In the fifth standard, we saw at some
length that there is a close relationship
between man and his environment. We saw
how the changes in the lifestyle of the early
man and his technology were related to the
changes in his surroundings. We also
reviewed the history of human civilization
from the Stone Age to the agricultural
civilizations that flourished on the banks
of rivers.
History is a coherent account of the
significant past events in the progress of
human culture. Time, place, society and
individuals are the four major pillars of
history. We cannot write history without
them. Of these four components, ‘place’ is
related to geography or geographical
conditions. In this sense, history and geography are inseparable. History is
influenced by geographical conditions in
many wayOur diet, clothing, housing, occupation,
in fact, all human life in any region depends
to a large extent on its geographical
characteristics. For example, the life of the
people in hilly regions is more strenuous
than that of the people on the plains. Not
much fertile land is available in the hilly
regions, while in the plains, it is available
on a large scale. That is why, grains and
vegetables are scarce in hilly areas.
In comparison, people on the plains get
them in a sufficient measure. Naturally,
this has an impact on the diet of the people.
In hilly regions, people depend more on
hunting and gathering for their food. We
also find other such differences in the
lifestyle of the people of the hilly regions
and those of the plains.
The climate, rainfall, agricultural
produce, flora and fauna of the region
where we live are the sources of our
livelihood. The lifestyle and culture of a
region develops with their support. Human
settlements have flourished wherever the
means of living are plentiful. Over a period
of time, these settlements develop further
into villages and towns. But sometimes
reasons like the degradation of the
environment, drought, invasions, etc. lead
to the scarcity of those means. People are
forced to leave their settlements. Villages
and towns become deserted. We see many
such instances in history. Thus we see that
there is a very close relation between history
and geography.
1.2 Geographical features of India
Our country India extends far and wide.
At its north lie the Himalayas; to the east,
the Bay of Bengal; to the west the Arabian
Sea; and to the south, the Indian Ocean.
Except for the islands of Andaman -
Nicobar and Lakshwadeep, the rest of the
country is contiguous.
We have to take into account this
region, henceforth referred to as ‘ancient
India’, when we study the ancient history of
India. Before 1947, today’s Pakistan and
Bangladesh were also a part of India.
The following regions are seen to be
important when we look at the course of
Indian history.
1. The Himalayas
2. The plains of Sindhu-GangaBrahmaputra rivers
3. The Thar Desert
4. The Deccan Plateau
5. The coastal regions
6. The islands in the seas
1. Himalayas : The Hindukush and
Himalaya ranges have created an
impenetrable wall on the northern side of
the Indian subcontinent. This wall has
separated the Indian subcontinent from the
deserts of Central Asia. However, there is a
land route through the Khyber and Bolan
passes in the Hindukush mountains. This
route was connected to an ancient trade
route. The trade route from China passed
through Central Asia and reached Arabia. It
is known as the ‘Silk Route’ or ‘Silk Road’,
because silk was the main commodity
exported to the western countries using this
road. The route through the passes was used
by many foreign invaders to enter ancient
India. Many foreign travellers also came to
India by this route.
Himalaya
2. The plains of the Sindhu-GangaBrahmaputra : This region consists of the
basins of the three big rivers, Sindhu,
Ganga, Brahmaputra and their tributaries.
This region extends from Sindh-Punjab in
the west to the present day Bangladesh in
the east. It was in this region that the earliest
Indian civilization of Harappa and the later
States and empires of ancient India
emerged. The Thar Desert : The Thar desert
spreads across Rajasthan, Haryana and
some parts of Gujarat. A part of the desert
lies in today’s Pakistan. The desert has the
Satluj river to its north, the Aravalli
mountain range to its east, the Rann of
Kachchh to its south and the Indus (Sindhu)
river to its west. The Ghaggar river that
originates in Himachal Pradesh reaches the
Thar desert. It is known as ‘Hakra’ in
Pakistan. Its course in Rajasthan and
Pakistan has now dried up. Many sites of
the Harappan civilization are situated along
the now dry course of the river.
4. The Deccan Plateau : The region
between the east and the west coast of India
tapers off to the south. This region has the Arabian Sea to its west, the Indian Ocean
to its south, and the Bay of Bengal to its
east. A region thus bound by the sea on
three sides is called a peninsula. A major
part of the Indian peninsula is occupied by
the Deccan Plateau.
The mountain ranges of the Vindhya
and Satpuda are located to the north of the
Deccan Plateau. The Sahyadri mountain
ranges are to its west. They are also known
as the ‘Western Ghats’. To the west of the
Sahyadris is the coastal region of Konkan
and Malabar . The mountains on the eastern
side of the Deccan plateau are known as the
‘Eastern Ghats’. Deccan Plateau has fertile
land where many post-Harappan agrarian
cultures flourished. Deccan Plateau was a
part of the Maurya empire, the largest in
ancient India. After the decline of the
Maurya empire, too, several other kingdoms
and smaller empires continued to flourish
in this region.
5. The coastal regions : From the time
of the Harappan civilization, ancient India
had trade relations with the western
countries. This trade was carried on by sea.
Therefore, India had developed contact and
interaction with foreign cultures and people
at the sea ports. Later on, land routes came
to be used for trade and transport. But the
importance of sea routes did not diminish.
6. The islands in the sea : Andaman
and Nicobar are the Indian islands in the
Bay of Bengal. Lakshadweep is a group of
Indian islands in the Arabian Sea. The
location of these islands may have been
important in ancient sea trade. The
manuscript ‘Periplus of the Erythrean Sea’
or ‘Handbook of the Red Sea’ makes a
mention of Indian islands. It has been
written by an unknown Greek sailor. 1.3 The Indian subcontinent
The cities of Harappa and
Mohen-jo-daro are in today’s Pakistan.
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India together
form the region known as South Asia.
Considering the expanse and significance
of India in this region, it is also known as
the Indian subcontinent. The Harappancivilization had spread mainly in the
northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent.
China and Myanmar, our neighbouring
countries, are not a part of South Asia or
the Indian subcontinent. However, they had
cultural and trade relations with ancient
India. They have an important place in the
study of ancient Indian history.
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