What is financial infrastructure?

The network of banks, payment systems and stock markets that helps manage money

What are the main things a bank does?

Holds deposits and lends money as loans

How do banks make money?

They pay lower interest on deposits and charge higher interest on loans

Earning interest on previous interest as well as on the original amount

Who ended the Maurya dynasty, and what followed?

The last Maurya emperor was assassinated around 185 BCE by his commander-in-chief Pushyamitra Shunga, leading to the break-up of the empire and the rise of many new kingdoms.

What contributions did the Satavahanas make?

They ruled the Deccan, promoted flourishing trade and maritime activity (shown by ships on their coins), contributed to the Karla caves, and often named their kings after their mothers, like Gautamiputra Satakarni.

Who was Kharavela, and what record did he leave?

Kharavela was a Chedi king of Kalinga and a follower of Jain teachings who respected all schools of thought; the Hathigumpha inscription records his military campaigns and welfare works year by year.

What is Sangam literature?

It is the oldest body of Tamil poetry, named after assemblies of poets, expressing personal emotions and societal values, and much used by historians to understand southern society.

What was the Grand Anicut, and who built it?

The Grand Anicut or Kallanai was a water-diversion structure built by the Chola king Karikala across the Kaveri, which brought more land under cultivation and is still in use today.

How did the Indo-Greeks influence Indian culture?

Though they arrived as conquerors, they absorbed local culture, blending Greek and Indian elements; the Heliodorus pillar near Vidisha, raised by a Greek ambassador, praises Vasudeva as the 'god of gods'.

What was special about Kushana coins and art?

Kushana coins depicted a variety of deities like Buddha and Shiva, reflecting tolerance, while their Gandhara and Mathura schools of art fused Indian and Greek styles.

What is the difference between the Gandhara and Mathura schools of art?

The Gandhara school blended Greco-Roman and Indian features using grey-black schist stone, while the Mathura school used red sandstone in a distinctly Indian style with fuller figures.

What major literary works were composed during this period?

Major Sanskrit texts such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana were composed, alongside the Tamil Sangam poetry and epics like the Silappadikaram.

CBSE · NCERT syllabus

CBSE Class 7 — Notes, Chapters & Practice Quizzes

Q: Why is this period called the 'age of reorganisation'?

Because after the Maurya Empire broke up, the existing regions were reorganised into many new kingdoms that constantly competed to become powerful.

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Chapter 6: The Age of Reorganisation — Class 7 Social Science

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Chapter 6: The Age of Reorganisation

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Why is this period called the 'age of reorganisation'?

Summary

This chapter covers the period after the Maurya Empire, from about the 2nd century BCE to the 3rd century CE, often called the 'age of reorganisation' because old regions were reshaped into many new competing kingdoms. After the last Maurya ruler was assassinated by Pushyamitra Shunga around 185 BCE, the empire broke up and the weakened northwest became open to invasions. The chapter surveys dynasties from within the Subcontinent — the Shungas (who performed the ashvamedha yajna and patronised the Bharhut Stupa), the Satavahanas of the Deccan (great patrons of trade, maritime activity and the Karla caves, who often named kings after their mothers), and the Chedis of Kalinga under Kharavela, who left the Hathigumpha inscription. It then turns to the powerful southern kingdoms — the Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas — whose era produced the celebrated Sangam literature and the epic Silappadikaram. It describes the Chola king Karikala's Grand Anicut (Kallanai) across the Kaveri. Finally it covers invaders who entered through the northwest and assimilated into Indian culture: the Indo-Greeks (Heliodorus pillar), the Shakas (who developed the Shaka Samvat calendar) and the Kushanas under Kanishka, whose Gandhara and Mathura schools of art blended Indian and Greek styles along the Silk Route.

Break-up of the Maurya EmpireThe Shungas, Satavahanas and ChedisSouthern kingdoms and Sangam literatureIndo-Greeks, Shakas and KushanasCultural assimilation and art

Key terms

Age of reorganisation

The period after the Maurya Empire when old regions were reshaped into many new, competing kingdoms across the Subcontinent.

Ashvamedha yajna

A Vedic horse sacrifice performed by rulers to declare their supremacy; a horse wandered freely and any unchallenged land was claimed for the king.

Sangam literature

The oldest body of Tamil poetry, composed by assemblies (sangams) of poets, valued by historians for its picture of southern society and culture.

Matrimonial alliance

An alliance between two kingdoms arranged through a royal marriage, used as a peaceful means of gaining influence.

Gandhara and Mathura art

Two famous schools of Kushana-era sculpture; Gandhara blended Greco-Roman and Indian features in grey schist, while Mathura used red sandstone in a distinctly Indian style.

Silk Route

The network of trade routes connecting China with the Mediterranean through Central Asia, controlled in part by the Kushanas.

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The period after the Maurya Empire when old regions were reshaped into many new, competing kingdoms across the Subcontinent.

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