BANKS OF NARMADA, INDUS AND GANGA

BANKS OF NARMADA, INDUS AND GANGA

Find the river Narmada on Map 1.

People have lived along the banks of this river for several hundred thousand years. Some of the earliest people who lived here were skilled gatherers, — that is, people who gathered their food. They knew about the vast wealth of plants in the surrounding forests, and collected roots, fruits, and other forest produce for their food. They also hunted animals.

Trace the river Indus and its tributaries

(tributaries are smaller rivers that flow into a larger river). About 4700 years ago, some of the earliest cities flourished on the banks of these rivers. Later, about 2500 years ago, cities developed on the banks of the Ganga and its tributaries, and along the sea coasts.

Locate the Ganga and its tributary called the Son.

In ancient times the area along these rivers to the south of the Ganga was known as Magadha now lying in the state of Bihar. Its rulers were very powerful and set up a large kingdom. Kingdoms were set up in other parts of the country as well.

Source: This topic is taken from the NCERT TEXTBOOK

SULAIMAN, KIRTHAR, GARO HILLS AND VINDHYAS

SULAIMAN, KIRTHAR, GARO HILLS AND VINDYAS

Now find the Sulaiman and Kirthar hills to the northwest.

Some of the areas where women and men first began to grow crops such as wheat and barley about 8000 years ago are located here. People also began rearing animals like sheep, goat, and cattle and lived in villages.

Locate the Garo hills to the north-east and the Vindhyas in central India.

These were some of the other areas where agriculture developed. The places where rice was first grown are to the north of the Vindhyas.

Throughout, people travelled from one part of the subcontinent to another. The hills and high mountains including the Himalayas, deserts, rivers, and seas made journeys dangerous at times, but never impossible. So, men and women moved in search of livelihood, as also to escape from natural disasters like floods or droughts. Sometimes men marched in armies, conquering others’ lands. Besides, merchants travelled with caravans or ships, carrying valuable goods from place to place. And religious teachers walked from village to village, town to town, stopping to offer instruction and advice on the way. Finally, some people perhaps travelled driven by a spirit of adventure, wanting to discover new and exciting places. All these led to the sharing of ideas between people.

Source: This topic is taken from the NCERT TEXTBOOK

WHY DO PEOPLE TRAVEL NOWADAYS?

WHY DO PEOPLE TRAVEL NOWADAYS?

Hills, mountains, and seas form the natural frontiers of the subcontinent. While it was difficult to cross these frontiers, those who wanted could and did scale the mountains and cross the seas. People from across the frontiers also came into the subcontinent and settled here.

These movements of people enriched our cultural traditions. People have shared new ways of carving stone, composing music, and even cooking food over several hundreds of years.

Source: This topic is taken from the NCERT TEXTBOOK

NAMES OF THE LAND

NAMES OF THE LAND

Two of the words we often use for our country are India and Bharat. The word India comes from the Indus, called Sindhu in Sanskrit. The Iranians and the Greeks who came through the northwest about 2500 years ago and were familiar with the Indus, called it the Hindos or the Indos, and the land to the east of the river was called India. The name Bharata was used for a group of people who lived in the northwest, and who are mentioned in the Rigveda, the earliest composition in Sanskrit (dated to about 3500 years ago). Later it was used for the country.

Activity:

Find Iran and Greece in your atlas.

Source: This topic is taken from the NCERT TEXTBOOK