Early India
The Land of India
 India is a subcontinent b/c it’s separated from the rest of
Asia by Himalayas (highest mountains in the world)
 5 nations made up Indian subcontinent: India, Pakistan,
Nepal, Bhuton & Bangladesh
 The Ganges & Indus rivers create 2 fertile river valleys
used for farming
 Monsoons=strong wind that blows from 1 direction in
winter & opposite direction in summer (bring rain in
summer)
 Early civilization arose near Indus River starting around
3000BC & lasted until 1500BC
 Harappa & Mohenjo-Dero were large, well planned cities
in Ancient India
 These cities had wells, drains for waste-water, garbage
chutes and organized govt.
 Houses were made from mud bricks
 Farmers grew wheat, barley, peas & cotton
 City dwellers were artisans
 The Harappans traded goods w/people from other lands
The Aryans
 Hunters who also raised & herded cattle
 Nomads & expert warriors w/metal tipped spears &
wooded chariots
 Migrated to Indus River valley from central Asia
 Aryans farmed & raised cattle (individual wealth was
measured by # of cattle a person owned)
 They eventually made cattle sacred
 Aryans invented iron plow & built canals
 Developed written language called Sanskrit
 Tribes were led by raja (prince) who ran small kingdoms
Society in Ancient India
Caste (jati)- social group that someone is born into and cannot
change
Caste System
Brahmins => Priests
Kshatriyas=> warriors, rulers
Vaisyas=> common people
Sudras=> unskilled laborers & servants
Unotuchables- not part of any caste (they did dirty work & led
difficult lives)
 Men’s lives were considered more important than
women’s
 In most cases, only men could inherit property, go to
school or become priests
 Parents arranged marriages & divorce was not allowed
Hinduism and Buddhism
Hinduism:
 One of the oldest religions & 3rd largest in the world
 The Brahman is the universal spirit made up of 1000’s of
deities
Upanishad- ancient sacred text that describe search for
Brahman
Dharma- divine law of Hindus (must perform duties of their
caste)
Karma- consequences of how a person lives
Reincarnation- idea of passing through many lives to reach
Brahman
Buddhism:
Founded by Siddhartha Gautama (man who became known
as the Buddha or “Enlightened One”
Siddhartha Gautama – prince who left family to travel. He
witnessed suffering and questioned the need for suffering.
Legend tells he meditated under a tree for 49 days & he
understood. He spent the rest of his life traveling & sharing his
discovery.
Nirvana- a state of wisdom when a person gives up all desires
The core of Buddha’s teaching is the Four Noble Truths and
the Eightfold Path describes the steps to eliminate suffering.
Theravada Buddhists believe the Buddha was a great teacher,
not a god
Mahayan Buddhists believe he was a god sent to save the
people
-Tibet is a country in central Asia. Mahayan Buddhism mixed
with traditional Tibetan religion & Hinduism to create a special
kind of Thahayana Buddhism
-In Tibet, religious leaders (lamas) headed the government
o Dalai Lama~ Government leader
o Panchen Lama~ Religious leader
Theocracy- form of government in which religious leaders
are heads of the government
India’s 1st Empires
The Mauryan Dynasty:
Chandragupta Mauryan -Indian prince, founded India’s 1st
empire (Mauryan Dynasty)
dynasty- series of rulers from the same family
 Chandragupta controlled his dynasty by keeping a strong
army & using spies
Many historians consider Asoka the Mauryan dynasty’s
greatest king.
 After being a strong military leader, Asoka turned away
from violence to follow Buddhism
 Asoka built hospitals, new roads & sent teachers around
India to teach Buddhism
 After his death the empire became weak & Mauryan
Empire fell
The Gupta Empire
-After another 500 years of fighting, another Chandragupta
took power & founded the Gupta Dynasty
-After his death, his son, Samudragupta took over and
expanded the empire
-The Guptas ruled for 200 years & grew wealthy from trade
with China & kingdoms in southeast Asia & the Mediterranean
Pilgrims- people who often used the trade routes to travel to a
religious shrine or site
-Visiting pilgrims helped make cities wealthy
-The Guptas were Hindus
-The golden age of art and learning in India was during the
Gupta Empire
Indian Literature & Science
The Vedas of India- Ancient collection of sacred verses,
hymns & prayers (recorded in Sanskrit)
Mahabarata & Ramayana- 2 sacred texts still famous in India
Aryabhata- 1 of 1st scientists to use algebra
-Mathematicians in Gupta Empire developed symbols for
#’s 1-9 that we still use today & invented algorithms & ideas of
zero
-also developed ideas in astronomy and medicine