(i) Ashoka fought the Kalinga war in 261 B.C.
(ii) He won the war and captured Kalinga.
(iii) The horror of war was described by the king himself in the Rock Edict XIII.
(iv) After the battle of Kalinga, Ashoka became a Buddhist.
(v) He under took tours to different parts of the country instructing people on policy of Dhamma.
(vi) Ashoka sent his son Mahindra and his daughter Sanghamitra to Srilanka to propagate Buddhism.
(vii) He took importance in the welfare of the people like hospitals, laying roads, irrigation, etc.
(viii) So, Ashoka was considered as a great emperor of ancient India.

(i) Ashoka sent his son Mahinda and Sanghamitra to Srilanka to propagate Buddhism.
(ii) He also sent missionaries to West Asia, Egypt and Eastern Europe to spread the message of Dhamma.
(iii) The Dhamma - mahamattas were a new cadre of officials created by Ashoka.
(iv) Their job was to spread dhamma all over the empire.
(v) Ashoka held the third Buddhist Council at his capital Pataliputra.

Influence of Jainism [Samanam] in Tamil Nadu:
(i) In ancient Tamil literature, Jainism is referred to as Samanam.
(ii) There is a Samanar Hill or Samanar Malai in Keelakuyilkudi village, 15 km away from Madurai. The images of Tirthankaras created by Jain monks are found in the hill. It is a protected monument of Archaelogical Survey of India.
(iii) In Arittapatti, a small village 25 km from Madurai, on one side of Kalinjamalai hill there are Jain caves called Pandvar Padukka Pandavar Padukkai is the bed of Jain saints. This is the influence of Buddhism in Tamil Nadu.
(iv) Manimegalai, one of the epics of the post Sangam age is a Buddhist literature.
(v) Kanchipuram was a famous Buddhist Centre from where Dinnaga, the famous Buddhist logic logician, and Dharmapala, a great scholar of Nalanda University hailed.

Buddha's Four Noble Truths:
(i) Life is full of sorrow and misery.
(ii) Desire is the cause of misery
(iii) Sorrows and sufferings can be removed by giving up one's desire.
(iv) The desire can be overcome by following the right path.

Eight Fold Path:
(i) Right View
(ii) Right Thought 
(iii) Right speech 
(iv) Right Action
(v) Right Livelihood
(vi) Right Effort
(vii) Right knowledge
(viii) Right Meditation

Kodumanal Erode District
(i) It is identified with the Kodumanarn of Pathitrupathu.
(ii) More than 300 pottery inscriptions in Tarnil-Brahmi have been discovered there.
(iii) Archaeologists have also discovered spindles, whorls (used for making thread from cotton) and pieces of cloth, along with tools, weapons, ornaments, beads, particularly carnelian.
(iv) A Menhir found at burial site is assigned tothe Megalithic period.

1. Valley
2. Third Order
3. Erosion

a) Uranus
b) Green
c) Due to the presence of methane

Types of discrimination:
(a) Caste discrimination
(b) Gender discrimination
(c) Religious discrimination
(a) Gaste discrimination:
(i) Caste system is the most dominant reason for inequality and discrimination in India.
(ii) Many people in India have fought against caste oppression.
(iii) The most prominent among them was Dr.B.R.Ambedkar.
(iv) He fought actively for equality among the citizens of India.
(b) Gender discrimination:
(i) Gender discrimination refers to health, education, economic and political inequalities between men and women in India.
(ii) For example a girl is not allowed to go to college after finishing her schooling.
(iii) Most of the girls are not allowed to select a career of their choice, rather they are forced into marriage.
(iv) In some families, girls are not allowed to wear modern dresses while boys in such families often wear modern dresses.
(c) Religious discrimination:
(i) Religions discrimination is unequal treatment of an individual or group based on their beliefs.
(ii) Religious discrimination has been around for a long time.
(iii) There have been problems between people of different religions for thousands of years.
(iv) Some people are not allowed to enter in public places; especially the places of worship, because they belong to another religion.
(v) Some religious people often end up in conflict with each other because of their rituals and way of life.

(i) A place of learning is called school.
(ii) Several schools were established in great numbers for the first time in Kancheepuram.
(iii) Jains studied in Jainapalli, and Buddhists studied in Viharas.
(iv) The greatness of Kanchi as an educational centre can be understand from the fact that the chinese traveller Hieun Tsang who studied at Nalanda University visited Kanchi 'Kadigai' to pursue his further studies.
(v) Poet kalidasa says, "Kanchi is the best of the towns".
(vi) Tamil poet saint Thirunavukarasar praises kanchi as "Kalviyil Karai illatha Kanchi".

(i) Scholars like Dharmabalar, Jothibalar, Sumathi and Bodhi Dharmar were born in Kanchi.
Bodhi Dharmar:
(i) Bodhi Dharmar is considered the found father of zen Buddhism
(ii) He taught martial arts to the Chinese and also how to control the breath to strengthen the blood and immune system energize the brain.
(iii) He passed away around 534 C.E.
Dharmapala:
(i) He lived in patatitta vihara near Kanchi.
(ii) He wrote pali commentaries for some of the Tripitakas.
(iii) He taught at Nalanda University but died young at the age of 32.

(i) Diversities are seen in landscapes, climate, natural vegetation and soil.
(ii) Diversities are seen in languages, races, religion, customs and caste. 
(iii) And also diversities are seen in habits and heritage, food and dress, art and architecture.
(iv) Irrespective of differences in all the above, we all take pride in calling ourselves as Indians.
(v) The feeling of oneness and unity among the people of various religious, castes of a country is called unity in diversity.

(i) The earth is the most suitable planet to support life.
(ii) It has thrge major components that we call as the realms of the Earth lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere.
Lithosphere:
(i) The lithosphere is the land on which we live.
(ii) It is the solid outer layer of the earth consisting of rocks and soils.
Hydrosphere:
(i) The hydrosphere consists of water bodies such as oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, ice caps.on mountains and water vapour in the atmosphere.
Atmosphere:
(i) Atmosphere is the envelope of air that surrounds the earth.
(ii) Different types of gases make up the atmosphere.
(iii) The major gases are Nitrogen 78% and Oxygen 21%.
(iv) The other gases like Carbon dioxide, Hydrogen, Helium, Argon and Ozone are present in meager amounts.
Biosphere:
(i) The narrow belt of interaction among the lithosphere, the hydrosphere and the atmosphere, where life exists is known as biosphere.
(ii) Bio means life in Greek.
(iii) It consists of distinct zones.
(iv) Each zone has its own climate, plant and animal life.
(iv) These zones are known as ecosystems.

(i) The Preamble of our constitution stresses on the justice, liberty, equality and fraternity.
(ii) According to it, India is a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular democratic republic.

(i) Right to Equality,
(ii) Right to freedom,
(iii) Right against exploitation,
(iv) Right to freedom of Religion,
(v) Cultural and Educational Rights and
(vi) Right to Constitutional Remedies

(i) The Constitution is an authentic document containing the basic ideas, principles and laws of a country.
(ii) It also defines the rights and duties of the citizens.
(iii) The laws governing a country originate from the Constitution.
(iv) Every country is ruled on the basis of its Constitution.

There is a Peacock Sanctuary at Viralimalai in the district of Pudukottai (Tamilnadu).

(i) The symbol of rupees is Rs.
(ii) This was designed by D. Udhayakumar from Tamil Nadu in the year 2010.

Tiger, Elephant, River dolphin of Ganges, Peacock, King Cobra, Banyan tree, mango, The Ganges and lotus are the natural national symbols.

The pledge was written by Pydimarri Venkata Subba Rao in Telugu