INDIA
Chapter 4 and 9
INDUS RIVER CIVILIZATION
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One of the first 4 river civilizations
Bigger in size than Mesopotamia and Egypt
Language is still undeciphered
Planned cities - Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro;
walled, designed in a grid patter, steets,
marketplaces temples, rich and poor sections; rich
had indoor showers and toilets
Cultivated cotton; wove cotton cloth
Traded with Mesopotamia & Persia
Polytheistic -- images of Shiva; probably the
beginning of Hinduism
INDUS RIVER CIVILIZATION
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Civilization went into decline in 2000 B.C.E.;
by 1900 B.C.E. cities were abandoned
Causes unknown; probably environmental
By 1500 B.C.E. the civilization had collapsed
People survived as cattle herders
ARYANS
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Nomads who would settle in the Indus Valley
Indo-European origin
Moved into India through the Khyber Pass around
1700 B.C.E. (Hindu Kush Mts.)
Mixed with the native Indians
Written about in the Vedas (collection of sacred
hymns, songs, prayers and rituals)
Patriarchal; polytheistic
ARYANS
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Social Structure became the basis of the
caste system in India
Varnas - four social classes based on
occupation
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Brahmins (scholars and priests)
Ksatriyas (ruling and warrior class)
Vaiyas (professional class)
Shudras (servant class)
Untouchables added to the system later!
Not supposed to intermarry among the varnas!
ARYANS
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Religion
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Polytheistic
Believed in reincarnation
Recorded their beliefs in the Vedas and
Upanishads which would become the basis for
Hinduism
Mauryan Empire
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Alexander the Great continued into India
after defeating the Persians, but later
withdrew from India
Aryan culture had spread from the Indus to
the Ganges; but there will small kingdoms
that fought with each other; no centralized
ruler
Mauryan Empire
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Chandragupta Maurya stepped in to fill the
vacuum left by Alexander
He unified the Aryan kingdoms into 1
civilization
His grandson Ashoka would continue his rule
and bring the empire to new heights
Chandragupta: 321 BCE298 BCE
 Unified northern India.
 Defeated the Persian
general Seleucus.
 Divided his empire into
provinces, then districts
for tax assessments and law
enforcement.
 He feared assassination [like Saddam
Hussein]  food tasters, slept in different
rooms, etc.
 301 BCE  gave up his throne & became
a Jain.
The Maurya
Empire
321 BCE – 185 BCE
Kautilya
 Chandragupta’s advisor.
 Brahmin caste.
 Wrote The Treatise on
Material Gain or the
Arthashastra.
 A guide for the king and his ministers:
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Supports royal power.
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The great evil in society is anarchy.
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Therefore, a single authority is
needed to employ force when
necessary!
Asoka (304 – 232 BCE)
 Religious conversion
after the gruesome
battle of Kalinga in
262 BCE.
 Dedicated his life to
Buddhism.
 Built extensive roads.
 Conflict  how to balance Kautilya’s
methods of keeping power
and Buddha’s demands to
become a selfless person?
Asoka
’s
Empir
e
ASHOKA
– The empire was wealthy because of trade
• Cotton, silk and elephants
• Traded with Mesopotamia and the Eastern Roman
empire
– Powerful military
– Bureaucracy; taxes ;roads, hospitals; and
rest houses to encourage trade routes
– After a bloody, violent victory at Kalinga
Ashoka converted to Buddhism
• He preached non-violence & moderation
• He lead by moral example
• Rock & Pillar Edicts - told people in his empire to
live generous and righteous lives
• Buddhism began to spread in India
Asoka’s law code
 Edicts scattered in
more than 30 places
in India, Nepal,
Pakistan, & Afghanistan.
 Written mostly in
Sanskrit, but one was in
Greek and Aramaic.
 10 rock edicts.
 Each pillar [stupa] is 40’-50’ high.
 Buddhist principles dominate his laws.
One
of
Asoka
’sStup
as
Women
Under an
Asoka
tree
Turmoil & a power
Vacuum:
220 BCE – 320 CE
The Maurya Empire is divided into many kingdoms.
Gupta Empire:
CE
320 CE – 647
Gupta Rulers
 Chandra Gupta I
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r. 320 – 335 CE
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“Great King of Kings”
 Chandra Gupta II
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r. 375 - 415 CE
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Profitable trade with
the Mediterranean
world!
 Hindu revival.
 Huns invade – 450 CE
Fa-Hsien: Life in Gupta
 Chinese Buddhist monk
traveled along the
India
Silk Road and visited India in the 5c.
 He was following the path
of the Buddha.
 He reported the people to
be happy, relatively free of
government oppression, and
inclined towards courtesy and
charity. Other references in
the journal, however, indicate
that the caste system was
rapidly assuming its basic features, including
"untouchability," the social isolation of a lowest
class that is doomed to menial labor.
GUPTA EMPIRE
• Under Gupta, Hinduism became the
dominant religion and Buddhism all but
disappeared
• Caste system became more rigid;
Brahmins became more powerful
• Women: forbidden from reading
sacred prayers or studying religion;
subject to supervision of fathers,
husbands and sons; no property rights;
child marriages
Chandra Gupta 11
International Trade
Routes during the
Guptas
Extensive Trade:
4c
spices
gold & ivory
Kalidasa
 The greatest of Indian poets.
 His most famous play was Shakuntala.
 During the reign of Chandra Gupta II.
Gupta
Art
Greatly influenced
Southeast Asian art & architecture.
500 healing
plants identified
1000 diseases
classified
Printed
medicinal guides
Plastic
Surgery
Gupta
Achievement
s
Kalidasa
Literature
Medicine
Inoculations
C-sections
performed
Decimal
System
Gupta
India
Mathematics
Concept
of Zero
PI = 3.1416
Solar
Calendar
Astronomy
The earth
is round
The Decline of the
 Invasion of the Guptas
White Huns in the 4c signaled
the end of the Gupta Golden Age, even though
at first, the Guptas defeated them.
Economic problems due to powerful regions in the
empire; cost of defending against Huns was high,
and couldn’t collect enough taxes
 After the decline of the Gupta empire, north
India broke into a number of separate Hindu
kingdoms and was not really unified again until
the coming of the Muslims in the 7c.
HINDUISM
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Only major polytheistic religion to survive
over time
No “Mr. Hindu” - a belief system that
evolved over time
Supreme force = Brahma = creator who is
in all things
Hindu goal = merge with Brahma (moshka);
takes many lifetimes
Brahman is the one
main god
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Represents a single force
in the universe
Many smaller deities
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Brahma - creator who
continues to create
Vishnu – the preserver
Shiva – the destroyer
There are no prophets
Holy Readings:
•Vedas
•Bhagavad Gita
•Upanishads
•Epics of Ramayana and Mahabhrata
HINDUISM
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Dharma - duty to perform in life); determined
by birth and state in life (your caste)
Follow the dharma, you get good karma
Karma = sum of all good and bad deeds
performed
Samsara – circle of life, death and rebirth that
continues until you reach moksha
Moksha = highest state of being; one with
Brahma; internal peace; soul is released
What is Buddhism?
Buddhist statues
Dalai Lama
Spiritual Leader
Buddhism Fast Facts
Who started it?..............Siddhartha Gotama
(Buddha)
What does it mean?......'budhi', 'to awaken'.
When did it start?..........2,500 years ago
How many people?……300 million
What is the holy book?..Tripitaka
When is worship?..........2x Daily: home,
temple, & monastery
Buddhist holidays?........Theravada (Lunar New
year-April), Vaisakha –Buddha’s Birth/death/
enlightenment day
Who Was the Buddha?
Siddhartha Gotama was born into a royal Was the Buddha considered a God?
family in what is now Nepal, in 563 BC. At
29, he realized that wealth and luxury did He was not, nor did he claim to be. He was
a man who taught a path to enlightenment
not guarantee happiness, so he explored
from his own experience.
the different teachings religions and
philosophies of the day, to find the key to
Is Buddhism a Religion?
human happiness. After six years of study
Buddhism is more of a philosophy or
and meditation he finally found 'the middle
'way of life than religion
path' and was enlightened. After
1.to lead a moral life
enlightenment, the Buddha spent the rest
2.to be mindful and aware of your
of his life teaching the principles of
thoughts and actions
Buddhism - called the Dhamma, or Truth 3.to develop wisdom and understanding
until his death at the age of 80.
What is Nirvana?
Escape from the samsara. Good Karma, can end
the cycle of samsara and achieve pure
enlightenment or Nirvana.
The wheel of life, or "samsara", is an ancient
symbol that symbolizes the cycle of birth, life, and
death. When one revolution is completed, life
begins again with rebirth.
What is the holy book?
The sacred book of Buddhism, written in Pali, is called the Tipitaka.
The Tripitaka is a very large book. The English translation of it takes
up nearly forty volumes.
The 4 Noble Truths
1.
2.
3.
4.
Life means suffering.
Suffering is caused by desire
One can be freed of this desire.
Eight-fold path- follow to be free of desire
What are the 5 Precepts?
The moral code within Buddhism.
1. Not to take the life of anything living
2. Not to take anything not freely given
3. To abstain from sexual misconduct and sensual
overindulgence
4. To refrain from untrue speech
5. Avoid intoxication; losing mindfulness.
The Eight-fold Path
1. Right View
2. Right Intention
Wisdom
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
Ethical Conduct
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration
Mental Development
SPREAD OF HINDUISM &
BUDDHISM
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Christianity will spread along the Roman
Roads
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Hinduism and Buddhism spread into Southeast
Asia through the Silk Roads