CBSE Class 6 Social Science History Revision Notes Chapter 7

Class 6 History Chapter 7 Notes

CBSE Class 6 History Chapter 7 Notes – Ashoka, the Emperor Who Gave Up War

Ashoka is one of the most renowned rulers in Indian history. He led his life with a certain purpose and impacted humanity to a major extent. Students will learn about his life in Class 6 History Chapter 7 Notes. This chapter, “Ashoka, the Emperor Who Gave Up War,” of the CBSE board facilitates learning about Ashoka, the Great Ruler, and his contribution to establishing peace. Extramarks’ NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 7 Notes elaborate on Ashoka’s story in a concise manner. These notes have a continuous, story-like flow that keeps the students engaged and makes it easy to retain the information.

Students can refer to Class 6 History Chapter 7 Notes for an in-depth understanding of the concepts and score better in the examination. Extramarks provides these revision notes, which are easily accessible from the website. These notes are written by subject matter experts and comply with the revised NCERT guidelines and syllabus.

Ashoka, the Emperor Who Gave Up War Class 6 Notes History Chapter 7

Access Class 6 History Chapter 7 – Ashoka, the Emperor Who Gave Up War Notes

The Empire of Ashoka

• Around 2300 years ago, the empire that King Ashoka managed was built by Chandragupta Maurya, his grandfather.
• Chanakya was a royal advisor to Chandragupta Maurya. The renowned book, Arthashastra, had Chanakya’s ideas and teachings written in it.
• Ashoka’s capital cities included Taxila, Ujjain, and Pataliputra. Taxila was the entrance for the Northwest as well as Central Asia, whereas Ujjain was on the way between North and South India. Many people from different occupations, such as officials, craftspeople, and merchants, lived here. Other areas were filled with villages of agriculturists and herders.
• In regions like Central India, people used to collect forest yield and practise activities such as hunting. The empire consisted of various people who spoke a variety of languages, had different lifestyles, consumed different kinds of food, and followed different trends for clothing.

Difference between Empires and Kingdoms 

Emperors required more resources in comparison to kings, as empires are bigger than kingdoms and have to be guarded by armies. Secondly, emperors also needed many officials to collect taxes.

Ruling an Empire

• The massive empire was divided into different provinces that were ruled distinctly. The emperor had direct control over the area around Pataliputra. Agriculturists, craftspersons, herders, and traders were some of the people from whom officials collected taxes and who resided in villages and towns in that region.
• The people who did not obey the ruler’s orders were punished by the officials. Salaries were given to numerous officials.
• The officials were monitored closely by the spies, and messengers went back and forth. Members of the imperial family and high-ranking ministers assisted the emperor to supervise them all.
• There were vast regions among the provincial centres. The roads and rivers were controlled by the Mauryas, which were crucial for transport and gathering whatever resources, such as tribute and tax.

Ashoka – A Unique Ruler

• Ashoka was a unique ruler who ruled over the Mauryan dynasty and was the first emperor who tried to convey his message to the masses with the help of inscriptions.
• Ashoka’s inscriptions were mostly in Prakrit and were written in the Brahmi script.

The Kalinga War

• Earlier, the coastal region of Orissa was called Kalinga.
• Kalinga was captured after Ashoka fought a war. But the outcomes of the war affected Ashoka and changed his perspective.
• He was frightened to see the bloodshed and huge loss of lives in the kingdoms involved in the war.
• In world history, Ashoka was the only king who quit the annexation after winning a war.

Ashoka’s Dhamma

• Ashoka’s dhamma does not include the practice of devotion to a god or the performance of a sacrifice.
• The teachings of the Buddha encouraged Ashoka.
• He was affected by numerous problems, for example,  the conflicts that arose among the people due to various religions.
• Harmony was distorted among people, slaves and servants were not treated well, and there were disputes in families as well as between neighbors.
• Resolving all the issues that occurred in his kingdom was one of the important roles of Ashoka as an Emperor.
• Many officials, called dhamma mahamatta, were appointed by Ashoka. They travelled from one place to another to enlighten people about Dhamma.
• Ashoka wanted to spread his messages by inscribing them on rocks and pillars. He also instructed his officials to spread his message to even those who could not read it themselves.
• He went to the extent of sending his messengers to places like Syria, Greece, Egypt, and Sri Lanka to spread awareness about Dhamma. He performed many good deeds, like digging wells, constructing roads, and rest houses, and establishing medical treatment arrangements for both humans and animals.

Class 6 History Chapter 7 – Ashoka, the Emperor Who Gave Up War Notes

Class 6 History Chapter 7 Notes help students easily learn and prepare for their examinations. They can refer to these notes on the Extramarks website at their convenience. These notes will also help them memorise the terminologies, concepts, etc, before the examination.  

Chapter 7 – Social Science

NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 7 Notes portray significant points in regard to Emperor Ashoka’s life, the wars he fought, his eye-opening moments, his preachings, and his influence on society. Topics covered in this chapter include:

A Very Big Kingdom = An Empire

Emperor Ashoka’s dynasty is elaborately discussed in this section. Students will learn about Ashoka’s life, his family members, significant events that took place during the period he ruled, and his subordinates. Emperor Ashoka was assisted by Chanakya, whose ideas were written down in the book called the Arthashastra. Taxila, Pataliputra, and Ujjain were a few significant cities of the empire. The minute details of the people’s occupation during that era are covered in this section. In different regions of the empire, people were classified based on their professions. Clothing, languages, and food consumed by these people are also covered in this section.

How are Empires Different from Kingdoms?

The distinction between a kingdom and an empire is highlighted in this section. With respect to size, a kingdom is smaller in comparison to an empire. Hence, the latter is supported by ample resources, guarded by big armies, and managed by several officials for various purposes, such as gathering taxes.

Ruling the Empire

An empire is enormous. Therefore, it needs to be administered in fragments. For instance, Emperor Ashoka ruled the city of Pataliputra and all the regions around the city. Many officials were assigned to collect taxes, and they were given the authority to punish the people who did not obey the rules of the emperors. This section also discusses spies who were ordered to monitor these officials. A provincial capital was established to manage some areas, such as Ujjain and Taxila. Emperor Ashoka had a certain amount of control over these areas. These centres were also permitted to formulate their own local rules and customs.

Tribute

Tributes were collected based on the willingness of people to give various things whereas taxes were collected on a regular basis. Elephants, blankets, gold, honey, gold, timber, and wax are few examples of tribute given to the Mauryan officials.