Indian Empires
Geography
• Subcontinent
• Isolated, but not as much
as China
• Himalayan Mts. (Kyber
pass)
• Indian Ocean
• Monsoons- good for
crops but could also be
unpredictable and
destructive (sounds like
what?)
Before the Empires (400 B.C.E.)
• Diverse peoples- government and
economy differed from place to place
Aryans (Vedic Age)
• After/during the collapse of the Indus Valley, a
group of people known as the Aryans move in
(c. 1500 B.C.E.)
• Where are they from?
• Warlike
• Originally nomadic- learn agriculture from
Dravidians (Dasas)
• Set up a social hierarchy with themselves at the
top
• “Infiltrate” Indian culture but do not create an
empire
• Created literary epics
• Later written in Sanskrit Called the Vedas
(knowledge)
• Other stories (Epic Age):
– Mahabharata
– Ramayana
– Upanishads (epic poems)
• These are the roots of Indian Culture
Sanskrit vowels, diacritics and
sample text
Caste System
• Because the Aryans regarded the people
they conquered as inferior
• Castes (Jatis)- by occupation
– Brahmins (priests)
– Kshatriyas (warriors)
– Vaishyas (Merchants)
– Shudras (servers/laborers) (20%)
• Untouchables (Harijan) (out-caste)
Untouchables
• Castes were hereditary
• Most rigid social structure
of an early civilization
• Possible to change
caste?
• Based on Vedic Age
writings
• Over time becomes more
rigid and complex
• Purpose of Caste
system?
• Benefits of the Caste
system?
First Empires
• 600 B.C.E- India not yet unified (16
warring states)
• 322 B.C.E.- Chandragupta Maurya founds
Maurya dynasty
• Who influenced him?
• Harsh and paranoid leader
• Body guards; spies; palace
The Maurya Empire
Maurya rulers created a strong central
government. These rulers:
• supervised the building of roads
and harbors.
• collected taxes and managed stateowned factories.
• created royal courts.
Ashoka- The Most Honored King
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Ashoka was Chandragupta’s grandson
Starts off ruthless
Converts to Buddhism
Sends missionaries
Pillars
Improved trade and communication;
stability
Describe the rise and importance of the
Mauryan Empire. (324 -184 B.C.E)
• The Mauryan Empire
• overcame natural and geographic obstacles, as well as India’s
complex social hierarchy, to politically unify India.
• Legacy
• The Mauryan Empire’s longest-lasting impact was to expedite
the formation of a common Indian civilization.
• Particularly important was the conversion of the Mauryan ruler
Ashoka to Buddhism, resulting in the spread of Buddhist
influence.
• Even after the collapse of the Mauryan Empire, there continued
to be economic, cultural, and intellectual development that was
at least partially due to Mauryan rule.
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•
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Empire falls apart, then
320 C.E. Gupta empire begins
Golden Age (Classical Era)
Political stability
Less centralized
Lasts until 535 C.E. (Huns/Hunas)
The Guptas 320 – 535 C.E.
2
Under the Guptas, India enjoyed a
period of great cultural achievement.
“Golden Age”
Learning…
Scholars taught many subjects
at Hindu and Buddhist schools.
The Golden Age of the
Guptas
2
Under the Guptas, India enjoyed a
period of great cultural achievement.
Medicine…
Doctors treated illnesses with
herbs, performed surgery, set
broken bones, and vaccinated
against smallpox. Could not…?
The Golden Age of the
Guptas
2
Under the Guptas, India enjoyed a
period of great cultural achievement.
Mathematics…
Mathematicians invented
system of numbers we use
today (Arabic) and developed
the decimal system and
concept of zero.
The Golden Age of the
Guptas
2
Under the Guptas, India enjoyed a
period of great cultural achievement.
Architecture…
Builders designed magnificent
stone temples and domeshaped shrines called stupas.
Art…
More stylized and abstract
Fall of the Guptas
• Invasions by the Hunas break apart the
empire, introduce new groups of people to
the empire, and decrease trade
• Local princes gain power; so does
Hinduism
• Do not re-centralize the country
Mauryans and Guptas
compared
• Both control key economic aspects of
society; trade routes etc.
• Wealth goes to elites, as usual
• Gupta were less centralized
• Mauryans (Hindu then Buddhist)
• Guptas (Return to Hinduism)
• Maurya had larger empire
• Both unite diverse peoples under a single
rule
Women
• The status and freedom of women decreased over
time. A woman’s duties were to marry, obey her
husband, and raise children.
• Ritual of Sati
• The most extreme example of Indian women’s
position in which a widow was expected to cremate
herself on her husband’s funeral pyre.
Discuss the ways that early Southeast Asia participated in the
world system.
• Location
• the strategic location of Southeast Asia in the global trade
routes connecting China, India, and the Mediterranean.
• expanded trade networks and contributed goods
• The impressive navigational skills
• riding the monsoon winds and interpreting wave patterns,
clouds, swells, and winds led them to explore the Indian and
Pacific Oceans and knit together the shores of India, East Asia,
and the islands of the Pacific.
• Religion
• Hindu/Buddhist culture served as a source of knowledge,
prestige, and legitimacy for rulers
• They fused Indian religious and political ideas and methods
with their own traditions to create a unique culture.
• Legacy
• important role as a linkage and contributor to the world system
by sailing and trading, absorbing and sharing in the world
Hinduism and Buddhism
Ancient India
Ganesha
Hinduism is the world's oldest
organized religion, and the third most practiced in the
world
Roots of Hinduism
• Grew out of early Aryan beliefs in
multiple Gods.
• Evolved to contain the
overlapping beliefs of peoples in
India
• Sacred texts
• Beliefs come from the Vedas and
other Indian epics, poems and
songs- Upanishads;
Mahabharata; Bhagavad-Gita
(duty over desire); Ramayana
• No single founder
Polytheistic or monotheistic ?
• Hinduism is sometimes called a
polytheistic and monotheistic religion
• Hinduism believes in One God (Brahman),
but recognizes that the One God can
appear to humans in multiple names and
forms
• Three common gods:
– Brahman-the Creator
– Vishnu-the preserver
– Shiva-the destroyer
Goal of life
• Moksha- union with
Brahman (all powerful
spiritual force)
The path to moksha
• Dharma: the duty or role of a person
in their caste
• Karma: the actions in your life that
affect your fate in the next life
• Samsara: the rebirth of the soul
(atman) in another bodily form.
– Good karma=
– Bad karma=
Ahimsa
• Belief in non-violence toward all living things
Trends
• Hinduism regains appeal in Gupta India
• Hinduism maintains cultural
cohesion/continuity throughout India’s history
• Mostly confined to India. Most converts
outside India are in south east Asia
Angkor Wat
Rise of Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama
• Born around 566
BCE (Kshatriya
caste)
• Founder of
Buddhism
• Grew up an Indian
prince surrounded
by wealth and luxury
• Saddened by
amount of suffering
he saw.
Enlightenment Comes:
The Bodhi Tree Experience
• Enlightened after 48 days
of deep meditation and
fasting
• Siddhartha became the
enlightened one,
“Buddha” and discovered
the Four Nobles Truths:
Buddha: The Enlightened
One
“Four Noble Truths”:
1. All life is full of suffering
2. The cause of suffering is
desire for things like wealth
and power
3. The only cure for suffering
is to overcome desire
4. The way to overcome is by
following the “Eight-fold
Path.”
1
The Teachings of the
Buddha
•It is important
to live a moral
life.
•Enlightenment
is achieved
through
meditation and
living by clear
rules.
1
The Teachings of the
Buddha
• What is the ultimate
goal?
•reach nirvana, or union
with the universe and
release from the cycle of
rebirth.
• Buddha not seen as a
god
•Outgrowth of Hinduism
Spread of Buddhism
• Spreads to
China, then
Korea, then
Japan, then
southeast
Asia
How Buddhism Spread from
India to East Asia
Spread of Buddhism
•How did Buddhism
Spread?
•Missionaries/monastic
community (first) and
Traders (later) helped to
spread Buddhism
across India to many
parts of Asia (used silk
roads)
•Two largest groups of
Buddhists are the
Mahayana and
Theravada
Buddhist Monks
Medieval Christian Monks
Jainism
• Similar to Theravada Buddhism
• Reject caste system
• Go to extreme lengths in the name of nonviolence
Hinduism and Buddhism compared
• Both believe in reincarnation
• Both believe in an end to the cycle of death
and rebirth: Moksha/Nirvana
• Both emphasize non-violence
• Both address the consequences of one’s
behavior
• Neither gave a particular respect to women
• Buddhism, in many ways, is an outgrowth of
Hinduism
• Buddhism has an original founder, Hinduism
does not
• Buddhism denies caste, and many of the rites,
rituals, and sacrifice of Hinduism (any social
class can achieve Nirvana) – who would be
most likely to convert?
• Buddhism originally had no belief in a soul or
god
• Buddhism has a monastic community
(missionary religion)