Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 1 Chapter 9 State, Society, and the Quest for Salvation in India

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 2 The Mauryan and Gupta Empires Classical India 321 B.C.E.-550 C.E.

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 3 India Before the Mauryan Dynasty 520 BCE – Persian Emperor Darius  Introduced Persian ruling pattern in India 327 BCE – Alexander of Macedon  Conquered Persian Empire to the Indus River  Influenced Mauryans to unite northern India

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 4 Chandragupta Maurya Power vacuum left by Alexander  Overthrew Magadha rulers Expanded kingdom Created 1 st unified Indian empire  Mauryan Dynasty

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 5 Chandragupta’s Government Followed advisor Kautalya  Manual of political statecraft Set foreign policies for economy Strong domestic policies  Network of spies Legend:  Chandragupta retired to become a Jain monk  Accidentally starved himself to death

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 6 Ashoka Maurya Grandson of Chandragupta Represents Golden Age, BCE Expanded empire  included most of Indian subcontinent, except south Promoted Buddhism Positive ruler Integrated Indian society

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 7 Decline of the Mauryan Empire After death of Ashoka: Economic crisis High costs of bureaucracy  Currency devalued Military not supported by taxes Unity disappeared  by 185 BCE

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 8 Regional Kingdom: Bactria Northwestern India Ruled by Greek descendants of Alexander Intense cultural activity accompanied active trade Part of Hellenistic culture

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 9 Regional Kingdom: Kush Northern India/Central Asia C CE Maintained silk road network

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 10 The Gupta Dynasty Based in Magadha Founded by Chandra Gupta, 320 CE  (no relation to Chandragupta Maurya)  Slightly smaller than Mauryan Empire Highly decentralized leadership

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 11 Gupta Decline, by 500 CE Frequent invasions of Huns, 5 th c. CE  Gupta Dynasty disintegrated Smaller local kingdoms dominated until 16 th c.  When Mughals moved in

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 12 Economy: Towns and Manufacturing By End of Classical Period (600 CE): Intense trading networks Manufactured goods in big demand Developed dense network of workshops Capitalized on trade routes through India

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 13 Long-Distance Trade Persian connection since Cyrus Massive road-building projects under Persian rule Alexander extended trade west to Macedon Silk Roads through Kush mountains

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 14 Trade in the Indian Ocean Basin Seasonal sea trade expanded  Monsoon winds  Trade from Asia to Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and Mediterranean

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 15 Society: Gender Relations Patriarchy entrenched Child marriage common (8 year old girls married to men in 20s) Women encouraged to remain in private sphere

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 16 Social Order Caste system from Aryan times  Brahmins (priests)  Kshatriyas (warriors, aristocrats)  Vaishyas (Peasants, merchants)  Shudras (serfs)

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 17 Castes and Guilds Increased economic diversity added castes Jatis formed: guilds that acted as sub-castes Enforced social order  “outcastes” forced into low-status employment

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 18 Religions of Salvation in Classical India Social change  caused resentment of caste privileges  e.g., Brahmins free from taxation by 5 th c. BCE:  new religions challenged status quo Charvakas: atheists Jainists, Buddhists

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 19 Jainism Vardhamana Mahavira, BCE Abandoned privileged family to lead ascetic life Promoted movement based on Upanishads  emphasis on selfless living  concern for all beings

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 20 Ahimsa: Principle of extreme non-violence Jainists sweep earth, strain water, use slow movements  to avoid killing insects “Ahimsa” continues to inspire modern movements  Mohandas Ghandi  Martin Luther King Jr.  Nelson Mandela

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 21 Appeal of Jainism Rejected caste distinctions  Appealed to underprivileged groups Too extreme to become a mass movement

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 22 Early Buddhism Siddhartha Gautama, c BCE Abandoned comfortable life to become a monk

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 23 Gautama’s Search for Enlightenment Intense meditation, extreme asceticism 49 days of meditation under bo tree to finally achieve enlightenment Attained title Buddha: “the enlightened one”

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 24 The Buddha and his Followers Began teaching new doctrine c. 528 BCE Followers owned only robes, food bowls Life of wandering, begging, meditation Established monastic communities

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 25 Buddha and his Disciples

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 26 Buddhist Doctrine: The Dharma The Four Noble Truths  all life is suffering  there is an end to suffering  removing desire removes suffering  this may be done through the eight-fold path  (right views, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration)

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 27 Appeal of Buddhism Less dependence on Brahmins for rituals No recognition of caste Philosophy of moderate consumption Public service through lay teaching

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 28 A Buddhist Monastery

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 29 Ashoka’s Support of Buddhism Personal conversion to Buddhism  disillusioned after violent war with Kalinga Banned animal sacrifices  mandated vegetarianism Material support for Buddhist  institutions & missionary activities  constructed many stupas

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 30 Changes in Buddhist thought 3 rd c. BCE – 1 st c. CE  Buddha considered divine  Institution of Boddhisatvas (“saints”)  Charitable donations to monasteries encouraged

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 31 Spread of Mahayana Buddhism Mahayana (“greater vehicle”), newer development  India, China, Japan, Korea, central Asia Theravada, earlier version  Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Burma (Myanmar), (Siam) Thailand

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 32 Nalanda Buddhist Monastery/Quasi-university:  Buddhism  Hindu texts  philosophy, astronomy, & medicine Peaked at end of Gupta dynasty Helped spread Indian thought  E.g., mathematical number zero

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 33 Emergence of Popular Hinduism Composition of epics from older oral traditions  Mahabharata Emphasis on god Vishnu and his incarnations

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 34 The Bhagavad Gita “Song of the Lord” Centuries of revisions, final form c. 400 CE Dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna during civil war

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 35 Hindu Ethics Emphasis on meeting class obligations (dharma) Pursuit of economic well-being and honesty (artha) Enjoyment of social, physical and sexual pleasure (kama) Salvation of the soul (moksha)

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 36 Popularity of Hinduism Gradually replaced Buddhism in India Gupta dynastic leaders extend considerable support