Ancient India Vocabulary
Subcontinent – a large landmass that is part of a continent but is geographically or politically
independent.
Himalayas – the tallest mountain range in India
Generalization – a general statement that may or may not be true
Citadel – thick walls that protect against both floods and enemy attacks
Migrate – to move from one place to another within the same country
Harappa – people that lived in the Indus Valley civilization
Mohenjo-Daro – an ancient India city that had many brick buildings and a huge citadel. It also
had a sewer system more advanced than any other of its time
Vedas – sacred text (book of knowledge) of the Hindus
Hinduism – one of the world’s oldest religions; has over 800 million followers; beliefs include
reincarnation and karma
Caste System – a way of organizing people into hundreds of different levels; in Hindu, a
person’s place in society is determined by the rank of the family she/he is born into
Reincarnation – a constant cycle of birth, death, and rebirth
Dharma – laws and duties on how Hindu people should live
Siddhartha Guatama – founder of Buddhism; he left his riches and wealth as a prince in pursuit
of the end to suffering
Kosala – a northern kingdom in India near the Himalayas where the parents (King and Queen) of
Siddhartha lived
Buddhism – a religion that seeks the end to sufferings; it has over 330 million followers;
emphasizes that life is filled with suffering
Monk – a man who devotes his life to a religious group
Karma – a force caused by a person’t good and bad acts; is said to affect future lives
Four Noble Truths – life is ruled by Four Noble Truths: A) Life is filled with suffering, B) suffering
is caused by people’s wants, C) suffering can be ended if people stop wanting things, D) to stop
wanting things people must follow Eight basic laws (The Eightfold Path)
Eight Fold Path – a set of instructions on the proper way to live
Middle Way – the laws of the Eight Fold Path leads to the Middle Way
Varanasi – most sacred city in Ancient India