NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Social Science History Chapter 8: Ashoka, The Emperor Who Gave Up War

This chapter talks about the life of one of the greatest rulers of the subcontinent, Ashoka by describing Ashoka's kingdom and his ancestors. We get to learn about the people in Ashoka's kingdom and their lives. We also learn about the administration of his empire. The chapter talks about the famous war of Kalinga that led Ashoka to give up violence and instead practice dhamma, or Dharma. The chapter would end by describing how Ashoka viewed and practised dhamma and his teachings.

• His grandfather, Chandragupta Maurya, founded Ashoka's empire. Around 2,300 years ago.
• There were several famous cities in the empire, like Ujjain and Taxila.
• The capital of the empire was Pataliputra.
• Merchants and artisans lived in Ujjain and Taxila.
• Herders and farmers lived in other areas, and people using forest produce and hunting animals lived in central India.
• The area around Pataliputra was controlled directly by the emperor.
• Royal princes controlled other areas and cities.
• Officials collected taxes. Those who disobeyed the ruler were punished.
• The Maurya's also controlled forests and rivers as they were means of transportation.
• Ashoka was the most famous Mauryan ruler. He introduced the use of inscriptions to spread his messages.
• The war of Kalinga was fought and won by Ashoka. However, when he saw the violence that was caused, he gave up fighting and adopted dhamma's practice.
• Ashoka's dhamma did not involve the worship of any god or sacrifices. He saw many religious and cultural problems in his empire and thus, travelled to different places to solve these problems.
• He inscribed his messages on rocks and pillars for everyone to see and preach.