Objectives
India and Hinduism
•Locate and label physical features and
early river civilizations of the Indus River
Valley
•Explain how India’s geography
impacted the development of early
settlements
•Discuss legacy of Indo-European
migrations including Aryans
•Explain development
and central beliefs of Hinduism
•Illustrate central beliefs
on a Mandala
Indus River
On what continent is India?
Asia
How would
you describe
the
Geography
of India?
Take 30
seconds and
talk to your
neighbor.
Mountains:
•Himalayas
•Hindu-Kush
•Karakoram
Important geographic features:
Rivers:
Indus
Ganges
Other features:
Deccan plateau
Eastern and
Western Ghats
Khyber pass
India is considered a subcontinent because:
•It is surrounded on
three sides by water
(it is a peninsula)
•Mountains to the
northwest and
northeast separate it
from the rest of Asia
What are
monsoons?
Winter and summer winds
that blow across India
India in the
summer
Harappa and
Mohenjo-Daro
were the first
civilizations of
India and they
developed on the
Indus
River.
Why did they
develop in this
location?
Flooding along
the Indus River was
unpredictable. It did
leave behind nutrientrich silt which made the
soil fertile for farming.
Harappa and
Mohenjo-Daro
developed
around 3200 BCE.
Historians know
less about
Harappa and
Mohenjo-Daro
because
the writing
system has
never been
decoded.
Evidence of planned cities and indoor plumbing (toilets!)
• Artifacts show
links to modern
Hindu Culture
–Shiva- is a major
Hindu god
• Worshipped
Cows
Cows are
sacred today
in India
By 1750 BCE, The Indus River
civilizations had declined. No one
really knows why. Theories
surrounding the decline:
•Sudden natural disaster
•Over farming
•Invasion, possibly by an IndoEuropean people called the
Aryans.
The Ganges River in the east would become
the center of later civilizations in India.
As the Indus
River Valley
civilizations
declined,
new
civilizations
formed along
the Ganges
River
Indus R.
Ganges
River
Aryans, an IndoEuropean people, had
migrated
into India blending
Aryan beliefs with the
beliefs of the Indians
(Dravidians).
These Aryan beliefs
were hymns. They
were later written down
and called the Vedas.
They became the
foundation of
Hinduism.
Aryan Migration
The Caste System
The Aryans sought to separate themselves from the
darker skinned Indians (Dravidians). A structured and
divided society developed known as the Caste
System.
The Caste system
was rigid.
It influenced all social Aryan Varnas
interactions including
marriage
arrangements and
occupations.
Dravidians
Social classes were
divided by
occupation.
Brahmin
The Caste system
was rooted in
Hinduism. Each
Varna represents a
body part of the
god, Purusha, from
the Vedas and each
Varna represents
occupations in
society.
Kshatriya
Vaisya
Sudra
Can you identify
which Varna is
which?
Hinduism
•India’s religion
developed from the
blended beliefs of the
Aryans and Dravidians.
•No founder
•Belief in many forms of
one god, Brahma, the
Creator.
Brahma
Vishnu the Preserver
Shiva the
Destroyer
Hinduism:
Monotheistic or
Polytheistic?
Talk to your
neighbor
Indra
Hinduism is a
way of life in
India.
Hindus rise early
and bathe in the
sacred Ganges
River
Hindus
burn
incense
and
offer
prayer
Hindus practice Yoga.
Yoga is about meditation
and mind control over body.
Spiritual Discipline
Can you do this?
The popularity of yoga in the west is an
example of …….
Cultural
Diffusion
Central Beliefs of Hinduism
•Belief in many forms of one god
•Reincarnation: Rebirth based
upon karma
•Karma = deeds. Knowledge that
all thoughts and actions result in
future consequences.
•Vedas and Upanishads are
sacred writings
Spread along major trade routes
Reincarnation
means “Rebirth”.
An individual spirit
(ATMAN) is born
again and again
until Moksha is
achieved.
The cycle of
reincarnation is
called “Samsara.”
Moksha
A state of perfect understanding of all
things and release from life in this
world.
Karma is the sum of
your good deeds
throughout your life.
Good Karma results
in reincarnation to a
higher Varna in the
Caste system until
Moksha is achieved.
Dharma is the
religious law or moral
duty to follow Hindu
scriptures.
Two sacred texts are
important to Hindus:
The Vedas
are sacred
hymns.
Interpretations of the Vedas
Jainism also developed at this time in
India. Jains believe that everything in
the universe has a soul and should
not be harmed. They practice nonviolence even to insects.