1500 BC-400 AD
Essential Questions:

 What impact did the Aryans have on India?
 Why was the caste system central to Indian culture?
 What were the accomplishments of the Mauryan and
Gupta Empires?
 What are the beliefs of Hinduism?
 Buddhism?
 How did they spread?
Indo-Aryans
 Originated in

Europe and
migrated to and
invaded India.
Aryans take power
 Slowly, the Aryans
took over India and
held the most powerful
positions.
They introduced the
caste system.
Caste system

 A very rigid social
class structure.
 A person is born into a
caste and stays in that
caste the rest of
his/her life.
 Your caste decides
what jobs you can
hold, who you can
marry, who your
friends are, and more.
Caste system con’t

Hinduism

 Developed thousands of
years before it was even
written down!
 Hindus all believe all things
are interconnected.
 They believe that god lives
everywhere in everyone.
Bramhan

 Henotheism
 Hindus believe that
god (called Brahman)
exists in many
(possibly thousands)
of forms
 They choose which
god to worship.
 Hindu worship is
usually done in the
home at small
shrines
Vedas and Upanishads

 The Vedas are a
collection of hymns,
prayers, and
instructions for
religious rituals. They
were passed down
orally by the Aryans.
 Around 750 BC, a
group of Hindu
teachers wrote the
Upanishads, written
interpretations of the
Vedas.
Reincarnation

 Reincarnation- a soul
does not die, nor is
there an afterlife.
Once a person dies,
they are born again as
the same soul, but
different person.
Karma

 Karma- good or bad deeds.
Follows from one
incarnation to the next
 It was thought that if you
had “bad karma” you would
be reincarnated in a lower
caste or would otherwise
pay for it in your next life.
 In this way, it reinforced the
caste system.
Moksha

 Moksha= a state of
perfect understanding
 Once a person achieves
moksha, they are
liberated from the
cycle of reincarnation
 It usually takes several
lifetimes to get there.
Brahman- the Creator of
the World

Vishnu – the Preserver
of the World

Shiva- the Destroyer of the
World

Buddhism

 Prince Siddhartha
Gautama. Born in Nepal,
563 BC.
 He was groomed to be
king. But, at age 29,
chose to seek religious
truth.
 He travelled India for
six years seeking truth.
Buddha con’t

 After 49 days of
meditation, he achieved
enlightenment, or
“nirvana.”
 He began to teach that
enlightenment is
possible for all people.
 Changed his name to
Buddha, which means
“Enlightened One.”
Four Noble Truths

 First: Everything in life
is suffering and sorrow
 Second: The reason for
suffering is people’s
selfish desire for
temporary pleasure
 Third: The way to end
suffering is to end desire
 Fourth: The way to
overcome desire is to
attain enlightenment
The Eightfold Path

 The way to attain
enlightenment is
the Eightfold Path
Buddhism Video

Buddhism spreads

 Missionaries spread the teachings of Buddha
 Early converts were low caste people
Similarities and Differences

Hinduism
Buddhism
Mauryan Empire

305 BC – 232 BC
Mauryan Empire

 Chandragupta Maurya
unified North India in
321 BC.
 During the Mauryan
Empire, roads were
built. The emperor
even ordered wells and
rest houses built every
nine miles to ease
travelling.
 Buddhism also spread
during this time
Asoka- Mauryan Emperor

 After a war with
neighboring Kalinga,
which left 100,000
people dead, Asoka
started to rethink the
violence used to
expand the empire.
 He converted to
Buddhism and
started to advocate
non-violence and
tolerance.
Asoka video

Gupta Empire

320 AD- 500 AD
Golden Age of Classical
Indian Culture

 The Gupta made
incredible advances in
mathematics, inventing
the concept of zero,
modern numerals, and
the decimal system.
 Astronomy- Discovered
the Earth is round by
observing lunar eclipses
 Literature and the arts
flourished
Trade and the Silk Road

The Silk Road ran from China all the way to Asia Minor (Turkey). It was a major
trade route for thousands of years!
• Not only used for trade, but spread technology, ideas, language, and culture.