(i) An inscription on the pillar mentions a ruler named Chandra, who probably belonged to the Gupta dynasty.
(ii) This pillar was made about 1500 years ago.
(iii) The pillar is very old but it has not been rusted during all these years.
(iv) It is 7.2m high and weighs over 3 tonnes.

(i) This passage is extracted from the famous epic Silappadikaram.
(ii) This epic was written in Tamil.
(iii) This epic was composed by a poet Ilango.
(iv) Kannagi was full of grief because the king sentenced her husband to death.

(i) The word Stupa means a mound. There are several kinds of stupas, round and tall, big and small which can be found.
(ii) There is a small box known as a relic casket, placed at the centre or heart of the Stupa. This may contain bodily remains (such as teeth, bone or ashes) of Buddha or his followers or the things which they used, as well as precious stones and coins. This box was covered with earth. Later, a layer of mud brick or baked brick was added on top. And then, the dome like structure was sometimes covered with carved stone slabs.
(iii) Often, a path known as the Pradakshina Patha was laid around the Stupa. This was surrounded with railings.
(iv) Entrance to the path was through gateways. Devotees walked around the stupa in a clockwise direction, as a mark of devotion.
(v) Both railings and gateways were often decorated with sculptures.

(i) Aryabhatta was a mathematician and astronomer who wrote a book in Sanskrit known as the Aryabhatiyam.
(ii) He stated that day and night were caused by the rotation of the earth on its axis, even though it seems as if the sun is rising and setting every day.
(iii) He developed a scientific explanation for eclipses as well.
(iv) He also found a way of calculating the circumference of a circle, which is nearly as accurate as the formula we use today.

India has a rich and varied culture. Every dynasty that ruled India added something to its heritage
Different Literatures:
(i) The Vedas and associated texts: The Vedas are the earliest literary works that we have. The word 'Veda' means knowledge. There are four Vedas - Rigveda, Samveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda. They contain hymns in praise of different Gods and Goddesses. Along with the Vedas, there are a series of texts called the Brahmanas. There are also 108Upanishads:
Puranas are scared literature. There are 18 surviving puranas.
(ii) The Epics: The Mahabharata was composed by sage Ved Vyasa. It is a story of two families of cousins-the Kauravas and the Pandavas. The Mahabharata also includes the Bhagvat Gita. The Ramayana was composed by sage Valmiki. It is the story of Rama, a prince of Ayodhya and his war with Ravana, the king of Lanka.
(iii) Secular literature: The Arthashastra, Indika, Harshachrita, stories from the Jatakas and the Panchtantra, the works of Kalidasa and the accounts of foreign travellers are important secular works written during this period. There are many poems and plays in Sanskrit.
(iv) Foreign travelers: Many travellers and pilgrims came to India. Fa Hein came during the reign of Chandragupta II. He spent six years in India, visiting Buddhist monasteries. When he went back, he wrote an account of his stay. His account gives a detailed description of the life of the people under the Gupta kings.
Two centuries later, Hiuen Tsang came to India. He wrote about the conditions in those times. The ruler in the North was Harshavardhana. I-Tsing was another Chinese traveller who came to India.
(v) The Sangam texts: The Sangam literature was written in Tamil. It mentions about the kingdoms of South India. The Silappadikaram and Manimekalai are the famous Tamil epics.

(i)The Jaina monastery in the picture is situated In Odisha.
(ii)Jaina monks lived and meditated In these rooms.

(i)The monolithic temples shown the picture are located in Mahabalipuram.
(ii)They are called monoliths because each of these was carved out of a huge single piece of stone.
(iii)The stone cutters had to work from top downwards.

(i)The temple shown in the picture was built about 1500 years ago
(ii)It is located at Bhitargaon, Uttar Pradesh.
(iii)It was made of birck and stone.

(i)The stupa is located at Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh.
(ii)The brick mound was probably built at the time of Ashoka.
(iii)The railings and gateways were added during the time of later rulers.

The stupas and temples were built through the following steps:
(i) Good quality stone had to be found, quarried and transported to the place that was often carefully chosen for the new buildings.
(ii) The rough blocks of stones were shaped and carved into pillars, and panels for walls, floors and ceilings.
(iii) They were often placed in precisely the right position.
(iv) Devotees brought gifts, which were used to decorate the buildings.
(v) Merchants, farmers, garland makers, perfumers, smiths and hundreds of men and women also paid for decorations and their names were inscribed on pillars, railings and walls.