History of South Asia

Indus Valley Civilization 2500 BC-In the Indus Valley (present day Pakistan) the world’s first major cities emerged (Mohenjo Daro and Harappa) Around 1500 BC the Aryans from southern Asia invaded and established a strict society Their sacred writings (called Vedas) outlined a strict class system that became the “caste” system

Mohenjo Daro and Harappa on a map Ruins of Mohenjo Daro Mohenjo Daro and Harappa on a map

Major Religions Emerge The Aryan caste system became the foundation for the Hindu religion Around 500 BC a Hindu, Siddhartha Gautama left Hinduism and became the “Buddha” or awakened one He taught people to think clearly, work diligently, and show compassion in order to have peace and joy Buddhism and Hinduism are the major religions that dominate this region even still today

Statue of the first Buddha Hindu Caste System

Other Invaders and Empires Other civilizations invaded India through the Khyber Pass The Mauryans and then later Guptas established powerful civilizations The Muslim Mughal Empire ruled India from the 1100s to the 1700s The Europeans began arriving in the 1500s and started establishing trading posts

The Raj The British established control of all of India by 1857 The name for British India was the “Raj” The British built roads and railroads, restructured education, and developed a strong government to rule India The British also created harsh policies that oppressed the Indian people

Map of the Raj-British Controlled India Flag of British India Map of the Raj-British Controlled India Indian servants with a British Officer

Independence Through the work of Mohandas Gandhi and the Indian National Congress, India became independent in 1947 Gandhi believed in nonviolent resistance The British created India for the Hindu Indians and Pakistan for the Muslim Indians There is still today much violence between Muslims and Hindus in India

Gandhi and Nehru Gandhi with Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan

Modern History Pakistan has had many changes in government since independence Today it is ruled by a military dictatorship India’s first prime minister was Gandhi’s close friend, Jawaharlal Nehru His daughter Indira Gandhi, and grandson, Rajiv Gandhi were both prime minister and helped India tremendously India today is a democracy but faces many challenges India and Pakistan have fought a series of wars over the Jammu/Kashmir region in northern Pakistan and India

Causes & effects of the Kashmir conflict: Money spent on wars not food and human needs Economic sanctions hurt India & Pakistan economies CAUSES Border disputes Religious differences Nuclear proliferation