Mahavira belonged to ganas or sanghas.

29. Around 2500 years ago, the people of Athens set up a form of government, which was called a democracy which lasted for about 200 years.

30. All the men over the age of 30 years were recognized as full citizens of Athens.

31. All citizens of Athens could attend the meetings of assembly that met at least 40 times a year.

32. Citizens were expected to serve in the army and the navy.

33. However, women of Athens were not considered citizens. Foreigners, who lived and worked in Athens, did not have rights as citizens. There were several thousand slaves in Athens, who worked in mines, fields, households and workshops and they were not treated as citizens.

Kingdoms, Kings and an Early Republic Class 6 CBSE Notes Important Terms

Raja: Raja was chosen by the Jana, later on, some men who performed very big sacrifices were recognized as rajas.

Ashvamedha: Around 3000 years ago, it was a ritual performed by the rajas. A horse was let loose to wander freely and it was guarded by the raja’s men. If the horse entered into other king’s kingdom and they allowed to pass the horse, it meant that the other raja accepted the raja, who wanted to perform the sacrifice, was stronger than them. And if horse was stopped by other rajas, they had to fight.

Varna: Varna’ is the group, described in Vedas. There are four groups of people that are – Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. These varnas are based on the birth.

Janapada: The land where the jana set the foot.

Mahajanapadas: Some janapadas became more important than the others and were known as mahajanapadas. These had a capital and most of them were fortified.

Fortification: Most of the capitals of mahajanapadas were fortified. The fortification a huge wall was built around the capital.

Army: Mahajanapadas appointed army for the first time. Army was for the purpose of battle and the wars with other rajas. Army men were always ready for the battle and they were also paid.

Tax: For the purpose of collecting money, objects and man hours tax were imposed on the public by the janapadas and mahajanapadas.

Transplantation: Transplantation is a process in which the crop is grown by a process from which a huge production of crops could be obtained.

Gana or sangha: ‘Gana’ means a group that has many members. Sangha means organization or association. Both these names are still used such as Asam Gana Parisad (a party name), Chhatra Sangha or Adhyapak Sangha or Karmchari Sangha etc.

Democracy: A form of government in which all people have equal rights.

Notes of History Class 6 Chapter 6 Time Period

About 3000 years ago: New kind of Rajas.

About 2500 years ago: Creation of Mahajanapadas.
Set up of democracy in Athens.

About 2300 years ago: Alexander’s invasion.
Composition of the Digha Nikaya (famous Buddhist book)

About 1500: End of the ganas or sanghas.

On this page, you will find NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 5 Notes Pdf free download. CBSE Class 6 Social Science Notes History Chapter 5 SST What Books and Burials Tell Us will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

What Books and Burials Tell Us Class 6 Notes Social Science History Chapter 5

CBSE Class 6 History Chapter 5 Notes Understanding the Lesson

1. One of the oldest books in the world are the Vedas.

2. There are four Vedas:

• the Rigveda
• the Samaveda
• the Yajurveda and
• the Atharvaveda.

3. The oldest veda is the Rigveda, composed about 3500 years ago. The Rigveda includes more than a thousand hymns, called sukta or ‘well-said’. These hymns are in praise of various gods and goddesses.

4. Some hymns of Rigveda are in the form of dialogues between sage and rivers (Vishvamitra and two rivers Beas and Sutlej).

5. River Beas and Sutlej were worshipped as goddesses.

6. Three gods are especially important:

• Agni: the god of fire
• Indra: a warrior god and
• Soma: a plant from which a special drink was prepared.

7. The hymns were composed by sages (rishis).

8. Priests taught students to recite and memorize.

9. Most of the hymns were composed, taught and learnt by men. A few were composed by women.

10. The language of the Rigveda is in old or in Vedic Sanskrit which is different from the Sanskrit we learn these days.

11. There are three families of languages. One – Indo-European family; second – Tibeto-Burman family and third – Austro-Asiatic family.

12. Indo-European family includes: Sanskrit, Assamese, Gujarati, Hindi, Kashmiri and Sindhi. Apart from these foreign languages are – Persian, English, French, German, Greek, Italian and Spanish

13. Tibeto-Burman family: The languages which are spoken in north-east states come under this family group.

14. Austro-Asiatic family: Languages spoken in Jharkhand and parts of central India belong to this family group.

15. A manuscript on birch bark of the Rigveda was found in Kashmir. About 150 years ago, it was used to prepare one of the earliest printed text of the Rigveda, as well as an English translation. It is now preserved in a library of Pune, Maharashtra.

16. There are many prayers in the Rigveda for cattle, children (especially sons) and horses.

17. Horses were yoked to chariots that were used in battles. Battles were also fought for land, water and to capture people.                                                                                      •

18. The obtained wealth was kept by the leaders, some was given to the priests and the rest was distributed amongst the people. Some wealth was used for the performance of sacrifices (yajnas) in which offerings were made to the fire. Offerings could include ghee, grain and in some cases animals.

19. In the Vedic age, there were no regular armies but there were assemblies where people met and discussed matters of war and peace. They also chose leaders, who were often brave and skillful warriors.

20. The people were described on the basis of work they did, the language they spoke, the place they belonged to, their family, their communities and cultural practices.

21. There are two groups who are classified in terms of their work – ‘the priests’, sometimes called Brahmins, who performed various rituals and ‘the rajas’.

22. Rajas were different from what we think in present time. They did not have capital cities, palaces or armies, nor did they collect taxes, sons did not automatically succeed fathers as rajas.

23. General people were called from two names -‘jana’ and Vish’. The word ‘jana’ is still used in Hindi and the word Vaishya’ comes from ‘vish’.

24. The people who composed the hymns described themselves as ‘Aryas’ and called their opponents ‘Dasas’ or ‘Dasyus’. These were people who did not perform sacrifices and probably spoke different languages. Later, Dasas and Dasyus were replaced with Dasa and Dasi meaning slave. Slaves were both men and women and they were often captured in war. They were treated as the property of the owner.

25. Stone boulders are known as megaliths and were used to mark burial sites. The practice of erecting megaliths began about 3000 ago years and was prevalent throughout the Deccan, south India, in north­east and Kashmir.

26. Some megaliths are found on earth surface whereas some are underground.

27. Sometimes, archaeologists find a circle of stone boulders or a single large stone standing on the ground. These are the only indications that there are burials beneath.

28. Generally, the dead were buried with distinctive pots, which were called black and red ware. There were also found tools and weapons of iron and sometimes, skeletons of horses, horse equipment and ornaments of stone and gold.

29. Different items were found in different burials. Some burials have more objects such as objects of gold, stone, copper, conch shell whereas some only have pots.

30. Sometimes, megaliths contain more than one skeleton. These indicate that people, perhaps belonging to the same family, were buried in the same place at different times through portholes.

31. The another burial site ‘Inamgaon’ was occupied between 3600-2700 years ago. It is a site on the river Ghod, a tributary of the Bhima. Here, the dead were buried in the ground, laid out straight, with the head towards the north. Sometimes, burials were also within the houses. The vessels, containing food and water were placed with the dead.

32. After seeing the skeleton, it can be found out whether the dead is child or young, men or women. But, there are some problems. How can we identify the found skeleton is of girl or boy? Likewise, how it can be identified that the skeleton is of men or women. It is not possible to find out on the basis of ornaments because often ornaments were worn by both men and women.

33. A better way of figuring out the sex of a skeleton is to look at the bone structure. The hip or the pelvic area of women is generally larger to enable child bearing.

34. About 2000 years ago, there a famous physician named Charaka who wrote a book on medicine known as the ‘Charaka Samhita’.

35. Found in Inamgaon site:

1. Grains: wheat, barley, rice, pulses, millets, peas and sesame.
2. Animals: cattle, buffalo, goat, sheep, dog, horse, ass, pig, sambhar, spotted deer, blackbuck, antelope, hare, and mongoose.
3. Aqua: crocodile, turtle, crab and fish
4. Fruits: Ber, Amla, Jamun, dates and a variety of berries.

36. We find some of the first evidences of writing in China around 3500 years ago. These writings were on animal bones. These are called oracle bones, because these were used to predict the future.

37. The kings lived in palaces in cities, in China. They had vast quantities of wealth, including large, elaborately decorated bronze vessels. However, they did not know the use of iron.

What Books and Burials Tell Us Class 6 CBSE Notes Important Terms

Veda: One of the oldest books in the world are the Vedas. There are four Vedas:

• Rigveda
• Samaveda
• Yajurveda and
• Atharvaveda.

The first Veda was composed about 3500 years ago.

Language: Language is the means of communication. This may be in the vocal or written form.

Hymn: Religious poem (mantra) in praise of gods and goddesses.

Chariot: A cart which was drawn by two bullocks or horses.

Sacrifice: Sacrifice is a process in which offerings are made to the fire meant for gods and goddesses. In Rigveda, the word ‘yagna’ has been used for sacrifice.

Raja: Raja was the ruler of state. They did not have capital cities, armies and they did not collect taxes from the people.

Slave: Slaves are those men or women who are captured in the war. Slaves were treated as the property of their owners. They worked as per the directions of their owners only.

Megalith: Stone boulders are known as Megaliths. These megaliths were used at burial sites. These were also used to mark the burial sites.

Burial: Burial was the grave where dead bodies were kept alongwith some articles and edibles.

Skeletal: A study pertaining to skeleton. When a dead body is kept beneath the earth, after some times all organs are dissolved and ruined and thus only body bones structure remains.

Iron: Iron is a metal which was used for making tools and weapons.

Notes of History Class 6 Chapter 5 Time Period

About 3500 years ago: Beginning of the composition of the Vedas.

About 3000 years ago: Beginning of the building of megaliths.

About 2700 years ago: Settlement at Inamgaon.

About 2000 years ago: Charaka

On this page, you will find Garbage In Garbage Out Class 6 Notes Science Chapter 16 Pdf free download. CBSE NCERT Class 6 Science Notes Chapter 16 Garbage In Garbage Out will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

CBSE Class 6 Science Chapter 16 Notes Garbage in Garbage Out

Garbage in Garbage Out Class 6 Notes Understanding the Lesson

1. The unwanted, unused, and useless things are called waste.

2. There are three main sources of waste – domestic, agricultural and industrial.

3. The three types of wastes are solid waste, liquid waste and gaseous waste.

4. The waste on the basis of their ability to get decomposed are categorized as biodegradable waste and non- biodegradable waste.

5. Waste than can be broken down into simpler compounds by the activity of organisms are known as biodegradable waste.

6. Waste that cannot be broken down easily into simpler compounds by the activity of organisms are known as non-biodegradable waste.

7. The process of collection, removal, processing and proper disposal of waste is known as waste management.

8. The collected waste is first segregated into biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste.

9. Biodegradable waste can be converted into compost.

10. The method of converting biodegradable waste into compost by the activity of redworms is known as vermicomposting.

11. Vermicompost can be used as manure as it is rich in humus and minerals.

12. Landfill s a low-lying area where garbage collected from a city or town is dumped. This area is later converted into a park or playground.

13. Nowadays, it is difficult to think without plastics. Most of the things around us are made of plastics.

14. Effect of excessive use of plastic bags on the environment are quite devastating. It is non-biodegradable, on burning produces harmful gases, choke soil pores and drains, can cause death of animals by blocking their intestine and releases poisonous substances if food items are kept in these.

15. We must generate very less waste and think before disposing waste.

16. We must recycle paper to get useful products and to save trees.

17. We must follow 3R’s-reduce, reuse and recycle to avoid problem of waste accumulation.

Class 6 Science Chapter 16 Notes Important Terms

Compost: A mixture of various decaying organic substances which is used to fertilise soil is known as compost.

Composting: The process of converting plants, animals and kitchen wastes into manure by rotting is known as composting.

Garbage: Domestic wastes, refuse, discarded rubbish, used plastic items and wrapping materials like polythene and plastic bags are called garbage.

Landfill: A landfill is a low-lying open area of ground where the garbage collected from a city may be dumped.

Recycling: The process of converting waste materials into reusable materials is known as recycling.

Vermicomposting: The process of making compost from kitchen wastes like peels of vegetables and fruits, tea leaf wastes, etc., by using redworms is known as vermicomposting.

Waste: Unwanted or unusable remains or by-products of materials or food is called waste.

On this page, you will find Air Around Us Class 6 Notes Science Chapter 15 Pdf free download. CBSE NCERT Class 6 Science Notes Chapter 15 Air Around Us will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

CBSE Class 6 Science Chapter 15 Notes Air Around Us

Air Around Us Class 6 Notes Understanding the Lesson

1. Moving air is called wind.

2. We can’t see air but we can feel it when,

• the clothes hanging on a rope sway.
• leaves and branches of trees rustle or flutters.
• kite fly high up in the sky.
• husk from grains or sawdust and sand can be separated by winnowing.

3. Air is a gaseous substance and thus we can compress it easily.

4. The important properties of air are:

• Air is a colourless, tasteless and odourless gaseous substance.
• Air occupies space.
• Air dissolves in water.
• Air can be compressed easily.
• Air is present everywhere around us though we cannot see it.

5. Our earth is surrounded by a thin layer of air which extends up to many kilometres above the surface of the land is called

6. Air is a mixture of many gases. The major component of air is nitrogen gas. The second major component is oxygen gas.

7. Air also contains small amount of carbon dioxide gas, water vapour and some other gases like helium, argon, neon, etc.

8. Nitrogen is a colourless, tasteless, and odourless gas. It is slightly soluble in water and this gas is important for all living beings.

9. Oxygen is a colourless, tasteless and odourless gas. It is slightly soluble in water. This gas is essential for breathing (or respiration) and burning.

10. Carbon dioxide is a colourless and odourless gas. It is moderately soluble in water. Carbon dioxide is needed by plants to carry out photosynthesis. It extinguishes a burning fire.

11. Excess accumulation of carbon dioxide in a room may cause suffocation.

12. The presence of water vapour in the air is important for the water cycle in nature. Water vapour present in air rises high in the sky along with hot air, gets cooled, condenses to form clouds and then brings rain on the earth.

13. The dust particles are always present in air.

14. The sources for the dust particles are blowing of wind, traffic on the roads, dusting at home, etc.

15. Air should always be inhaled by nose instead of mouth because fine hair and mucous are present inside the nose to prevent dust particles from entering into our respiratory system.

16. Smoke is produced mainly by burning of fuels like wood, coal, kerosene, petrol and diesel, etc. It is always harmful.

17. Smoke is emitted through the exhaust pipes connected to the engines of vehicles, etc.

18. The animals living in water are called aquatic animals.

19. The plants living in water are called aquatic plants.

20. In the presence of sunlight, plants use carbon dioxide and water to make food by the process of photosyn­thesis and produce oxygen gas.

21. The animals and plants use oxygen from the air for respiration and give out carbon dioxide gas.

22. Air is useful for human beings in many ways:

• Air is used for breathing purpose.
• Air is used for burning fuels to make fire.
• Air also helps in the dispersal of seeds and pollens of flowers of several plants.
• Compressed air is used to fill tyres of various kinds of vehicles.

Class 6 Science Chapter 15 Notes Important Terms

Atmosphere: The envelope of air which surrounds the earth is known as atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide is a colourless and odourless gas. Co₂ is slightly soluble in water. It is the major component of air.

Oxygen: Oxygen is a colourless, tasteless and odourless gas. It is soluble in water. Oxygen gas is essential for breathing (or respiration).

Nitrogen: Nitrogen is the major component of air. It is a colourless, tasteless and odourless gas. Nitrogen is slightly soluble in water.

Smoke: Smoke consists of fine carbon particles and some gases. Smoke is produced by burning of fuels like wood, kerosene, petrol, diesel, etc. Smoke is always harmful.

Windmill: Windmill is a huge apparatus which is rotated by wind. It is used to draw water from tube wells, run flour mills and generate electricity.

On this page, you will find NCERT Class 6 Geography Chapter 2 Notes Pdf free download. CBSE Class 6 Social Science Notes Geography Chapter 2 SST Globe Latitudes and Longitudes will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

Globe Latitudes and Longitudes Class 6 Notes Social Science Geography Chapter 2

CBSE Class 6 Geography Chapter 2 Notes Understanding The Lesson

1. The shape of the Earth can be understood by the globe. The globe is an imaginary shape of Earth.

2. Two points on the globe through which the needle passes are two poles – above side the North Pole and below side the South Pole. Both pins of globe can be imagined as ‘axis’. The globe can move towards west to east, as the Earth moves.

3. Another imaginary line running on the globe divides it into two equal parts. This line is known as the northern half part is called the Northern Hemisphere and southern half is called the Southern Hemisphere.

4. All parallel circles from the equator up to the poles are called parallels of latitudes. Latitudes are measured in degrees.

5. All parallels north of the equator are called ‘north latitudes’. Similarly, all parallels south of the equator are called ‘south latitudes’. Generally, this is indicated by the letter ‘N’ or ‘S’.

There are four important parallels of latitudes:

• Tropic of Cancer   –   23 1/2°
• Tropic of Capricorn  – 23 1/2°
• Arctic Circle   –    66 1/2°
• Antarctic Circle – 66 1/2°

6. The area between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn receives the maximum heat and is called the Torrid Zone.

7. The area between Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle in Northern Hemisphere and the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle in the Southern Hemisphere have moderate temperatures. These are therefore, called Temperate Zones.

8. The area of Arctic Circle of both side towards the North Pole as well as the South Pole are called Frigid Zones. These areas are very cold.

9. The Prime Meridian represents zero degree longitude. The longitude in the Eastern Hemisphere are designated at degrees east such as 10°E, 20°E, 30°E and so on till 180° and similarly in Western Hemisphere.

10. Degrees are further divided into minutes and minutes into seconds. Minutes are shown as single apostrophe (‘) and seconds are shown as double apostrophe (“).

11. When the Prime Meridian of Greenwich has the Sun at the highest point in the sky, all the places along this meridian will have mid-day or noon.

12. The Earth rotates 1° in four minutes, 15° in an hour and thus 360° in about 24 hours.

13. The local time of places which are on different meridians is bound to differ. It is, therefore, necessary to adopt the local time of some central meridian of a country as the standard time for the country. In India, the longitude of 82 14 °E is treated as the standard meridian. The local time at this meridian is taken as the standard time for the whole country. It is known as the Indian Standard Time (1ST).

Globe Latitudes and Longitudes Class 6 CBSE Notes Important Terms

Globe: It is true and imaginary model of the Earth.

Geoid: It means shape like the Earth.

Axis: It is an imaginary line. Earth rotates on Axis.

North Pole: North end of the Axis is called the North Pole.

South Pole: South end of the Axis is called the South Pole.

Longitudes: The lines running in north-south direction joining with the North Pole and the South Pole.

Latitudes: These lines are drawn parallel to the equator and are called Latitudes.

Equator: It is an imaginary line on globe, west to east and divides the Earth into two equal parts.

Torrid zone: The area between the Tropic of Cancer (23 1/2° N) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23 V2 ⁰ S) is called the Torrid zone. Equator lies in the middle of the Torrid Zone.

Frigid Zone: An area of the Earth which is very cold, where Sun rays are always slanting and provides less heat is called Frigid Zone.

Prime Meridian: It is the 0°’ longitude and divides the Earth into eastern and western hemispheres.

Greenwich Meridian Time: It is the meridian passing through Greenwich in London. The local time of all places is linked to the Greenwich Meridian Time.

On this page, you will find NCERT Class 6 Geography Chapter 1 Notes Pdf free download. CBSE Class 6 Social Science Notes Geography Chapter 1 SST The Earth in the Solar System will seemingly help them to revise the important concepts in less time.

The Earth in the Solar System Class 6 Notes Social Science Geography Chapter 1

CBSE Class 6 Geography Chapter 1 Notes Understanding The Lesson

1. We can not see the moon and all those bright objects of the sky in the day time. It is because the very bright light of the Sun does not allow us to see all these bright objects of the sky.

2. The Sun, the moon and all those objects shining in the sky are called celestial bodies. Celestial bodies are made up of gases. Some are very big and hot. They have their own heat and light, which they emit (release) in large amounts. These celestial bodies are called stars. The Sun is a star. Countless stars are very very far from us, so we do not feel their heat or light.

3. Different groups of stars form different patterns. These are called constellations. Ursa Major or Big Bear is one such constellation. One of the most easily recognizable constellations is the small bear of Saptarishi (seven sages). It is a group of seven stars.

4. In the ancient times, people used to determine directions during the night with the help of stars. The North Star indicates the north direction. It is also called the Pole Star.

5. Some celestial bodies do not have their own heat and light. They are lit by the light of the stars. Such bodies are called planets. The Earth is a planet. Like the Earth there are eight other planets that get heat and light from the Sun. Some of them have their moons too.

6. Sun is in the centre of the solar system. It is made up of extremely hot gases. It provides pulling force that binds the solar system. The Sun is ultimate source of heat and light for the solar system. The Sun is about 150 million km away from the Earth.

7. There are eight planets in our solar system. In order of their distance from the Sun they are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

8. The easy way to memorize the name of planets in order of their distance from the Sun is: My Very Efficient Mother Just Served Us Nuts. Always remember that first ‘M’ is for Mercury.

9. All the eight planets of the solar system move around the Sun in fixed path. These paths are elongated. They are called orbits.

10. The Earth is the third nearest planet to the Sun. In size it is the fifth-largest planet. Its north and south poles are slightly flattened. This shape is described as Geoid. It has water and oxygen. Its 2/3 surface is covered by water. Its outer surface looks blue. It is, therefore, called a blue planet.

11. The moon is only one satellite of the Earth. Its diameter is only Vi that of the Earth. It is nearer to our Earth than other celestial bodies. It is about 3.84 lakh km away from us. The moon moves around the Earth in about 27 days. It has neither water nor air. It has mountains, plains and depressions on its surface.

12. Asteroids also move around the Sun. These are numerous tiny bodies which are found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Scientists are of the view that asteroids are part of a planet which exploded many years back.

13. Meteoroids are small pieces of rocks which move around the Sun.

The Earth in the Solar System Class 6 CBSE Notes Important Terms

Celestial bodies: The Sun, the moon and all those objects shining in the sky are called celestial bodies. Celestial bodies are made up of gases.

Stars: Celestial bodies are called stars. The Sun is a star. In other words, the Sun and the twinkling objects that we see at night are called stars.

Galaxy: A huge system of millions of heavenly bodies and stars like the Milky Way form a galaxy.

Full moonlight: When moon appears full and looks in the form of a ball. Full moon light is also called ‘Poornima’.

New moonlight: When moon is not seen from the Earth. This night is also called ‘Amavasya’.

Constellation: Constellation is design or pattern of stars. In the sky, during the night, a group of stars form various patterns and designs.

Planet Satellites: Heavenly body that revolves around a planet in the same way as planets revolve around the Sun.

Orbit: The elliptical paths on which the planets and satellites revolve round the Sun are known as orbits.

Asteroids: There are numerous tiny bodies which revolve around the Sun. These are found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. These bodies are called Asteroids.

Meteoroids: The small pieces of rocks which revolve around the Sun are called meteoroids.

Pole Star: The North Star indicates the north direction. It is also called the Pole Star.

Geoid: North and south poles of the Earth are slightly flattened. This shape of Earth is described as Geoid.