NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Social Science History Chapter 10: Traders, Kings and Pilgrims

This chapter tells us about the trade of various items from India to the rest of the world. The chapter introduces us to the stones and metals found in India and their value in other countries. Then we learn about the new kingdoms along the coastline which controlled transportation through water bodies. We also briefly learn about the administration of these villages. The chapter also tells us about the silk route and the popularity of silk. After this, we learn about the spread of a new form of Buddhism and pilgrims. The chapter also talks about the spread of bhakti, or worshipping deities. The key point from this chapter are as follows:

• South India was famous for its gold, spices and precious metals. Pepper was popular in Rome and was traded from India to Rome.
• The southern coastline of the subcontinent saw the rise of three empires – Cholas, Cheras and the Pandyas. These three chiefs did not collect taxes but demanded gifts from people.
• Silk was an expensive product in high societies. Traders carried silk from china to different places. These routes were called the silk route.
• Rulers like the Kushanas tried to control areas of the Silk Route to obtain taxes and tributes.
• Around 1900 years ago, the most famous Kushana ruler Kanishka organised a Buddhist council. This gave rise to Mahayana Buddhism.
• Statues of Buddha emerged. Worship of Bodhisattvas or the enlightened ones also increased in Japan, Korea, Central Asia etc.
• Along with traders, the number of pilgrims also increased. This was also the time when the worship of Hindu deities became popular.
• The idea of bhakti, or devotion to god, is also mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita.
• Sacrifices became extinct, and the worship of statues and images of deities increased.