CLASS 6 · NCERT HISTORY · CH 10: TRADERS, KINGS AND PILGRIMS (NCERT CLASS 6 — OUR PASTS I)
Traders, Kings & Pilgrims 🐪
NCERT-aligned Class 6 History topic from Our Pasts I. Every item is anchored to a real location on India's map — built for boards (CBSE, ICSE, state) and UPSC aspirants.
📚 NCERT TEXTBOOK ALIGNMENT
Class
6 History —
Our Pasts I — Chapter:
Ch 10: Traders, Kings and Pilgrims (NCERT Class 6 — Our Pasts I).
8LOCATIONS
51QUESTIONS
CLASS 6NCERT LEVEL
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Key locations covered (8)
- Kushan Empire — Kanishka — NW India + Central Asia
- Satavahanas — Deccan Bridge — Maharashtra-Andhra
- Silk Route + Maritime Trade — Taxila · Indian terminus of the Silk Road
- Fa-Hien & Hiuen Tsang — Chinese Pilgrims — China → India
- Bharukachchha (Bharuch) — Western port — Gujarat
- Taxila — Northwestern Crossroads — Punjab, Pakistan
- Bharuch (Bharukaccha) — Ancient Western Port — Gujarat
- Mathura — Kushan-Era Trade + Religious Centre — Uttar Pradesh
Sample questions (12 of 51)
Who was Kanishka and when did he rule?
KANISHKA I (r. ~127-150 CE) — greatest of the KUSHANS (a Central Asian people, the YUEZHI); empire from Central Asia to Mathura/Varanasi; convened the 4th BUDDHIST COUNCIL at KASHMIR (~78 CE); patron of MAHAYANA Buddhism.
Two great Buddhist art schools that flowered under Kushans?
GANDHARA art (Greco-Buddhist sculpture, near Peshawar/Taxila — Buddha figures with Greek-style drapery, curly hair); MATHURA school (indigenous Indian style — Buddha as muscular yogi, red sandstone). First-ever images of the Buddha in human form (earlier Buddhists used symbols).
Why is Kanishka also a saka-era marker?
The SAKA ERA (78 CE — still India's national civic calendar) is traditionally said to have been started by Kanishka at his accession.
Who founded the Kushan empire and from where?
KUJULA KADPHISES (~30-80 CE) — chief of the KUSHAN tribe of the Yuezhi (a Chinese-displaced Central Asian people); united 5 Yuezhi tribes; took control of Bactria + Kabul valley. His grandson Vima Kadphises pushed into India.
How did the Kushans patronise Buddhism?
Kanishka convened the FOURTH BUDDHIST COUNCIL at KASHMIR (~78 CE; some traditions place at Jalandhar) — formalised MAHAYANA Buddhism; 500 monks under Vasumitra and Asvaghosha (also a court poet). Inscriptions and coinage of Kanishka show BUDDHA in human form for the first time on coins.
Three great scholars of Kanishka's court?
(i) ASVAGHOSHA — Sanskrit poet, wrote BUDDHACHARITA (life of the Buddha) and SAUNDARANANDA. (ii) NAGARJUNA — Mahayana philosopher, founded MADHYAMAKA (middle way) school + concept of SHUNYATA (emptiness). (iii) CHARAKA — physician, compiled CHARAKA SAMHITA (foundational Ayurveda text on internal medicine).
Why are Kushan coins historically important?
Solid GOLD coinage modelled on Roman aureus; depict gods from MULTIPLE traditions — Greek (Helios), Iranian (Mithra, Nana), Indian (Shiva, Buddha) — showing Kanishka's syncretic empire spanning Central Asia + India + cross-cultural trade. Earliest Buddha image on coins.
Kanishka started which era in 78 CE?
Saka era
Kanishka convened the Fourth Buddhist Council in?
Kashmir
Kanishka's capital was?
Purushapura (Peshawar)
Mahayana Buddhism formally emerged under?
Kanishka
Who were the Satavahanas?
A Deccan dynasty (~200 BCE - 220 CE); first major dynasty of peninsular India after the Mauryas; controlled trade routes between north and south, and Indian-Roman trade through Konkan ports. Capitals at PRATISHTHANA (Paithan) + AMARAVATI.
All 51 questions are available in the interactive map quiz.
About this topic
This topic is part of the NCERT Class 6 History syllabus, specifically the textbook Our Pasts I, drawn from the chapter Ch 10: Traders, Kings and Pilgrims (NCERT Class 6 — Our Pasts I). Content is cross-referenced against the latest NCERT textbook editions + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar, Satish Chandra for history; G.C. Leong, Savindra Singh for geography; the UPSC Civil Services prelims + mains syllabus).
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Built with Claude (AI authorship)
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