India

India Landforms ► Mountain Ranges:  Himalayas: Highest mountain range in the world.  Two low lying mountain ranges on the coastline  Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats ► Rivers: ► The Ganges River: Starts in the high Himalayas as runoff from the snow and glaciers. This river is a holy site for followers of Hinduism.

History ► The Aryans arrived around 1500 B.C. ► Hinduism and Buddhism developed ► Muslims invaded and formed kingdom at Delhi in 1200’s. ► Mughal Empire established in 1520s.

European Influence ► Traders arrived in 1490s- first Portuguese, then Dutch, French, and British. ► Britain defeated France and controlled India. ► British built infrastructure; taught English; influenced education, law, and government. ► Britain partitioned India at independence.

Bollywood ► m/watch?v=LbvP7dT3 Dx0 m/watch?v=LbvP7dT3 Dx0 m/watch?v=LbvP7dT3 Dx0 ► m/watch?v=vewp4vJoj ac m/watch?v=vewp4vJoj ac m/watch?v=vewp4vJoj ac ► Located in Mumbai, India. ► Is referred to as Hindu cinema ► Influenced by:  Indian epics  Traditional folk theater  Hollywood  Musical televison

Hinduism

Origins of Hinduism ► Hinduism, unlike most major religions, does not have a central figure upon whom it is founded. Rather, it is a complex faith with roots stemming back 5,000 years to the people of the Indus Valley. When the Aryan tribes of Persia invaded the Indus Valley around 1700 B.C., the groups’ beliefs merged and Hinduism began to form. ► Hinduism is one of the oldest known organized religions. It has about 800,000,000 followers today, most of whom are in India.

What Hindus Believe ► The Eternal Soul ► Hindus believe in an eternal spiritual truth, called Brahman, from whom all existence comes. ► The soul passes through many kinds of life, but only human life offers the chance of learning this truth. ► Reincarnation ► Reincarnation is the belief that the soul is eternal and lives many lifetimes, in one body after another. The soul is sometimes born in a human body, sometimes in an animal body and sometimes in a plant body, such as that of a tree. All forms of life contain a soul, and all souls have the chance to experience life in different forms. ► Karma ► Karma is the Sanskrit word for action. Actions are important because they bring reactions. Hindus believe every experience, pleasant or unpleasant, is linked to past actions, in this lifetime or in some previous lifetime. This does not rule out free choice, because by practicing yoga, or spiritual discipline, one can change one’s actions and so change one’s future. Belief in karma teaches people to accept responsibility for their behavior, and learn from their mistakes.

The Hindu Gods ► Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, meaning that its followers believe in more than one god. In fact, worshippers commonly devote themselves to one god, their personal deity. Household shrines feature pictures and statues of the chosen gods. Individuals may choose this god for its special attributes. For example, Ganesh, the god with the head of an elephant, is known for overcoming obstacles and bringing success.

The Hindu Trinity ► The foremost of the Hindu gods are Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Although each of these deities possess special attributes, many Hindus believe they represent three properties of one god. Together they form the Hindu Trinity.

Brahma: The Creator ► Brahma is considered the mystical creator, the supreme presence, or God. Many Hindus believe that all other gods originate from Brahma. His four faces stand for the four corners of the universe. He holds a sacrificial ladle, the four Vedas (sacred writings), a jar of holy water from the Ganges, and a necklace of prayer beads. Like all Hindu gods, he sits upon a lotus throne.

Vishnu: The Preserver ► Followers of Vishnu worship him as the preserver, greatest of the gods. His role is to maintain a balance between good and evil powers in the universe. In order to do this, Vishnu returns to earth in different forms, both animal and human.

Shiva: The Destroyer ► Shiva is worshipped as the destroyer or purifier. Like Vishnu, Shiva appears in many different forms throughout Hindu legends. ► Shiva dances in a halo of fire, representing the cycle of birth and death. As he dances, he crushes the dwarf, the demon of ignorance. In his right hand, he keeps rhythm beating a drum, while in his left hand he holds the flame of destruction, purification, and renewal. Around his arms and neck he wears deadly snakes. The snakes symbolize Shiva’s power over evil forces.

Hindu Daily Duties ► Almost all Hindus keep a shrine in their home, regardless of their caste or economic status. These shrines, dedicated to a particular god, vary in size. Hindus attend to five religious duties: ► 1. Worshipping God: Hindus must devote part of their day to worship. This ensures spiritual contact. ► 2. Reciting scripture: By reciting from a sacred text, the faithful learn the lessons of worldly and religious life. ► 3. Honoring parents and elders: Hindus are very loyal family members. Parents and elders are honored for their wisdom and self- sacrifice. ► 4. Helping the poor: Even the less fortunate try to obey this commandment. Guests, in particular, are given special attention in a Hindu home. ► 5. Feeding animals: Because Hindus consider all life a sacred part of one God, animals are respected and cared for.

Other Religions ► Islam- largest minority religion, 11-14% of the population, mainly in the north. ► Christianity- some 20 million follower ► Buddhism- orginally form India, now followed by less than 1% of the population. ► Sikhism- combines Muslim and Hindu beliefs ► Jainism- strict moral code based on preserving life.

Culture ► More than 1,000 languages and dialect  Hindi is national language; English is widely used. ► Typical clothing for hot weather- sari, choli, lungi, turbans (Sikhs) ► Food- curry made of many spices; variety based on climate, crops, regions ► Festivals- many holidays, including Holi, pongal

Mohandas Gandhi “Control over the mind alone is necessary, and when it is attained, man Is free like the king of the forest, …his very glance withers the enemy.”

“Mahatma” ► The people called Gandhi the Mahatma, which means “Great Soul”. He was considered one of the foremost spiritual, political, moral, and cultural leaders of the 1900’s. He helped free India from British control by using a unique method of nonviolent resistance. Gandhi is honored by the people of India as the father of their nation. He was slight in build, but had great physical and moral strength.

Gandhi’s Beliefs ► Gandhi’s life was guided by a search for truth. He believed truth could be known only through tolerance and concern for others and that finding a truthful way to solutions required constant testing. He called his autobiography My Experiments with Truth. Gandhi overcame fear and taught others to master fear. He believed in nonviolence and taught that to be truly nonviolent required courage. He lived a simple life and thought it was wrong to kill animals for food or clothing.

Gandhi’s Independence Campaign ► In 1914, Gandhi returned to India after practicing law in South Africa for several years. Within five years, he became the leader of the Indian nationalist movement. ► In 1919, the British imperial government introduced the Rowlatt bills to make it unlawful to organize opposition to the government. Gandhi led a campaign that succeeded in preventing passage of one of these bills. The other was never enforced. Gandhi called off the campaign when riots broke out. He then fasted to impress the people with the need to be nonviolent. ► His belief in the cruelty of imperial rule was demonstrated by the Amritsar Massacre of April 13, A British general ordered his men to fire on an unarmed crowd, and almost 400 Indians were killed. This made Gandhi even more determined to develop Satyagraha (courage, non-violence, and truth) and to win independence through nonviolent resistance.

The Great Salt March ► In 1930, Gandhi led hundreds of followers on a 240-mile march to the sea, where they made salt from seawater. This was a protest against the Salt Acts, which made it a crime to possess salt not bought from the British government. Gandhi’s journey lasted 23 days and hundreds of followers joined him in a procession that stretched for two miles. ► During World War II ( ), Gandhi continued his struggle for India's freedom through nonviolent disobedience to British rule. He was jailed for the last time in Altogether, he spent seven years in prison for political activity. He believed that it is honorable to go to jail for a good cause.

Freedom and Death ► India was granted freedom in But the partition of India into India and Pakistan grieved Gandhi. He was saddened also by the rioting between Hindus and Muslims that followed. Gandhi had worked for a united country, and he had urged Hindus and Muslims to live together in peace. ► On Jan. 13, 1948, at the age of 78, Gandhi began his last fast. His purpose was to end the bloodshed among Hindu, Muslim, and other groups. On January 18, their leaders pledged to stop fighting and Gandhi broke his fast. Twelve days later, in New Delhi, while on his way to a prayer meeting, Gandhi was assassinated. Nathuram Godse, a Hindu fanatic who opposed Gandhi's program of tolerance for all creeds and religions, shot him three times. ► A shocked India and a saddened world mourned Gandhi's death. ► The great scientist Albert Einstein said of Gandhi: "Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood."