Classical
India
1500 BCE – 300 CE
South Asia: Indian Subcontinent
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Large
landmassjuts out from
a continent
1 ½ million
square miles
Bhutan,
India,
Pakistan,
Bangladesh,
Nepal, Sri
Lanka
Less than 1/3
is arable
(fertile)
What are the three major zones of Indian Subcontinent?
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Northern plain
Deccan
Plateau
Coastal plains
So What?
 This
geographical diversity has made
it very difficult for any political power
to unify all of India for any great
length of time
The Monsoon
So What?
 Region
was dependent on the
Monsoon rains for adequate moisture
and on the wind for trade and travel
 Cultural diffusion and commercial
activity map to monsoon patterns
The Vedic Age: Arya Migrations
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Indo-European
warriors
King- Patriarchal
kinship groups
Herded cattle
Vedas
Brought iron tools/
weapons
Some moved to
Ganges River Valley
Settled, increased crop
production, population
increased
Displaced darkerskinned DravidianDasas- to south India
What was the Vedic Age?
1500 - 500 BCE
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Foundational
religious text
Prayers, hymns,
other religious
teachings
Transmitted orally
by priests
Reveals violent
Arya Society: Varna
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First warriors, then
priests had most
prestige, power
Aryas dominated
Dasas ( Dravidians)
Origins of Varna
system-means
“color” but
equivalent to “class”
Rationalized by belief
in reincarnation
Arya Society: Varna/Jati
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Divided by
occupation
Brahmins = priests
Kshatriyas =
Warriors
Vaisyas = herders,
farmers, artisans,
merchants
Sudras = farmworkers, servants,
laborers
Caste System: Varna/ Jati
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Class divisions were
social & economic;
not ethnic
Developed into
complex system;
multiple sub castes
Born into caste
Could not change
Women & Vedic Age
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Not much is known
could study lore &
participate in rituals
could own land
married middle or late
teens
Arya Religion:
Brahmanism
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Indra: God of war &
thunder (atmospheric)
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Agni: God of Fire
(terrestrial)
Varuna: God of rain
(celestrial)
Polytheistic?
Monotheistic?
Pantheistic?
Gods embodied natural
forces
Sacrifice,
rituals/prayers
Evolved into single
power of brahman
Mystics devoted their
lives to spiritual truthmeditation, yoga,
spiritual & bodily
discipline
How Does One Achieve Moksha?
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Reincarnation
(samsara)
Dharma
Karma
How did Hinduism Change & Develop?
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Brahman sometimes
seen as having 3
personalities:
Brahma-creator
Vishnu-protector
Shiva-destroyer
Hinduism & Society
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Ideas of
reincarnation &
karma
strengthened the
caste system
Only men at top
could achieve
moksha
Dominated every
aspect of life
Provided
stability/order
Challenges to the Old Order: Jainism &
Buddhism
Jainism
 Buddhism
 Both were reactions to the rigidity and
monopoly of the Brahmins
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Challenges to Old Order: Buddhism
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Siddhartha
Gautama
Buddha means
“Enlightened
One”
Four Noble
Truths
Eight Fold Path
Buddhism: What are the Four Noble
Truths?
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Four Noble Truths
All life is suffering
Suffering is caused by
desire
Suffering can end
Solution is to follow the
Eight Fold Path
Buddhism: What is the Eight Fold
Path?
Buddhism
All are equal
 Moderation alleviate suffering
 Meditation nurtures wisdom
 Being content is good
 Denies existence of a soul
 Ultimate goal is Nirvana-salvation
 Everyone can reach enlightenment
 Bodhisattvas-beings who have achieved
enlightenment but choose to return to the
world to help others
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Wheel of Law
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Buddha turned the
“Wheel of Dharma”
metaphor for spiritual
change
The eight spokes
symbolize Noble
Eightfold Path set out
by Buddha
represents endless
cycle of samsararebirth
Buddhism & Hinduism
Similarity
Much of Buddhist teaching reflected Hindu
tradition
 Ordinary life is illusion
 Karma, rebirth, overcoming the demands
of ego, meditation, release from cycle of
rebirth
 Non-Violence
 More simplified accessible than Hinduism
 Reinforced patriarchal views of women
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Buddhism & Hinduism
Difference
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Rejected religious authority
Rejected rituals sacrifices as irrelevant
Individuals take responsibility for spiritual development
Egalitarian-rejected caste system
Buddhism more accessible
Buddhist nuns-more independence
Areas of Influence
Challenges to Old Order: Jainism
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Founded by Mahavira
(540-468 BCE)
non-violence (ahisma)
Many went naked,
starved to death
Less extreme members
pursued
commerce/banking
What happened after Buddha’s Death?
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Monasteries,
nunneries
Complex, hierarchical
Worship of Buddha
bodhisattvas
Buddha art
Mahayana- new
beliefs
Theravada-original
teachings
Evolution of Hinduism
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Pressure led to
reform
Sacrifice less
important personal devotion
increased
Vishnu & Shiva,
Devi became
prominent
Preserved Brahmin
status and privilege
How did Hinduism emerge as the dominant
religion of India?
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centered on temples/shrines
Pilgrimage
duties varied according to
gender, social status, age
Transformation so successfulHinduism became dominant
Hinduism appealed to
common people’s need for
personal deities
Hinduism displaced Buddhism
– Theravada too austere
– Mahayana easily absorbed
How did Mauryan Empire Rise to Power?
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Indus Civs declined around
1900 BCE
By 600 BCE, almost 1000
years after Aryan
migrations, many small
kingdoms scattered
throughout India
In 326, BCE, Alexander the
Great conquered region left Macedonian generalSeluecus I-in control
Chandragupta Maurya
overthrew Seluecusconquered all of north
India
How did Chandragupta govern the Empire?
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Relied on Katilya- his
Brahmin advisor
Arthashastra
Tough policies
Bureaucratic government
4 provinces ruled by
prince-divided into districts
Spying
Assassination
Mauryan Capital: Pataliputra
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Walled, moated city
Large army
25% tax on agricultural
products
State monopolies on
mines, shipbuilding,
armaments
Very wealthy
Gold covered pillars
Fountains
Thrones
Parks
Markets
Who was Ashoka?
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Chandragupta Maurya’s
grandson
Prince - then king
Conquered Kalinga in
brutal war
Horrified!
Rejected violence converted to Buddhism
Promoted Buddhist
principles
What were Ashoka’s Edicts?
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Create united empire
Propaganda-spread
common values
Cave walls, rocks,
tower pillars all
Act morally-take
responsibility for
actions
Fairness
Humane treatment
Nonviolence
Religious toleration
What Else Did Ashoka
Do?
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Extensive roads
Wells & rest houses
Sent out missionaries to
spread Buddhism
Mauryan Empire Decline
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Power vacuum after
Ashoka’s death
Many kingdoms with
overlapping boundaries
MIGRATION, CULTURAL
DIFFUSION, TRADE
New peoples, new
languages, new ideas
Syncretism-blending of
cultures into new form
What New Kingdoms Emerged?
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Satavahana dynasty in
Deccan
Central India
experienced economic
improvements, more
religious authority &
urbanization
Southern India-three
Tamil kingdoms
(Cholas, Pandyas,
Cheras)
period of great artistic
achievement
How did India survive the absence of a
strong central government?
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Artisans and Merchants played a dominant role
Trade flourished
Exports = Pearls, jewels, pepper, spices, silks,
ivory, ebony
Imports=metals, coral
More Roman coins found in India than Indian
coins in Rome; what can be inferred?
New cities, coastal ports, & banks
What cultural changes emerged?
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Shift from reverence for Buddha to worship like a
god
Hinduism God worship became more personalVishnu
Art & Architecture blossomed
Literature
Law of Manu helped keep order
Ramayana & Mahabharata
Bhagavad-Gita
Ayurvedic Medicine
Analysis of Sanskrit
Gupta Empire
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Chandra Gupta reunited
India after 500 years
Expansion &
consolidation of empire
Controlled iron deposits,
established state
monopolies, 25%
agricultural tax
Golden Age
“Theater State”
Golden Age of Gupta Empire:
Theater State
Trade
Arts
Science
Astronomy
PEACE and PROSPERITY
Mathematics
Women During Gupta
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Women lost
right to inherit,
own property,
participate in
key rituals
Treated like
lowest varna
(Shudra)
Married youngSati-widows on
funeral pyre
some joined
religious
community
Gupta Religion:
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dominated by HinduismBrahmins regained
power, influence, wealth
Religious toleration
Development of classic
form of Hindu temples
w/ exterior courtyard,
inner shrine, wall
decoration
Gupta Collapse
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In 550 c.e., the Gupta empire collapsed under the financial
burden of defense against the “White Huns”
Harsha (r. 606–647 c.e), whose kingdom is described by
the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, briefly reunited northern
India. After Harsha, northern India again fell into political
fragmentation.
As India decentralized, it developed a feudal economic and
social structure.
Southeast Asia, 50–1025 c.e.
Geography/ Resources
 Southeast Asia has three geographical
zones: (1) the Indochina mainland, (2)
the Malay Peninsula, and (3) the islands.
The area stands between China and India,
and has been influenced by both
civilizations.
 Natural resources include fertile
agricultural lands, dependable monsoon
rains, and several growing
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Early Civilization
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Early inhabitants practiced swidden (slash and burn) agriculturedomesticated rice, soybeans, sugar cane, chickens, pigs
Received waves of migrations of Malay peoples from southern
China
Malay migrations continued into Pacific Islands & into Indian
Ocean.
Early Malay groups in lived in small villages, manufactured bronze
tools, and were organized in small political units.
The first large states in Southeast Asia emerged in the early
centuries c.e. in response to the position of Southeast Asia as a
crossroads for trade and travel between India and China. Trade
brought business; it also brought Hindu/Buddhist culture.
Southeast Asian kingdoms incorporated what they found useful
from Indian models of bureaucracy and cultural beliefs.
The first major state to appear in Southeast Asia was Funan (first
through sixth centuries b.c.e.) in the Mekong delta area. Funan
thrived due to its domination of the Isthmus of Kra. Funan’s
decline in the sixth century may be related to the opening of new
trade routes that bypassed Funan.
The Srivijayan Kingdom
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Srivijaya was located on Sumatra and dominated the new southern trade
route through the Strait of Malacca as well as other shipping routes
through the area of modern Malaysia and Indonesia.
The Srivijayan political system knit together four different ecological zones
and their local rulers under the authority of the Srivijayan king.
These four zones were: (1) the core area along the Musi River, (2) the
upland Sumatran interior, (3) river ports, and (4) the fertile rice lands of
central Java
The Srivijayan kings maintained their control over this complex system
through a combination of military power, diplomacy, control of trade, and
the techniques of the theater-state.
Kings used the splendor of their capital to attract resources and labor. The
temporal power of the kings was enhanced by popular belief in their
magical powers. Kings were associated with forces of fertility. They also
patronized Buddhist monasteries and schools.
Indian culture exercised a powerful influence on Srivijayan concepts of
kingship and government, while the Hindu and Buddhist religions became
the dominant faiths of the region.
Changes in trade routes led to the decline of Srivijaya in the eleventh
century. The capital was destroyed in 1025 by the Chola kingdom.
Conclusion:
A. Comparison of Sources
The ancient history of India is derived
more from religious artifacts & religious
writings than in other areas of the ancient
world
 In contrast to written records left by
Mesopotamians, Greeks, Romans, & the
Chinese, Indians’ belief in cyclical creation
& re-creation of the world left them with
little use for keeping a written record of a
brief moment in time
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Diversity & Unity Within India
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Political and social division has been the norm throughout
most of India’s history, in part from the topographical and
environmental diversity of the subcontinent
The ethnic and linguistic diversity of India was occasionally
unified under strong central governments such as the
Mauryan and Gupta kings, who came to dominance by
gaining control of metal resources and trade routes. They
used elaborate class and caste structures to organize their
diverse populations
Distinctive features of Indian civilization arose from the
caste system and religious beliefs that originated in the
northern river valleys from descendants of Indo-European
immigrants. Hinduism drew elements of southern Dravidian
cultures and Buddhism, and is less fixed than the practices
of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam