KRIGYAN

India, a Home to Many

Class 7 · Social Science

1 idea in Class 7 Social Science, explained in plain words, with games and quizzes to practise.

Communities that Found a Home in India

Part of: Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions

Bene Israel Jews arrived ~175 BCE on the Konkan coast (south of Mumbai); numbered 25,000+ after independence. Jews in Kochi: Raja gave land "as long as the world, sun, and moon endure." Syriac Christians fled Roman/Persian persecution from 4th century CE to the Malabar coast (Kerala). Parsis fled Persia after the Islamic conquest (7th century CE); Zoroastrianism was state religion of the Sassanid Empire. Raja Jadi Rana of Sanjan (Gujarat) welcomed them. The sacred fire still burns at Udvada. India has the largest Zoroastrian population in the world.

Why it matters. India's openness to persecuted communities is a defining feature of its civilisation and explains much of its diversity.

Try it in two minutes

  1. Ask: when and where did the Bene Israel Jews arrive in India?
  2. Ask: why did the Parsis flee Persia?
  3. Ask: what was the legend of the milk and sugar?

Try at home. Ask your child to name three communities that came to India seeking refuge and one fact about each.

What your child will practise

  • Communities that Found a Home in India: Desert Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
  • Communities that Found a Home in India: Jungle Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
  • Communities that Found a Home in India: Time Travel Quest (Collect the Answer)
  • Quiz: Communities that Found a Home in India (8 questions)