(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) 'Purana' literally means 'old'. The Puranas contain stories about Gods and Goddesses, such as Vishnu, Shiva, Durga or Parvati.
(ii) They contain details of how Gods and Goddesses were to be worshipped.
(iii) There are accounts about the creation of the world and about kings.
(iv) The Puranas were written in simple Sanskrit and were meant to be heard by everybody, including women and Shudras, who were not allowed to study the Vedas.
(v) They were probably recited in temples by priests, and people came to listen to them.

(i) Some of the earliest Hindu temples were also built. Deities such as Vishnu, Shiva, and Durga were worshipped in these shrines.
(ii) The most important part of the temple was the room known as the Garbhagriha, where the image of the chief deity was placed. It was here that priests performed religious rituals, and devotees offered worship to the deity.
(iii)A tower, known as the Shikhara, was built on top of the Garbhagriha, to mark this out as a sacred place
(iv) Most temples also had a space known as the Mandapa. It was a hall where people could assemble.

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 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 earliest Hindu temples were built 2000-1500 years ago. Deities such as Vishnu, Shiva and Durga were worshipped in these temples.
The most important part of the temple was the room known as the garbhagriha, where image of the chief deity was placed. It was here that priests performed religious rituals and devotees offered worship to the deity.
The garbhagriha had a tower, known as the Shikhara which was built on top of the garbhagriha. It is marked as the sacred place. Building shikharas required careful planning. Most temples also had a space known as the mandapa. It was a hall where people could assemble. Some of the finest stone temples were built in Mahabalipuram and Aihole about 1400-1500 years ago.