04. What Books and Burials Tell Us class 6 NCERT Notes Chapter 4 History pdf download

What Books and Burials Tell Us NCERT Exam notes class 6 chapter 4 are as follows

Vedas: Ancient Texts and Hymns

Introduction to Vedas – What Books and Burials Tell Us

• Vedas are some of the oldest written books.
• There are four Vedas: Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda.
• The oldest among them is the Rigveda, composed around 3500 years ago.

Content of Rigveda

• The Rigveda contains over a thousand hymns called “sukta” praising various gods and goddesses.
• Notable deities: Agni, Indra, Soma (plant used for a special drink).
• These hymns were composed by sages (rishis), mostly men but some women too.
• Composed in old Vedic Sanskrit, different from present-day Sanskrit.
• Initially recited and heard, not read.
• Written down centuries later, printed recently.

Languages and Sanskrit’s Family

Sanskrit and Indo-European Languages

• Sanskrit is part of the Indo-European language family.
• Languages like Assamese, Gujarati, Hindi, Persian, English, etc., belong to this family.
• They shared common words, e.g., ‘matr’ (Sanskrit), ‘ma’ (Hindi), ‘mother’ (English).

Other Language Families

• Northeast Indian languages are Tibeto-Burman.
• Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam belong to the Dravidian family.
• Jharkhand and central India languages are Austro-Asiatic.

Historians’ Approach to Rigveda

Historians and Sources

• Historians study past through materials and written sources.
• Rigveda has hymns in dialogue form, providing insights.

Importance of Cattle, Horses, and Chariots

Rigveda’s Prayers

• Rigveda has prayers for cattle, children, and horses.
• Horses pulled chariots used in battles, fought for cattle, land, water, people.
• Wealth acquired shared with leaders, priests, for sacrifices.

Society and Assemblies

• No regular army, but assemblies decided war and peace.
• Leaders chosen for bravery and skill.

Describing People and Social Differences

Priests and Rajas

• Priests (brahmins) and rajas (leaders) described by work.
• Different from later rajas; no cities, palaces, taxes.

Community Description

• “Jana” and “vish” described communities.
• “Vaishya” derived from “vish”.

Aryas and Dasas

• Rigvedic people described as Aryas, opponents as Dasas.
• Later, “dasa” meant slave, often war captives.

Megaliths and Burials

Megaliths Introduction

• Megaliths are big stones used for burial markers.
• Practiced for around 3000 years in Deccan, south India, northeast, and Kashmir.

Features and Commonalities

• Burials with distinctive pots (Black and Red Ware).
• Iron tools, weapons, horse equipment, gold and stone ornaments.

Social Differences in Burials

• Objects near skeletons suggest status differences.
• Rich, poor, chiefs, and followers buried differently.

Family Burial Spots

• Some megaliths with multiple skeletons.
• Family burials; stone circles as markers.

Unique Burial at Inamgaon

Inamgaon Site

• Site near river Ghod, existed 3600-2700 years ago.
• Adults buried in ground, heads north.

Burial Details

• Some burials within houses.
• Food containers near the dead.
• Special case: man buried in large clay jar in courtyard.

Occupations and Subsistence at Inamgaon

Archaeological Discoveries

• Found seeds of various grains.
• Animal bones (cattle, buffalo, etc.), cut marks indicate food use.
• Fruits collected: ber, amla, jamun, dates, berries.

Keywords and Definitions

1. Veda: Collection of ancient written books.
2. Language: Method of human communication with words.
3. Hymn: Religious song or poem praising deities.
4. Chariot: Two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle.
5. Sacrifice: Offering to a deity, including animals.
6. Raja: Leader or king of a community.
7. Slave: Person owned by another, forced to obey.
8. Megalith: Large stone used in structures or monuments.
9. Burial: Act of interring a dead body.
10. Skeletal: Relating to a skeleton.
11. Iron: Hard magnetic silvery-grey metal.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: What are the Vedas, and how old is the oldest one?

A: The Vedas are ancient written books. The oldest Veda, the Rigveda, is around 3500 years old.

Q2: What is the significance of horses and chariots in the Rigveda?

A: Horses were yoked to chariots for battles and cattle capturing.

Q3: How did megaliths mark burial sites, and where were they found?

A: Megaliths are large stones carefully arranged to mark burial sites. They were found in Deccan, south India, northeast, and Kashmir.

Q4: Who were described as Aryas and Dasas in the Rigveda?

A: The people who composed the hymns referred to themselves as Aryas and their opponents as Dasas.

Q5: What objects were commonly found with the dead in megalithic burials?

A: Distinctive pots, tools, weapons, and sometimes horse equipment and ornaments were found.

Q6: How did Rigvedic society decide matters of war and peace?

A: Rigvedic society had assemblies where people met to decide war, peace, and choose leaders.

Q7: What was the purpose of megaliths in burial sites?

A: Megaliths marked burial sites and possibly served as signposts to find them.

Q8: How did social differences manifest in megalithic burials?

A: Objects near skeletons indicated differences in status among the buried individuals.

Q9: What types of languages are related to Sanskrit in terms of language families?

A: Sanskrit is part of the Indo-European language family, which includes languages like Hindi, Persian, and English.

Q10: What was the role of priests and rajas in Rigvedic society?

A: Priests performed rituals, and rajas were leaders. However, these rajas were different from later kings.

This was the end of NCERT Notes on What Books and Burials Tell Us class 6 chapter 4

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