WBBSE Class 6 History Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century BC Notes

WBBSE Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century BC

Introduction

Janapada:

The term ‘Janapada’ comprises of two words ‘Jana’ and ‘Pada’. Jana is derived from the word ‘Janagan’ which means people. ‘Pada’ means foot. So ‘Janapada’ means the place where people placed their foot and began to settle down on a piece of land.

Mahajanapadas:

In the 6th century, BC rulers of the janapadas fought battles to extend their territories. Some janapadas were transformed into bigger kingdoms and were known as Mahajanapadas.

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Sixteen Mahajanapadas:

In the 6th century BC there were sixteen Mahajanapadas in the Indian subcontinent.

New Religious Movement:

In the 6th century, BC people of different sections of the society protested against the Vedic religion. As a substitute of Vedic religions simple religions like Buddhism and Jainism arose.

These religions are called New Religions. The movement which was started by the New Religions for protesting against Vedic religion is called New Religious Movement.

Important Definitions Related to Mahajanapadas

Charvakas and Ajivikas:

The Charvaka and Ajivika communities protested against the Brahmins and Brahmanism before the Jains and the Buddhists.

Parshvanath:

Parshvanath was the prince of Kashi. He was a leading preacher of Jainism. He was the twenty-third Tirthankara. The set of four tenets taught by him is known as Chaturyama.

Vardhaman Mahavira:

Vardhaman Mahavira was the 24th Jain Tirthankara. He preached Jainism for thirty long years. He added Brahmacharya or celibacy to Chaturyama of Parshvanath which together came to be known as Panchamahavrata.

Digambara and Swetambara:

The followers of Jainism who used no clothes at all were called Digambaras and the followers of Jainism who preferred to wear white garments were called Swetambaras.

WBBSE Class 6 History Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century BC Notes

Gautama Buddha:

In early life Gautama Buddha’s name was Siddhartha. He was meditating under a Pipal tree in a place near Gaya where he attained Bodhi and came to be known as Buddha. He was the preacher of Buddhism.

The two most important features of Buddhism are Aryasatya and Ashtanga Marga.

WBBSE Class 6 Mahajanapadas Notes

Four Noble Truths:

Gautama Buddha explained to his disciples the causes of suffering in one’s life and how to get rid of such suffering. For this, he taught four principal tenets known as Chaturaryasatya or four Noble Truths.

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Ashtanga Marga:

Ashtanga Marga means the Eight Paths or ‘Marga’ advised by Buddha to get rid of misery. This Eightfold Path was described as Middle Path as it lies between extreme luxury and hard meditation.

Buddha preached that a person who follows the Eightfold Path would attain ‘Nirvana’, i.e., freedom from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism:

The Buddhists were divided into two sects

  1. Mahayana and
  2. Hinayana.

The Mahayanis supported idol worship of Buddha. The Hinayanis supported the old Buddhist philosophy.

Tripitaka:

Tripitaka is the main religious text of Buddhism. The three compilations Suttapitaka, Vinaypitaka, and Abhidhamma- Pitaka together constitute the Tripitaka.

WBBSE Class 6 History Question Answer

Jataka:

There are certain stories in the Tripitaka under the heading Jataka. Jataka stories tell about the previous life of Buddha. These stories were used for spreading Buddhism among the people.

WBBSE Solutions For Class 6 History Chapter 5 Indian Sub Continent In The 6th Century BC Notes

List of 16 Mahajanapadas and their respective capitals

Mahajanapads  Capitals
Kashi Benaras
Anga Champa
Vrijji Vaishali
Chedi Shuktimati
Kuru Hastinapur
Surasena Mathura
Matsya Virat Nagari
Gandhara Taxila
Koshala Shravasti
Magadha Rajagriha
Malla Kushinagar
Vatsya Kaushambi
 Panchala Ahichhatra (Western) and Kampilya (Eastern)
Asmara Potana
Avanti Ujjaini
Kamboja Rajpur

 

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