National Heritage Chapter Notes | Social Studies Class 3 ICSE PDF Download

​Introduction

India is a country full of special things that have been with us for a long time. These things are called our heritage. Heritage means the treasures we get from our past, keep with us today, and give to the future. It belongs to all of us in India. We can divide our heritage into two types: natural heritage and cultural heritage. Let’s learn about both!

Natural Heritage

• Our natural heritage is the nature around us.
• It has special animals, birds, plants, mountains, rivers, and other things in our country.
• The Royal Bengal Tiger is a big cat found in India.
• The Great Indian Rhinoceros is a big animal with a horn on its nose.
• The Asian Elephant is a large animal with a long trunk.
• The Himalayas are very tall mountains in the north of India.
• The Ganga River is a long river that flows through many places in India.
• The banyan tree is a big tree with many branches and roots.
• The Bharatpur bird sanctuary is a place where many birds live.
• The Valley of Flowers is a beautiful place with lots of colorful flowers.

Fun Fact

Every year on 18 April, we celebrate World Heritage Day.

Cultural Heritage

India has a rich cultural heritage. It includes books, language, dance, music, stories, food, clothes, religion, buildings, designs, festivals, customs, and traditions.

Historical Monuments

• Long ago, kings and queens from different cultures ruled India.
• They made many buildings to remember special people or events.
• These buildings are tombs, forts, palaces, statues, and religious places like temples, mosques, and stupas.
• These buildings are called historical monuments.
• Each monument has a different design and story from the past.
• Today, these monuments are taken care of by a group called the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
• The Sanchi Stupais in Sanchi town, Madhya Pradesh.
  • It was made by King Ashoka.
  • It has a round shape like half a circle, called hemispherical.
  • It holds the relics of Buddha.
  • The gates around the stupa have carvings of Buddha’s life stories.
• The Pancha Rathasare in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu.
  • They were made by King Narasimhavarma.
  • Ratha means chariot.
  • Each ratha is named after the Pandava brothers from the Mahabharata story.
  • They are carved from one big rock, called a boulder.
• The Qutub Minaris in Delhi.
  • It was started by Qutub-ud-din Aibak and finished by Iltutmish.
  • It is made of red sandstone.
  • It has five levels and a spiral staircase with 379 steps.
  • It is the tallest stone tower in India.
• The Sun Templeis in Konark, Odisha.
  • It was made by King Narasimhadeva I.
  • It looks like a chariot for the Sun God Surya.
  • It has 12 pairs of wheels pulled by seven carved horses.
  • The walls have carvings of gods, goddesses, musicians, and dancers.
• The Taj Mahalis in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
  • It was made by Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
  • It is made of white marble.
  • It took about 22 years to finish.
  • The inside and outside have beautiful artistic designs.

​Fun Fact

In 2002, the Government of India started a program to tell people about our country’s tourism. It was named “Incredible India”.

Ancient Literature

• We love hearing poems and stories that teach us good values.
• Our old books are a big treasure of these stories and poems.
• The Panchatantra is a very old Indian book of animal stories.
• The Jataka Tales tell stories about Gautama Buddha in human and animal forms.
• The Mahabharata and the Ramayana are two big old poems of India.
  • The Ramayana tells the story of the fight between Rama and Ravana, the king of Lanka.
  • The Mahabharata tells the story of the war of Kurukshetra between the Kaurava and Pandava princes for their rights.
  • These stories are important treasures of our culture and heritage.

Dance, Music and Paintings

• Our cultural heritage also has different art forms passed down to us.
• Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Kathakali, and Odissi are some classical dances of India.
• There Findlay is a big dance from India.
• Hindustani and Carnatic are two types of classical music in India.
• Hindustani music started in north India.
• Carnatic music started in south India.
• Cave paintings in Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, Ajanta caves in Maharashtra, Mughal paintings, Kangra paintings, Miniature paintings, and Madhubani paintings are some examples of our cultural heritage.
• Our heritage, both natural and cultural, makes us who we are.
• It is important to protect our heritage.

Points To Remember

• Heritage means things passed down through generations.
• Our nature around us is our natural heritage.
• Old books, dance, music, paintings, and buildings are our cultural heritage.
• Old buildings and monuments have different styles of designs, paintings, and carvings.
• We must protect our natural and cultural heritage.

Glossary

• Unique: Special
• Literature: Written work
• Constructed: Built
• Hemispherical: Shape of half circle
• Relics: Remains Of somebody or objects to somebody
• Carve: Cut to form shapes
• Boulder: Large rock
• Fables: Stories having animal characters