Bentley ch 16 India and the Indian Ocean Basin

Ch 16: India and the Indian Ocean Basin I.White Huns invade India & collapse the Gupta Empire—Result is a divided India once again II.Northern India A.was periodically invaded by nomadic Turks (absorbed into society) B.By the early 600s CE, three warring states controlled the Ganges Valley C.Harsha (r ) was king of one of these warring states 1.B uilt an army w/ calvary, infantry, war elephants 2.In six years he conquered the territory of the old Gupta empire 3.Was not able to conquer the Deccan 4.Hsuan-Tsang (Chinese Buddhist scholar) wrote about Harsha and described him as a model ruler 5.People had low taxes, high standard of living, excellent education system 6.Patron of the arts, and himself a writer of three Sanksrit works 7.Peace for 41 years 8.After his death, empire split into small states that fought for control of northern India 9.Assassinated and left no heir

D.900s, Rajputs (strong rulers) emerged 1.Claimed divine right 2.Intermarried with the Hindus 3.Adopted Hinduism and the caste system 4.Small kingdoms 5.Defended their territories against Muslim invaders 6.Warrior caste organized in clans 7.Loyal code of conduct called the “way of the warrior” 1.Men had to protect the weak 2.Show bravery in battle 3.Respect women 4.Code of conduct for women included suttee (ritual suicide if their husbands died in battle) 8.Marriage or military advancement led to more flexibility in the caste system E.Entry of Islam into India 1.Military 2.Merchants 3.Migrations and invasions of Turks F.Mahmud of Ghazni: invaded india with the intent to plunder the Hindu and Buddhist temples, effect: hastened the decline of Buddhism in India, his successors established the Sultanate of Delhi ( ) G.The Chola Kingdom ( )

H.Muslim Invasions of India CE, Arabs conquered the Indus Valley 2.Ruled the Indus Valley loosely which resulted in a decentralized state CE, Arab Turks began attacking northern India and eventually conquered the Rajput princes 4.By 1200s, the Arabs had controlled most of northern India 5.Delhi Sultanate a.Delhi became the capital of the Mamluk dynasty (Arabs) b.Usually allowed the Indians to follow their traditional way of life c.Kept northern India unified for 300 years d.Early 1300s, conquered the Deccan e.Muhammad ibn Taghluq (r ) 1.Rumor he murdered his father for the throne 2.Founded a new capital and ordered the evacuation of Delhi 3.People had to march 500 miles f.Firuz Shah Tughluq (r ) a.Social reformer b.Cultured man c.Built canals, roads, reservoirs d.Built hospitals, schools, mosques e.Reversed Muhammad ibn Taghluq’s harsh policies f.After his death, people felt confident to revolt

I.Results of Muslim Rule 1.In the beginning, few Indians converted to Islam 2.Important difference b/w two religions A.Hinduism 1.Polytheistic 2.Used music in ceremonies 3.Rejected beef 4.Drank alcohol 5.Caste system 6.Hindu fertility goddess B.Islam 1.Monotheistic 2.No music 3.Ate beef 4.Rejected alcohol 5.All people are equal before God 6.Women were secluded

3.Muslim contributions a.introduced Urdu 1.new language 2.combined Persian and Arabic words and script with the language of the Delhi region 3.used as a means of communication between the authorities and the common people 4.language of present day Pakistan b.brought architectural techniques of the dome and the arch c.brought the Chinese knowledge of gunpowder, papers, porcelain