CLASSICAL INDIA
SOUTH ASIA’S GEOGRAPHY


o barrier/leaky
 links to Asia


 Indian Ocean
 Climate
o Rainy and dry seasons
o


HINDUISM

o “Vedic Age” (1500 BCE – 500 BCE)


o 3 main gods:
o everything made of 1 universal spirit ( )


The Hindu Caste System
 caste system =
o
o
o
o
o

The Castes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Perform your caste’s dharma 
o enough good karma 
o too much bad karma 
BUDDHISM

(c563 BCE – 483 BCE)
o
 accepts many Hindu ideas
o
o
 rejects others
o

 Buddhist path to Nirvana:
o
o

The Four Noble Truths
Eightfold Path to Enlightenment
TWO CLASSICAL EMPIRES OF INDIA: MAURYA & GUPTA

Maurya (324 BCE – 184 BCE)
o
 1st to unify India w/

o Ashoka



Turmoil & a Power Vacuum, 220 BCE – 321 CE
 Ashoka dies
 Invasions from North

 Kushans
o
o
o hated by locals  increased animosity toward Buddhism in India
Gupta, (320 CE – 550 CE)
 Regionalism
o
o
o
 Hindu revival
 Gupta collapsed due to:
o
o