NCERT HISTORY CLASS-VI
CHAPTER-XI PART-II
EPIC BOOKS
The books of long composition about heroic men and women, stories about gods with a grand texture called Epics. Many epics were written during this period including some famous Tamil epics Silappadikaram and Manimekalai.
Around 1800 years ago, a poet named Ilangovadigal composed Silappadikaram, a story of a merchant Kovalan and Kannagi who was lived in Puhar. Even though he was married, he ignored his wife Kannagi and fell in love with Madhavi. Days passed by, they went to Madurai, where he was wrongly accused as a thief for stealing the jewelry of the queen. The king wrongly sentenced him to death. When this news was heard by Kannagi, who still loves him was full of grief and anger at this injustice. She proved his husband as innocent and the king's judgment is false, also she destroyed the city of Madurai.
1400 years ago Sattanar composed the epic Manimekalai, a story of the daughter of Kovalan and Madhavi. This composition was lost until it was rediscovered around 100 years ago.
OLD STORIES
Around this time, the old Hindu religious stories were compiled and in circulation for a long time. This includes Puranas, Mahabharata, and Ramayana.
PURANAS
- Purana means 'old', which contains stories about God and Godesses (Shiva, Vishnu, Durga, Parvati).
- These Puranas provide information about the way of worshipping, the creation of the world, and kings.
- These scripts were written in a simple form of Sanskrit which can be heard by women and Shudras too, who were not allowed to study Vedas.
- The priest recites these verses for people to hear.
- About a war between Pandavas and Kauravas to gain control of the throne of the Kurus and the capital city Hastinapura.
- Even though it was an old one, the present-day Mahabharata was written about 1500 years ago.
- Both Puranas and Mahabharat were compiled by Vyasa.
- These also include Bhagavad Gita.
- This is about Rama, prince of Kosala.
- He was sent into exile and his wife was abducted by Ravana, the king of Lanka.
- Rama fought a battle to get her back from her. After his victory, he came to Ayodhya (capital of Kosala).
- This epic was compiled by Valmiki.
BOOKS ON SCIENCE
Aryabhata, an astronomer and a mathematician who reasoned out the cause of day and night, which is due to the rotation of the earth about its axis. Also, he had an explanation for eclipses and an easy way of calculating the circumference of the circle with an accurate formula. All these were found in a book called Aryabhatiyam. Also, there were other astronomers like Varahamihira, Brahmagupta, and Bhaskaracharya who were made several discoveries.
Ayurveda, a well-known system of health science in ancient India. Charaka and Sushruta were very famous practitioners of ayurveda who was mastered it. Charak Samhita, a magnificent book on medicine which was written by Charaka and Susruta Samhita, explains elaborate surgical procedures written by Sushruta.