Early India

The Land of India

  • India is a subcontinent b/c it’s separated from the rest of Asia by Himalayas (highest mountains in the world)
  • 5 nations made up Indian subcontinent: India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhuton & Bangladesh
  • The Ganges & Indus rivers create 2 fertile river valleys used for farming
  • Monsoons=strong wind that blows from 1 direction in winter & opposite direction in summer (bring rain in summer)
  • Early civilization arose near Indus River starting around 3000BC & lasted until 1500BC
  • Harappa & Mohenjo-Dero were large, well planned cities in Ancient India
  • These cities had wells, drains for waste-water, garbage chutes and organized govt.
  • Houses were made from mud bricks
  • Farmers grew wheat, barley, peas & cotton
  • City dwellers were artisans
  • The Harappans traded goods w/people from other lands

The Aryans

  • Hunters who also raised & herded cattle
  • Nomads & expert warriors w/metal tipped spears & wooded chariots
  • Migrated to Indus River valley from central Asia
  • Aryans farmed & raised cattle (individual wealth was measured by # of cattle a person owned)
  • They eventually made cattle sacred
  • Aryans invented iron plow & built canals
  • Developed written language called Sanskrit
  • Tribes were led by raja (prince) who ran small kingdoms

Society in Ancient India

Caste (jati)- social group that someone is born into and cannot change

Caste System

Brahmins => Priests

Kshatriyas=> warriors, rulers

Vaisyas=> common people

Sudras=> unskilled laborers & servants

Unotuchables- not part of any caste (they did dirty work & led difficult lives)

  • Men’s lives were considered more important than women’s
  • In most cases, only men could inherit property, go to school or become priests
  • Parents arranged marriages & divorce was not allowed

Hinduism and Buddhism

Hinduism:

  • One of the oldest religions & 3rd largest in the world
  • The Brahman is the universal spirit made up of 1000’s of deities

Upanishad- ancient sacred text that describe search for Brahman

Dharma- divine law of Hindus (must perform duties of their caste)

Karma- consequences of how a person lives

Reincarnation- idea of passing through many lives to reach Brahman

Buddhism:

Founded by Siddhartha Gautama (man who became known as the Buddha or “Enlightened One”

Siddhartha Gautama– prince who left family to travel. He witnessed suffering and questioned the need for suffering. Legend tells he meditated under a tree for 49 days & he understood. He spent the rest of his life traveling & sharing his discovery.

Nirvana- a state of wisdom when a person gives up all desires

The core of Buddha’s teaching is the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path describes the steps to eliminate suffering.

Theravada Buddhists believe the Buddha was a great teacher, not a god

Mahayan Buddhists believe he was a god sent to save the people

-Tibet is a country in central Asia. Mahayan Buddhism mixed with traditional Tibetan religion & Hinduism to create a special kind of Thahayana Buddhism

-In Tibet, religious leaders (lamas) headed the government

  • Dalai Lama~ Government leader
  • Panchen Lama~ Religious leader

Theocracy- form of government in which religious leaders are heads of the government

India’s 1st Empires

The Mauryan Dynasty:

Chandragupta Mauryan -Indian prince, founded India’s 1st empire (Mauryan Dynasty)

dynasty- series of rulers from the same family

  • Chandragupta controlled his dynasty by keeping a strong army & using spies

Many historians consider Asoka the Mauryan dynasty’s greatest king.

  • After being a strong military leader, Asoka turned away from violence to follow Buddhism
  • Asoka built hospitals, new roads & sent teachers around India to teach Buddhism
  • After his death the empire became weak & Mauryan Empire fell

The Gupta Empire

-After another 500 years of fighting, another Chandragupta took power & founded the Gupta Dynasty

-After his death, his son, Samudragupta took over and expanded the empire

-The Guptas ruled for 200 years & grew wealthy from trade with China & kingdoms in southeast Asia & the Mediterranean

Pilgrims- people who often used the trade routes to travel to a religious shrine or site

-Visiting pilgrims helped make cities wealthy

-The Guptas were Hindus

-The golden age of art and learning in India was during the Gupta Empire

Indian Literature & Science

The Vedas of India- Ancient collection of sacred verses, hymns & prayers (recorded in Sanskrit)

Mahabarata & Ramayana- 2 sacred texts still famous in India

Aryabhata- 1 of 1st scientists to use algebra

-Mathematicians in Gupta Empire developed symbols for #’s 1-9 that we still use today & invented algorithms & ideas of zero

-also developed ideas in astronomy and medicine