LESSON 1

INDIA- GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES

AND THEIR IMPACT ON HISTORY

Learning Objectives
Students will acquire knowledge about
1. The geographical features of India.

2. The Himalayan Mountains and their impact on Indian

history.

3. The Gangetic plains and their role in Indian history.

4. The Southern Peninsula and its effects on South Indian

history.

5. India’s unity in diversity

It is generally said that history has two eyes – one is

chronology and the other is geography. In other words time and
space are significant factors in determining the historical process. In
particular, a country’s geography largely determines its historical
events. The history of India is also influenced by its geography.
Hence, the study of Indian geographical features contributes to the
better understanding of its history.
The Indian subcontinent is a well-defined geographical unit.
It may be divided into three major regions: the Himalayan Mountains,
the Indo-Gangetic Plains and the Southern Peninsula. There are
five countries in the subcontinent – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Nepal and Bhutan. India is the largest among them and it comprises
twenty-eight states and six Union Territories. According to the 2001
Census, the population of India is over one hundred crores.

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The Himalayan Mountains The valley of Kashmir is surrounded by high mountains. However,
The Himalayan Mountains are situated on the north of India. it could be reached through several passes. The Kashmir valley
Starting from the Pamir in the extreme northwest of India, the mighty remains unique for its tradition and culture. Nepal is also a small
Himalayan range extends towards northeast. It has a length of nearly valley under the foot of the Himalayas and it is accessible from
2560 kilometres with an average breadth of 240 to 320 kilometres. Gangetic plains through a number of passes.
The highest peak of the Himalayas is known as Mount Everest with In the east, the Himalayas extend up to Assam. The important
its height being 8869 metres. It acts as a natural wall and protects mountains in this region are Pat Koi, Nagai and Lushai ranges. These
the country against the cold arctic winds blowing from Siberia through hills are covered with thick forests due to heavy rains and mostly
Central Asia. This keeps the climate of northern India fairly warm remain inhospitable. The mountains of northeast India is difficult to
throughout the year. The Himalayan region is mostly inhospitable in cross and many parts of this region had remained in relative isolation.
winter and generally covered with snow. The Indo-Gangetic Plain
It was considered for a long time that the Himalayas stood as The Indo-Gangetic plain is irrigated by three important rivers,
a natural barrier to protect India against invasions. But, the passes the Ganges, Indus and Brahmaputra. This vast plain is most fertile
in the northwest mountains such as the Khyber, Bolan, Kurram and and productive because of the alluvial soil brought by the streams
Gomal provided easy routes between India and Central Asia. These of the rivers and its tributaries.
passes are situated in the Hindukush, Sulaiman and Kirthar ranges.
The Indus river rises beyond the Himalayas and its major
From prehistoric times, there was a continuous flow of traffic through tributaries are the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Beas. The Punjab
these passes. Many people came to India through these passes as plains are benefited by the Indus river system. The literal meaning of
invaders and immigrants. The Indo-Aryans, the Indo-Greeks, the term ‘Punjab’ is the land of five rivers. Sind is situated at the lower
Parthians, Sakas, Kushanas, Hunas and Turks entered India through valley of the Indus. The Indus plain is known for its fertile soil.
these passes. The Swat valley in this region formed another
The Thar Desert and Aravalli hills are situated in between the
important route. Alexander of Macedon came to India through this
Indus and Gangetic plains. Mount Abu is the highest point (5650 ft.) in
route. Apart from invading armies, missionaries and merchants came the Aravalli hills. The Ganges river rises in the Himalayas, flows south
to India using these routes. Therefore, these passes in the northwest and then towards the east. The river
mountains had facilitated trade as well as cultural contacts between Yamuna flows almost parallel to the
India and the Central Asia. Ganges and then joins it. The area
In the north of Kashmir is Karakoram Range. The second between these two rivers is called doab
highest peak in the world, Mount Godwin Austen is situated here. – meaning the land between two rivers.
The important tributaries of the Ganges
This part of the Himalayas and its passes are high and snow-covered
are the Gomati, Sarayu, Ghagra and
in the winter. The Karakoram highway via Gilgit is connected to Thar Desert Gandak.
Central Asia but there was little communication through this route.

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 In the east of India, the Ganges plain merges into the plains of to cut into, we find a number of rock-cut monasteries and temples
Brahmaputra. The river Brahmaputra rises beyond the Himalayas, flows in the Deccan.
across Tibet and then continues through the plains of northeast India. In The Deccan plateau is flanked by the Eastern Ghats and
the plains, it is a vast but a slow-moving river forming several islands. Western Ghats. The Coramandal Coast stands between the Eastern
The Indo-Gangetic plain has contributed to the rise of urban Ghats and the Bay of Bengal. The Western Ghats runs along the
centres, particularly on the river banks or at the confluence of rivers. Arabian sea and the lands between these are known as Konkan up
The Harappan culture flourished in the Indus valley. The Vedic culture to Goa and beyond that as Kanara. The southernmost part is known
prospered in the western Gangetic plain. Banares, Allahabad, Agra, as Malabar Coast. The passes in the Western Ghats like Junnar,
Delhi and Pataliputra are some of the important cities of the Gangetic Kanheri and Karle linked the trade routes to the western ports. The
plain. The city of Pataliputra was situated at the confluence of Son Deccan plateau acted as a bridge between the north and south India.
river with the Ganges. In the ancient period Pataliputra had remained However, the dense forests in the Vindhya Mountains makes this
the capital for the Mauryas, Sungas, Guptas and other kingdoms. region isolated from the north. The language and culture in the
The most important city on the western side of the Gangetic plain southern peninsula are preserved in tact for a long time due to this
is Delhi. Most of the decisive battles of Indian history such as the geographical isolation.
Kurukshetra, Tarain and Panipat were fought near Delhi. Also, this In the southern end remains the famous Palghat Pass. It is the
plain had always been a source of temptation and attraction for the passage across the Ghats from the Kaveri valley to the Malabar
foreign invaders due to its fertility and productive wealth. Important Coast. The Palghat Pass was an important trade route for the Indo-
powers fought for the possession of these plains and valleys. Especially Roman trade in the ancient times. The Anaimudi is the highest peak
the Ganga-Yamuna doab proved to be the most coveted and contested in the southern peninsula. Doddapetta is another highest peak in the
area. Western Ghats. The Eastern Ghats are not very high and have several
The rivers in this region served as arteries of commerce and openings caused by the eastward flow of the rivers into the Bay of
communication. In ancient times it was difficult to make roads, and Bengal. The port cities of Arikkamedu, Mamallapuram and
so men and material were moved by boat. The importance of rivers Kaveripattanam were situated on the Coramandal coast.
for communication continued till the days of the East India Company. The major rivers of the southern peninsula are almost running
The Southern Peninsula parallel. Mahanadhi is at the eastern end of the peninsula. Narmadha
and Tapti run from east to west. Other rivers like the Godavari,
The Vindhya and Satpura mountains along with Narmada and Krishna, Tungabhadra and Kaveri flow from west to east. These
the Tapti rivers form the great dividing line between northern and rivers make the plateau into a fertile rice producing soil. Throughout
southern India. The plateau to the south of the Vindhya Mountains history, the region between Krishna and Tungabhadra (Raichur
is known as the Deccan plateau. It consists of volcanic rock, which Doab) remained a bone of contention between the major kingdoms
is different from the northern mountains. As these rocks are easier of the south. The deltaic plains formed by these two rivers at their

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mouths became famous under the Satavahanas. A number of towns religions, and observe different social customs, they follow certain
and ports flourished in these plains in the beginning of the Christian common styles of life throughout the country. Therefore, our country
era. shows a deep underlying unity in spite of great diversity.
The Kaveri delta constitutes a distinct geographical zone in In fact, the ancients strove for unity. They looked upon this
the far south. It became the seat of the Chola power. The Kaveri vast subcontinent as one land. The name Bharatavarsha or the
basin with its rich tradition, language and culture has flourished from land of Bharata was given to the whole country, after the name of
the ancient times. an ancient tribe called the Bharatas. Our ancient poets, philosophers
As the southern peninsula is gifted with a long coastline, the and writers viewed the country as an integral unit. This kind of political
people of this region took keen interest in the maritime activities. A unity was attained at least twice during the Mauryan and Gupta
great deal of trade and commerce went on through the seaways Empires.
from the earliest times. In the east, mariners reached countries like The unity of India was also recognized by foreigners. They
Jawa, Sumatra, Burma and Cambodia. Apart from trade, they first came into contact with the people living on the Sindhu or the
spread Indian art, religion and culture in these parts of the world. Indus, and so they named the whole country after this river. The
The commercial contacts between south India and the Greco-Roman word Hind is derived from the Sanskrit term Sindhu, and in course
countries flourished along with cultural relations. of time the country came to be known as ‘India’ in Greek, and
India – A Land of Unity in Diversity ‘Hind’ in Persian and Arabic languages.

The history of ancient India is interesting because India proved Efforts for the linguistic and cultural unity of the country were
to be a melting pot of numerous races. The pre-Aryans, the Indo- made through the ages. In the third century B.C., Prakrit language
Aryans, the Greeks, the Scythians, the Hunas, the Turks, etc., made served as the lingua franca of the country. Throughout the major
India their home. Each ethnic group contributed its might to the portion of India, Asoka’s inscriptions were written in the Prakrit
making of Indian culture. All these peoples mixed up so inextricably language. Also, the ancient epics, the Ramayana and the
with one another that at present none of them can be identified in Mahabharata, were studied with the same zeal and devotion
their original form. Different cultures mingled with one another throughout the country. Originally composed in Sanskrit, these epics
through the ages. Many pre-Aryan or Dravidian terms occur in the came to be presented in different local languages. Although the Indian
Vedic texts. Similarly, many Pali and Sanskritic terms appear in the cultural values and ideas were expressed in different forms, the
Sangam literature. substance remained the same throughout the country.

Since ancient times, India has been the land of several religions. Hence, India has emerged a multi-religious and multi-cultural
Ancient India witnessed the birth of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. society. However, the underlying unity and integrity and the plural
But all these cultures and religions intermingled with one another. character of Indian society remain the real strength for the
Although Indians people speak different languages, practice different development of the country.

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Learning Outcome MODEL QUESTIONS
After learning this lesson the students will be able to explain I. Choose the correct answer.
1. The geographical features of India. 1. Alexander of Macedon came to India through
2. The details of the Himalayan Mountains, the passes in (a) Deccan Plateau (b) Kharakoram range
the northwest and how they were used by the foreign
(c) Swat valley (d) Aravalli hills
invaders, traders and migrants.
2. The region between two rivers is called
3. The river systems of the Indo-Gangetic Gangetic valley
and their impact on the historical events such as battles (a) Plateau (b) Peninsula
and emergence of urban centres. (c) Doab (d) Peak
4. The southern peninsula, the long coasts which II. Fill in the blanks.
contributed to a lot of maritime activities.
1. The river Ganges rises in …….
5. How India emerged as a multicultural society and the
same is successfully sustained over the centuries.
2. The highest peak in the southern peninsula is ……
III. Match the following.
1. Mount Everest a) Aravalli hills
2. Mount Abu b) Kharakoram
3. Doddabetta c) Himalayas
4. Godwin Austin d) Western Ghats
IV. Find out the correct statement. One statement alone is
right.
a) Narmada river runs from east to west.
b) Kaveri river runs from south to north.
c) Yamuna river merges with Tapti.
d) Maha Nadhi river irrigates the Punjab region.

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V. State whether the following statements are true or False. LESSON 2
1. The city of Pataliputra was situated at the confluence of Ganges PRE-HISTORIC INDIA AND
with Brahmaputra. THE HARAPPAN CULTURE
2. The long coast line in the southern peninsula contributed to
the growth of maritime trade. Learning Objectives
Students will acquire knowledge about
3. The Palghat Pass is situated on the Western Ghats.
1. The Pre-historic period.
4. India is a multi-cultural society.
2. Origin and evolution of the Harappan Civilization.
VI. Write short notes (Any three points).
3. Socio-economic condition of the Harappan people.
1. Himalayan Mountains.
4. Cultural life of the Harappans.
2. Deccan Plateau.
5. The Decline of the Harappan Civilization.
3. Rivers of southern peninsula
4. Multi-cultural society.
The history of human settlements in India goes back to
VII. Answer briefly (100 words). prehistoric times. No written records are available for the pre-
1. Write a note on the impact of the Indo-Gangetic Plains on the historic period. However, plenty of archaeological remains are found
history of India. in different parts of India to reconstruct the history of this period.
They include the stone tools, pottery, artifacts and metal implements
2. Briefly describe the geography of South India.
used by pre-historic people. The development of archaeology helps
VIII. Answer in detail (200 words). much to understand the life and culture of the people who lived in
1. Assess the impact of geography on the history of India. this period.

2. ‘India is a land of unity in diversity’ – Elucidate. In India, the prehistoric period is divided into the Paleolithic
(Old Stone Age), Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age), Neolithic (New
Stone Age) and the Metal Age. However, these periods were not
uniform throughout the Indian subcontinent. The dating of the pre-
historic period is done scientifically. The technique of radio-carbon
dating is commonly used for this purpose. It is based on measuring
the loss of carbon in organic materials over a period of time. Another
dating method is known as dendro-chronology. It refers to the

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