Heritage of South Asia
Chapter 8
Hinduism
 Chief
religion of India
 No
founder
 No
formal church
Hinduism
 A way
of life
 Shapes
and unifies Indian culture
Sacred Texts
 Vedas
 Contain
the eternal truths that were revealed to the wise
men.
 Hindu scriptures.
 Oldest sacred texts of Hinduism.
 Upanishads
 Explains
ideas contained in the Vedas
Sacred Texts
 Ramayana
 Mahabharata
 Epic
poems that explain the law codes of Hinduism.
Brahman
 Hindus
worship thousands of Gods
 ALL GODS
 Brahman
are contained in ONE FORCE
Brahman
 Only
a few can truly understand Brahman
 Characteristics
 Nameless
 Formless
 Unlimited
of Brahman:
Three Main Gods of Hinduism
 (The
Hindu Trinity)
 Brahma
 Vishnu
 Siva
Brahma
 The
Creator
Vishnu
 Preserver
Siva
 Destroyer
Sects
 Sect
– a religious group
 A sect
 Many
of Hinduism would mean a (what?) within Hinduism?
Sects of Hinduism
 Different
 “Such
 Page
sects worship different Gods.
Perfection” R.K. Narayan
240
Atman
 Every
person has an essential
self.
 This
self is part of a universal
soul - Atman
Atman
 In
all things
 Upanishad
 Essential
 An
teaches:
self in humans is no different than that of:
ant
 A gnat
 An elephant
Hindu Belief
 Atman
= Brahman
 Because Atman
 Hindus
 NON
is in ALL THINGS:
believe:
VIOLENCE
 RESPECT NATURE
Hindu Beliefs
 Suffering:
 Pain
and Sorrow
 Why?
 False
People pursue false goals
Goals:
 Material
wealth
 Personal pleasure
Hindu Beliefs
 Goal
of Life:
 Moksha
 Freeing
of the soul from the body so that the soul can
unite with Brahman.
 Cannot
be achieved in one lifetime
Reincarnation
 Reincarnation
– a rebirth
 After
the body dies, the soul is reborn as anything from
a god to a flower to as snake.
 This
form is only TEMPORARY
Karma

Cycle of birth and death continues until the soul reaches
Brahman. (or union with Brahma)

This release is determined by KARMA.

Karma –
From the Sanskrit meaning “to do”
 Law – every deed—mental or physical—in this life affects a person’s
present situation is the result of his or her deeds in a past existence.

Good deed = happiness
 Bad deed = sorrow

Review
 Karma
 Reincarnation
 Brahman
3
Gods of Hindu Trinity
 Sacred Texts
 Hinduism – founding? Formal church?
The Caste System
 Based
on the idea that there are separate kinds of
humans.
 Higher
Caste- (pure) closer to Moksha
 Lower
Caste- (impure) away from Moksha
Caste System
 Based
on occupation
 New castes are created to adapt to change.
 New
occupations
 Technology
 Transportation

New arrivals may be absorbed into an existing caste, or, depending on
the occupation and numbers, be part of forming a new one.
Rules
 Purpose:
 Highest
 In
Help people remain spiritually pure.
Caste = Strictest Rules
relation to purity, this makes sense. The purest caste
should have the strictest rules.
Contact with other castes
 High
Caste
 Contact
with lower castes creates a risk of possible
spiritual impurity for the high caste.
 Even
contact with a shadow
 Some
members of low castes have to warn people in
advance of their presence.
 Wooden
clapper
Caste Rules
 Govern:
 Cooking
 Cleaning
 Eating
habits
 Marriage
 Employment
Marriage
 Brahman
must marry a Brahman
 We
see this changing in India
 For the most part remains true.
 Think
of applying this to American culture.
Interdependence
 Castes
 No
look after their own members
caste can do the work of another.
 Caste
System based on:
 Law Custom Tradition – acceptance
 Cannot
interfere.
Village and Family Life
 Indians
identify with both.
 Family always before village.
 Family
Life:
 THE JOINT FAMILY – an extended family.
 Includes:
husband, wife, their sons with their wives and
children, and unmarried daughters.

the husband’s brothers, uncles, and cousins might also live under the
same rooms.
Patriarchal
 “Father”
 The
oldest male.
 Thought to be most knowledgable.
 Makes the decisions.
Marriage
 Arranged
marriages
 Bride’s families pay most of expenses
 Might
 Dowry
groom.
go into debt for a marriage.
– a gift of money or goods paid to the
Women

Skakti – creative energy.

Women – seen as dangerous unless ruled by man.

Purdah- complete seclusion.
Higher caste rule
 Wear veils


Sati – Virtuous woman.
Indus Valley Civilization
– 1,500 BCE
 Indus River (Pakistan)
 Planned Cities:
 2,500
 Harrapa
and Mohenjo Daro
 Checkerboard
 Strong
pattern of streets.
urban planning suggests a strong
government.
Farming
 Taxes
collected
 Taxes
came in the form of food.
 Barley/ Wheat/
Peas/ Sesame.
 Cattle/ Sheep/ Goats/ Water buffaloes.
Indus Valley Civilization
 Form
of writing:
 Picture
writing
 Religion:
 Believed
 Important
 Priests
in a mother Goddess
members of society:
were important individuals within society.
Trade
 Traded
within middle-east
 EXPORT:
Cotton / Ideas
The Decline

Indus Valley Civilization

Believed: Natural Causes – climate became too dry
Towns abandoned
 Bricks no longer uniform size
 Streets no longer repaired.


What might one infer about the strength of government?

Without food to pay taxes = no funding for government.
Aryans
 1500-500
BCE
 Gradually moved into
Indus Valley
 Invaders?
 Characteristics:
 Light
skinned
 Began in Caucus
Mountains
Aryans

Vedas: oral/written tradition

(hymns/prayers/rituals used in religious practices)


Information historians know is derived from Vedas.
Religious beliefs: Polytheistic
Vedas = Holy texts
 Beginnings of Hinduism
 Establish the Caste System
 Involved religious sacrifices of food and water to the Gods.


Swastika – an Aryan symbol – Hitler wanted to build an Aryan
race.
Aryans
Farmers & Herders
 GREAT value on cattle

Men received cattle as reward for good work
(as in success in war)
 Wealth – measured in terms of cattle.


Vedas – Demonstrate importance of cow.

Cow’s milk like rain to the earth

War = translates “let’s go get some cows”
Aryans
 Villages
– hereditary chiefs that ruled Aryan
villages.
 Rajahs
 Council
of warriors at his disposal.
Aryans
Social Classes
 4 Basic Classes = the VARNA


Brahmans


Kshatriyas


Warriors
Vaisyas


–Priests
Landowners/ Merchants/ Herders
Sudras

Servants/ Peasants
Aryans

Vedas

Hymn

Divides the four classes from a human.

Brahmans


Kshatriyas


Arms (Warrior)
Vaisya


Mouth
Thighs
Sudra

Feet
Aryan
 Sanskrit
– ancient language developed by the
Aryans
 (Greek or Latin) – other examples of ancient
languages.
Review
 Harappa
 Mohenjo-Daro
 Sanskrit
The Maurya Empire
Chandagupta Maurya
 First ruler of the Maurya Empire


Why important?
Began the Maurya Dynasty
 Ruled India for 140 years


Dynasty – ruling family.
The Maurya Empire
Government
– capital
 Mighty wooden wall
 570 guard towers
 64 gates
 Pataliputra
 Chandragupta
never slept in the same bed twice.
Chandragupta
 Enjoyed
peace
 Trade
 Irrigation
systems
 Maintained roads
Asoka
 Reforms/Changes
 Grandson
of Chandragupta
 Brought Maurya Empire to the height of its power.
Asoka

Asoka’s Transformation
Beginning of rule:
 Ruled harshly. Waged War. 100,000 killed under his rule.

End of rule:
 Sickened by bloodshed, Asoka converted to Bhudism and
practiced non-violence. The end of his rule was kind and
benevolent, with little force.

Asoka

Worked to improve lives of people.

“All men are my children. As on behalf of my own children I desire that
they may be provided by me with complete welfare and happiness in this
world and in the next, so do I desire for all men as well”
ASOKA –
spread Buddhism and ordered the
building of thousands of stupas.
Stupa
– shrine containing remains of the Buddha.
The Fall of the Maurya Empire
 Asoka’s
 Invaders
death led to the fall of the Maurya Empire.
moved into the land.
 Invader’s ideas, customs, culture was absorbed
into Hindu culture.
The Gupta Empire
 Chandragupta I
 Young warrior.
 Purposely
wanted to link his name with the ancient
Chandragupta.
 Achievements:
 Art,
literature, math.
Indian
scholars developed the concept of “0.”
The Decline
Gupta Empire declines:
 Huns and Central Asian powers invaded South Asia.
Arrival marked the end of the Gupta Empire.

A Clash of Beliefs:
 Muslims vs. Hindus


Islam was based on belief in one God. Hindus worshipped many Gods.
Islam taught that all Muslims were equal under God and Hinduism
promoted the Caste System.
The Mughal Empire

The reign of Akbar

Realized that to rule India he must rule BOTH Muslims and
Hindus.
How?
 Religious toleration.
 Marries a Hindu (he was Muslim)
 Abolished a special tax on Hindus.
 Appointed Hindus to jobs in government.


LEGACY: today Hindus honor Akbar as a MASTER OF
COMPROMISE
The Arts
 Hindu
 Shah
and Islamic styled blended.
Jahan (Akbar’s grandson)
 A monument to Mumtaz Muhal (Shah Jahan’s wife)
The Decline of the Mughal Empire
Wasteful Spending
 Akbar’s successor (new rulers) ended his policy of
toleration

Imposed heavy taxes on Hinduism.
 Closed Hindu schools.
 Dismissed Hindus from government.


This led to Civil War and Revolts throughout the country.
Essay
 Explain
the goal of life for Hindus. How is this
goal achieved? What are signs that one is moving
toward this goal? Explain in detail and be sure to
use and explain proper terminology.
Review Activity
 Write
out 5 questions based on Civilization.
 In
groups of 3, share your questions with the
group, have other members of the group respond.
 IT WOULD
BE A GOOD IDEA TO WRITE
DOWN OTHER QUESTIONS.
India Under British Rule
Vasco Da Gama
 Portuguese
explorer.
 First European explorer to reach India.
 1498
Vasco Da Gamma
The Portuguese in India
2
Motives:
 1)
Trade
 2) Christianize
 Wealth
of trading oppurtunities
 Emeralds;
 Multitude
 To
rubies; spices
of people
be “saved” / Christianized
Monopoly
 Complete
control over a market or product.
 The
Portuguese had a monopoly until the Dutch
broke into their trade.
 The
English and French would be soon to follow.
The British East India Company
Established 1600
 Set up trading posts at Madras; Bombay; Calcutta.

Trading:
 England traded:



Gold and silver to India
India traded:

Cotton, silk, and tea to England
A Struggle for Power
 The
decline of the Mughal Empire:

 A war
Britain and France competed to control India’s small kingdoms that
arose as the empire declined.
for empire!
 France
vs. Britain
 Britain
emerged victorious.
East India Company Rule
 Robert
Clive
 Led the British to victory.
 Individual
kingdoms throughout India still existed.
 British
promoted tension and rivalries amongst the different
kingdoms
 Why
would the British encourage this?
East India Company Rule
 British
rule:
 Collected
taxes
 Set up rules
 Outlawed

Hindu traditions.
Ritual suicide of Hindu widows.
 Outlawed
Hindu customs
 Christian missionaries tried to convert Indians to
Christianity.
Indian Reaction
 Did
not like foreign influence.
 Did not want foreigners dictating how to live.
The Sepoy Rebellion

Sepoys – Indian troops that served in the British Army

Cartridges in rifles were greased with beef or pork fat.
Hindu Belief – Cows are sacred
 Muslims were forbidden to touch pork.
 A New Law: required Sepoys to travel to fight for the British Army.



Their was concern that Caste might be lost if they traveled
outside of India.
Sepoys rebel in northern and central India.

British put down the rebellion.
Sepoy Rebellion
 Will
lead to several key political
changes in India
 Most
important:
 India will be taken over as a
British Colony
 Queen Victoria – Empress of
India
Queen Victoria
Lasting Effects
 Sepoy
Rebellion
 British ruled India directly
¾
of India remained under the control of local Kingdoms,
however, rulers had to sign treaties giving control of foreign
affairs to the British.
Distrust
Lasting distrust between British and Indians.
 Indians resented British efforts to change their culture.


“Europeans Only”
Benches
 Train cars


But it was a foreing country, this reminded Indians of their
resentment.
Effects of British Rule
 British:
 Improved
 Transportation
 Communication
 Improved
roads
 Modernized ports
 Improved telegraph systems
 Build railroads
Why Improve India?
 The
modernization allowed Britain to increase its
control over India
 Messages
of revolt traveled quicker.
 Troops could be transported faster.
Effects of British Rule
 Economic
 Industrial
 To
Revolution
end competition with Indian manufacturers:
 Laws
made that outlawed the importation of Indian
goods to Britain.
 Indian
manufacturers went out of Business
 Indians were forced to by more expensive British goods.
Effects of British Rule
Economic
 To pay for British goods:



Indian farmers had to stop growing food crops and replace them
with the agricultural needs of the British.
British Imported:
Tea
 Pepper
 Coffee
 Cotton


Because no food was produced this caused famines in
some parts of India.
Effects of British Rule
 Social
 Improved:
 Healthcare
 Sanitary
conditions
 Cities
 This
led to a growth in the population of India
Effects of British Rule
 Education
 High
Caste
 Educated
in colleges and schools
 Taught
 English,
 Taught
British political thought, British culture.
Ideas such as:
 Liberty;

freedom; and rule by the consent of the governed.
Why might these ideas cause problems for Britain?
Indian Nationalism

STRONGEST AMONGST HIGH CLASS


Resulted from good education.
But what should India look like after reform?

Hindu, traditional India?

Or

Modernized western India?

Response: A blend of both.
Indian Nationalism
 Indian
National Congress
 1885
 Mostly
HINDU
 Called
for gradual change
 Asked British to give more government jobs to Indians
– after WWI – INC takes a more forceful
approach.
 1920
Mohandas Ghandi
 United
large sections of India together in support
of home rule.
 Pressured Britain for self-rule.
 Britain
gave into pressure, promising that, in time,
Britain would allow India its independence.
Muslim Concern
 Hindu
nationalism grew.
 Muhammad Ali Jinnah
 Found of the: Muslim League
 Believed
the subcontinent must be divided into two
separate countries.
Review
Sepoy Rebellion
 East India Company
 Monopoly
 Robert Clive
 Sepoy
 Muhammad Ali Jinnah
 Muslim League
 Mohandas Ghandi
 Indian National Congress
 British Social and Economic influenced on India

Freedom and Partition
 Mohandas
Gandhi
 Leader
of India’s independence movement.
 MUST ONLY use peaceful means to achieve
independence.
 Without
violence, what are ways Gandhi could help India
achieve independence?
Growing Unrest
 Indian
Nationalism
 Increased
demands for freedom before, during, and
after WWI.
 1919
 British
response:
 Harsh
rights.
new laws limiting freedom of press and other
General Reginald Dyer


5 British officials killed during nationalist protests in India.
Dyer’s Response:

BANNED ALL public gatherings
How might Dyer perceived this as a solution to the problem?
 Do you believe it was successful?

Defiance of Dyer
 Indian
Nationalism
 Determined to defy Dyer’s order
 April 13, 1919
 10,000
Indian Nationalists gathered in a public area in
Amritsar (a city in northwestern India)
General Dyer’s Response
 “The
Butcher”
 Ordered his troops to open fire.
 Men;
Women; Children
 Trampled
 379
as they tried to escape.
killed
 1,100 injured
Mohandas Gandhi
 Returned
to India from South Africa in 1914
 A key figure in the struggle for India’s
independence.
 He
was able to unite most Indians behind the cause of
independence.
Gandhi’s Principles
 Came
from a middle-class Hindu family.
 Little success as a lawyer
 Moved to South Africa to practice law.
 South Africa:
 Where
Gandhi developed his idea for the use of nonviolent
resistance to solved injustice.
Gandhi’s Principles
 Gandhi's
principles derived from three sources:
 Hinduism
 Respect
for Life; Nonviolence.
 Christianity
 Love;
 Henry
 Civil
Love one’s enemy
David Thoreau
Disobedience
Satyagraha
 First
Principle
 “truth force”
 The use of nonviolent resistance to solve injustice.
Civil Disobedience
 The
refusal to obey unjust laws.
Satyagraha
 Goal:
 Convert
 Hoped
the wrong doer.
to make the world aware of the British
injustice by accepting punishment without striking
back.
Gandhi’s Appeal
Stressed India’s rich heritage.
 Gave up western ways.
 Encouraged traditional Indian industries.


Spinning cotton
Lived simply.
 Dressed simply.
 Identified with India’s poor.

Gandhi
 Vegetarian
 Often
fasted and went without food.
 Emphasized
Hindu virtues such as self discipline.
 “Mahatma”
= “great soul”
Campaign of Civil Disobedience
 Gandhi
traveled India:
 Urged nonviolent resistance
 Forms:
 Strikes
 Protests
 Boycotts
The Salt March

Satyagraha – in action

Gandhi used Satyagraha to protest the tax on salt.


British forbade Indians from making salt
This was a way to control the populace of India
The Salt March
200 mile march from his home to the coast.
 Gandhi and 50,000 others arrested.
 Civil Disobedience: made salt.

Government response:
 keeps salt tax

Overall outcome:
 Increased support for Indian nationalists.

The Hindu-Muslim Conflict
Hindus and Muslims had cooperated for independence up
into the 1920’s…
 With British encouraging conflict:


Began in 1930’s

Hindu Congress Party


Viewed Muslims as foreign conquerors
Muslim League

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Demanded a separate Muslim Nation

Gandhi – wanted a unified India
Subcontinent Divided
 1946
 Rioting
between Hindus and Muslims
 Britain realized:
 Civil
War would break out if something was not done.
 INDIAN
 As
INDEPENDENCE
a result of Hindu-Muslim conflict.
 CREATED TWO SEPARATE NATIONS
India & Pakistan
 India
 Hindu
majority
 Pakistan
 Muslim
majority
Leadership
 Jawaharlal
Nehru
 First Prime Minister of India
 Muhammad Al
Jinnah
 Governor of Pakistan
Violence
 Partition
 Explosion
of violence
 Distrust and Fear of the other
 500,000
people killed
Mass Migration
 To
escape massacre:
 Hindus
in Pakistan fled to India.
 Muslims in India fled to Pakistan.
Mahatma Gandhi
 Sickened
by violence.
 Refused
to celebrate Indian Independence
 Independence – August 15, 1947
 January
1948
Extremist – believing Gandhi abandoned their cause,
assassinated Gandhi.
 Hindu
Modern India
An Overview

India and Pakistan become independent from Britain in
1947
Millions migrate
 Pakistan – Muslim
 India – Hindu


A as much as a million people die in violence
Jawaharlal Nehru
 Prime
Minister of India (1947-64)
 Integrated princely states into India
Jawaharlal Nehru
 Fought
first Indo-Pakistani War (1947-1948)
 Hindu
prince of Kashmir, a Muslim dominated
territory, chooses to join India.
 Pakistan invades and is stopped by India
 Kashmir is split between India and Pakistan
 3 more wars follow: 1965; 1971; 1999
Jawaharlal Nehru
 New
constitution adopted
 India
becomes a multi-state
Parliamentary democracy.
 Largest democracy in the
world.
Jawaharlal Nehru
 Economic:
 Pursues
socialist economic policies
 Nationalizes
(government takeover) major industries.
 Develops industry; agriculture; and infrastructure.
 Social:
 Promotes
education
 Improves rights of women in lower castes.
Jawaharlal Nehru
 International Affairs
 Non-alignment
 Didn’t
Movement during the Cold War
ally with US or USSR
 Death:
 Dies
of natural causes in 1964 while still in power.
Indira Gandhi
 Prime
Minister of India (1966-77, 1980-84)
 Nehru’s daughter, no relation to Mohandas
 Helps
Bangladesh win independence in Third
Indo-Pakistani War (1971)
 East
Pakistan devastated by a cyclone
 West Pakistan dominated government responds slowly.
Indira Gandhi
 Sides
with Soviet Union in Cold War
 Tests a “peaceful” nuclear bomb in 1974.
 Improves agriculture with the “Green Revolution”
and “Operation Flood”
Indira Gandhi
 Indira
the Dictator:
 Found
guilty of election irregularities
 Faced protests and strikes
 Declares a state of emergency and suspends civil
liberties.
 Loses election of 1977 (win in 1980)
Indira Gandhi
 Faces
Sikh separatist movement in
Punjab region.
 Raids
Golden Temple in Amritsar
 Sikh resistance crushed
 Death:
 Indira
killed by two of her own Sikh
bodyguards.
Rajiv Gandhi
 Prime
Minister of India (1984-89)
 Son of Indira
 Encourages
capitalist reforms and foreign
investment.
 Encourages science and technology
 Telecommunications, computing, space program
Rajiv Gandhi
 Brokers
peace deal in Sri Lanka between
government and Tamil rebels
 Sends
peacekeeping troops
 Ends up fighting rebels
 India later withdraws
Rajiv Gandhi
 Loses
image as “Mr. Clean” after scandal
 Government
officials took bribes over military
contracts.
 Lost election in 1989
 Assassinated
by female Tamil suicide bomber
while campaigning in 1991.
Sonia Gandhi
 Rajiv’s
Italian born wife.
 President of Congress Party
 Congress
Party has held power for most of India's
history and currently rules.
 Current

Prime Minister is Manmohan Sing
A Sikh doctor
Essay Question
 Explain
Gandhi’s satyagraha. How did Gandhi
combine Christian and Hindu ideas to form the
concept of satyagraha? Provide three specific
examples (from either the movie or notes) of how
Gandhi put satyagraha into practice and explain
how satyagraha fits the example.