Today 9/17 & 9/18
Day 1
• Quiz on Chapters 1 and 2
• Lecture
Objective:
• Exit
You will be able to
discuss how religion
influenced most aspects
of the development of
classical India(Theme 2
& 5)
Chapter 3
Classical India
Khyber Pass
Vedic and Epic Ages
• Pre Classical
– Formative time period
• Important building blocks of the Indian Identity
• Aryans enter stage left
– Developed a more organized society
• Caste System beginning to develop
– More Agriculture  move to the Ganges
• Writing
– Vedas, Mahabharata, Upanishads (means “to sit in
front of”)
Indian Identity
• More culturally diverse due to geography…makes
political unity difficult
• The developing religion doesn’t foster unity but
individuality
• Encouraged patriarchal control, tight-knit
families/communities
• No single language
– Sanskrit promoted as language of educated
(minimal)
Hinduism
• A very fluid religion
• Aryans brought a religion of many gods and
goddesses
– Very natural
– The importance of monkeys and cattle already
developing
• Central focus on Moral law
– Dharma
– Inner study and meditation
• Rather than fixed moral code
Hinduism Cont.
• The desire to live in the world and reach
higher spiritual goals
– Everyone must meet the obligation in their life
• Caste System
– Justified as a framework for the duties of the
world to be carried out
Caste System
The Spread of Hinduism
• Discuss the Spread of Hinduism
• Allowed many people to keep old beliefs
• Gave lower class people hope of a better life
through reincarnation
• Eventually all of India but not strong anywhere
else
Buddhism
• Started as a rebellion against Hinduism
• Siddhartha Gautama
– Kept some beliefs of Hinduism and not others
• The Four Noble Truths + Noble Eightfold Path
= Religious goal of Nirvana
• Buddha is divine
• It was a threat to the established Hindu way of
life
The Spread of Buddhism
• Discuss the spread of Buddhism
• Unlike Hinduism the spread of Buddhism
travelled out of India
– Monks
– As it spread it stayed relatively universal with
some variation
Take time to compare and contrast
Hinduism and Buddhism
Jainism
• Believe in Karma, Dharma and Moksha
• Expected to following five principle of living:
– Non Violence
– Speak the truth
– No stealing
– Only one spouse
– Avoid excess
Mauryan (322-200 BCE)
• Chandragupta: first to unify much of India
• Autocratic
– Increased government control over regional kingdoms
• There were 16 of them by 600BCE
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Emphasis on military strength
Falls after Ashoka
Primary impact is the strengthening of Buddhism
Controls larger empire than subsequent rulers
Tried to be a unified Dynasty but it was not
ingrained enough to last
Ashoka
• Most important ruler in Classical
India
– Brutal military commander who
extended the Empire throughout S. and
E. India
• Battle of Kalinga - 260 BCE
– Hundreds of thousands died or were
pushed out of their homes
• Ashoka and many Indian leaders
converted to Buddhism after this
battle
– He spent the rest of his life encouraging
• non-violence
• moderation
Guptas (320 – 535 CE)
• No single great leader
– More stable through negotiation and Marrying off daughters
• Utilized regional alliances and intermarriage
– Women also lost some power
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Promoted belief in divine conveyance of authority
Hinduism is the favored religion
Uniformed code of laws
No bureaucracy
– Regional alliance
• Silk Road served Gupta, Han, Rome and Persia Dynasties
• Decline caused by the rulers extravagant living and the
Huns being able to invade
Economy
• Agricultural based society
•
Grew Rice, Pepper, Wheat, Barley, Mustard, Sugar Cane, Medicinal Roots
• The family is the economic unit
• Improvements and Innovations
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New canals and irrigation
renovated major roads
built towns for spinning & weaving
uniform system of currency, weights and measures
• Increased trade by uniting India
• India traded silk, cotton, and spices to Mesopotamia,
China, Egypt and Rome
Intellectual/Art
• Some great pieces of literature were written
– Common themes of love and heroics
• Science and Math
– One of the worlds 1st university
– Sterilization and clean
– Small pox vaccine
– Number system still in use (0)
• Art
– Stupa: spherical shrines to Buddha
Problems
• The tradition here unlike China is not
Centralization but instead regionalism
– Diversity is the word
– Everything from Hinduism to Government Styles
• HOWEVER, Hinduism is strong enough to keep
the India Identity from being destroyed as
Classical India ends
How did the Hindu doctrine of dharma impact
Indian society?
a) It fostered the formation of rigid social and
economic groups
b) It was the basis of equality under the law
between men and women
c) It initiated an integrated economic system to aid
merchants
Today: 9/19 & 9/20
Day 2
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Practice Question
Reading Quiz
Finish any lecture
Caste Debate
Chart of India
Exit
Objective:
You will be able to
discuss how
religion influenced
most aspects of
the development
of classical
India(Theme 2 & 5)