Early Civilizations in India Chapter 3 Section 1

Mountains, Rivers and Plains Himalaya – Far north mountain range in India Ganges River – South of the Himalayas Indus River Valley – dry plateau that forms the backbone of modern day Pakistan Deccan Plateau – hilly and dry in the interior Eastern and Western Coasts are lush plains

Seasonal wind pattern June through September winds come from the South and Southwest October through February winds blow from the north to the northeast

Harappa and Mohenjo Daro Cities were carefully planned  Main streets ran in a north south direction  Walled neighborhoods with narrow lanes separated the row of houses  Houses formed a grid pattern  Public wells  Bathrooms featured an advanced drainage system Wastewater flowed out to drains located under the streets then was carried to sewage pits beyond the city walls  Chutes took household trash from houses to street level garbage bins

Indus River Valley Civilizations ending is a mystery Gradual decay, floods, earthquakes, change in the course of the river Arrival of the Aryans Lived in tribal groups and had a strong warrior tradition Gradually moved eastward across India and gradually took over the Indus River Valley people

A New Way of Life North – wheat, barley and rice South – grain, vegetables, cotton, pepper, ginger and cinnamon Writing  Sanskrit – Indo-European language Vedas – early writings that tell of small kingdoms throughout India

Daily Life in Ancient Family was the basic unit in society Grandparents, parents, and children lived under the same roof Patriarchal  Oldest male had legal authority  Inherit property Children  Marriages were arranged Parents would support their daughters until marriage and then pay a dowry to the family of the man she married

Daily Life Suttee  Dead were placed on heaps of material called pyres which were set on fire  The wife was required to throw herself on her dead husband’s flaming pyre  If she did not she was held in disgrace

Aryans believed Society was divided into 4 varnas Top Level = Brahmins (priests) 2 nd Level = Kshatriyas (warriors) 3 rd Level = Vaisyas (commoners) 4 th Level = Sudras (peasants or servants) 5 th Level = Unmentionables Caste System Born into a caste and it determined what occupation you could have, who to marry, and what groups they could socialize with  Lowest level in Indian society were the Untouchables who were given menial tasks

Hinduism Believed in the existence of a single force in the universe = Brahman Yoga  Leave behind earthly life and join Brahman in a kind of dreamless sleep Most ordinary Indians could not relate to this ideal and came to have a number of human like gods and goddesses  Brahma – the creator  Vishnu – the preserver  Shiva – the destroyer

Principles of Hinduism Reincarnation  Rebirth  Gives hope to people especially those in the lower castes Karma  “what goes around comes around”  Dharma Requires people to do their duty which depends on their status in society

Buddhism Siddhartha Gautama – founder of Buddhism  Raised in luxury and at age 16 he married a princess and began to raise a family  At age 20 he noticed people suffering from illness, death and old age Decided to spend his life seeking the cure for human suffering  Practiced self denial but it took him very close to death  Turned to meditation and met enlightenment and his teachings became Buddhism

Principles of Buddhism Siddhartha denied the reality of the material world  Believed human sufferings were caused by their attachments to things in this world Nirvana – ultimate reality Four Noble Truths  Ordinary Life is full of suffering  This suffering is caused by our desire to satisfy ourselves  The way to end suffering is to end desire for selfish goals to see others as extensions of ourselves  The way to end desire is to follow the Middle Path

Middle Path Eightfold Path 1. Right view – know the 4 noble truths 2. Right intention – Need to know what we want 3. Right Speech – Speak truth and well of each other 4. Right Action – Do not: Kill, steal, like, unchaste, drugs or alcohol 5. Right Livelihood – Work that uplifts us and others 6. Right effort – Do not give up 7. Right Mindfulness – Keep our minds in control of our senses 8. Right Concentration – meditate to see the world in a new way