NCERT Solutions for Class 7th Social Science Chapter 6 The Age of Reorganisation
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
The Maurya empire broke up, and the map of India was redrawn. The last Maurya emperor was assassinated around 185 BCE by his commander-in-chief Puṣhyamitra Śhunga — hardly half a century after Aśhoka. Many new kingdoms emerged, most of them earlier tributary kingdoms under Maurya overlordship. Because the existing regions were being reorganised into new competing kingdoms, some scholars call the period the ‘age of reorganisation’ . Nine dynasties fill the map (Fig. 6.2) — six from within, three from outside. From within the Subcontinent: Śhungas, Chedis, Sātavāhanas, Cholas, Cheras, Pānḍyas . From outside: Indo-Greeks, Śhakas (Indo-Scythians) and Kuṣhāṇas . They competed for territory by two means — matrimonial alliances and warfare — especially along the borders. In the Deccan the Sātavāh
- Chapter opening
- The break-up of the Maurya empire
- Surge of the Śhungas
- Fig. 6.7, a panel from the Bharhut Stūpa
- Fig. 6.6 (page 123), Some Śhunga Contribution to Art
- Life under the Sātavāhanas
- Fig. 6.12, a yakṣha from the Pitalkhora caves
- Coming of the Chedis
- The Udayagiri–Khandagiri caves and rock-cut architecture
- Fig. 6.14, Kingdoms in the South
Quick revision
| Term | What it means | Where it appears in the chapter | Worth remembering |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age of Reorganisation | The post-Maurya period, when older regions were reorganised into new, competing kingdoms | Page 118 | Roughly 200 BCE to 300 CE — the span of the chapter's timeline |
| Matrimonial alliance | An alliance arranged through a marriage, generally between two royal families — a king often offering his daughter to a neighbouring royal family | Margin note, page 120 | The peaceful way of gaining control; the other way was war |
| Aśhvamedha yajña | A Vedic ritual in which a horse wandered freely with soldiers; land it crossed unchallenged became the king's, and a challenge meant battle | Don't Miss Out, page 121 | Performed by Puṣhyamitra Śhunga and by a Sātavāhana widow queen |
| Bharhut Stūpa | A stūpa in present-day Madhya Pradesh, probably built under Aśhoka; the Śhungas added carved railings and reliefs | Page 122, Figs. 6.5 and 6.7 | Among the earliest examples of Buddhist art |
| Sātavāhanas | A powerful Deccan dynasty (from the 2nd century BCE), sometimes called ‘Andhras’ | Pages 124–128 | Capitals Amrāvatī and Pratiṣhṭhāna (Paithan) |
| Naneghat caves | Caves near Pune on a major trade route, used to collect tolls and taxes and as a rest house for traders | Page 125, Fig. 6.9 | Their inscriptions record a queen's dāna and early Brahmi numerals |
| Hāthīgumphā inscription | A Brahmi inscription in a cave at Udayagiri recording King Khāravela's achievements year by year | Page 129, Fig. 6.13.2 | Khāravela calls himself ‘respector of every sect and repairer of every temple’ |
| Rock-cut architecture | Architecture created by cutting chambers and pillars out of living rock instead of building them up | Page 128 | Udayagiri–Khandagiri (Jain) and Karla (Buddhist) caves |
| Sangam literature | Anthologies of Tamil poems by an assembly of poets; from Sanskrit sangha, ‘association', ‘coming together' | Page 130 | The oldest literature of south India; it names the three crowned kings |
| Kallaṇai (Grand Anicut) | Karikāla's water-diversion system on the Kāveri, just downstream of Srirangam island | Page 132, Fig. 6.17 | Still in use; made the delta the ‘rice bowl of the South' |
| Śhaka Samvat | The calendar era developed under the Śhakas, 78 years behind the Gregorian (79 from January to March) | Don't Miss Out, page 135 | Adopted as the Indian National Calendar in 1957 |
| Silk Route | The trade network connecting China with the Mediterranean world through central Asia and Persia | Fig. 6.25, pages 138–139 | The Kuṣhāṇas controlled significant sections of it |
| Gāndhāra school | Art of the western Punjab region blending Greco-Roman with Indian features, mostly in grey-black schist | Page 137, Fig. 6.24 | Realistic anatomy, flowing robes, fine detail |
| Mathurā school | Art of the Mathura region in a distinctly Indian style, mostly in red sandstone | Page 140, Fig. 6.26 | Fuller figures, smooth modelling, Indian deities, yakṣhas and yakṣhiṇīs |
Exercises
- Chapter opening — The Big Questions Page 117
- The break-up of the Maurya empire — LET'S EXPLORE Page 118
- Fig. 6.2, Prominent dynasties of India during the age of reorganisation — LET'S REMEMBER Page 119
- Fig. 6.2 compared with the map of the Maurya empire (Fig. 5.13, page 100) — LET'S EXPLORE Page 120
- Surge of the Śhungas — In-text Questions Page 122
- Fig. 6.7, a panel from the Bharhut Stūpa — LET'S EXPLORE Page 124
- Fig. 6.6 (page 123), Some Śhunga Contribution to Art — LET'S EXPLORE Page 124
- Life under the Sātavāhanas — THINK ABOUT IT Page 126
- Life under the Sātavāhanas — THINK ABOUT IT Page 126
- Fig. 6.12, a yakṣha from the Pitalkhora caves — THINK ABOUT IT Page 127
- Coming of the Chedis — In-text Questions Page 128
- The Udayagiri–Khandagiri caves and rock-cut architecture — THINK ABOUT IT Page 129
- Fig. 6.14, Kingdoms in the South — THINK ABOUT IT Page 129
- Fig. 6.16, statue of King Karikāla at the Grand Anicut Memorial Park — THINK ABOUT IT Page 132
- The Cheras — THINK ABOUT IT Page 133
- Fig. 6.18, coins under Chera kings — In-text Questions Page 133
- The Pānḍyas — THINK ABOUT IT Page 134
- Invasions of the Indo-Greeks — LET'S EXPLORE Page 135
- The Emergence of the Kuṣhāṇas — LET'S EXPLORE Page 136
- Fig. 6.23, the coins of Kaṇiṣhka — LET'S EXPLORE Page 136
- ‘Let's reflect on the following' — In-text Questions Page 137
- The Gāndhāra school of art — THINK ABOUT IT Page 137
- Fig. 6.27 (page 141) — LET'S EXPLORE Page 140
- The chapter in four points, with the timeline of Fig. 6.28 — Before we move on … Page 142–143
- End-of-chapter exercise — Questions and activities Page 143