Chapter 7 Section 1 INDIA’S FIRST EMPIRES

Chandragupta Maurya Born in Magadha Gathered an army and killed the Nanda king. Started the Mauryan Empire in 321 BC

Rise of the Mauryan Empire Maurya battled one of Alexander the Great’s generals, Seleucus I, between 305 BC and 303 BC. After defeating Seleucus I, the Mauryan Empire stretched more than 2,000 miles. The Mauryan army had 600,000 foot soldiers, 30,000 on horseback, and 9,000 elephants. Citizens had to pay heavy taxes in order to feed and clothe the army.

Mauryan Government Chandragupta’s advisor, Kautilya (priest), wrote a ruler’s handbook, Arthasatra. This book promoted policies to keep an empire together, such as spying on people and employing political assassination. Chandragupta created a bureaucratic government. Divided the empire into four provinces, each ruled by a prince. Each province was divided into districts.

Asoka Maurya In 269 BC Asoka, Chandragupta’s grandson, assumed the throne of the Mauryan Empire. After a bloody war against a neighboring state, Asoka began to study Buddhism. He had roads built throughout the empire with rest houses and wells every 9 miles.

Asoka’s Beliefs Ruled by Buddha’s teaching of “peace to all beings.” Preached nonviolence Urged religious toleration- acceptance of people who held different religious beliefs

Asoka’s Death Soon after Asoka died, in 232 BC, the kingdoms of central India regained their independence. The Andhra Dynasty emerged to rule central India for hundreds of years, and flourished through their extensive trade. Floods of Greeks and Persians flooded into Northern India for 500 years, beginning in 185 BC. Southern India was home to three kingdoms that were never captured by the Mauryans, the Tamil. They were always at war with one another.

Chandra Gupta Around 315 BC, Chandra Gupta started the Gupta Empire. Dominated by Hindu culture. He came to power by marrying the daughter of an influential royal family. Took the title “Great King of Kings”

Daily Life in India Most Indians lived in small villages; many farmers. Craftspeople and merchants had shops in districts. Farmers had to give a day’s worth of labor to maintain their irrigation systems; tax on water. Unlike the rest of India, Southern India was matriarchal.

The Gupta Empire Chandra Gupta’s grandson, Chandra Gupta II, defeated the Shakas and expanded the empire far west Opened up trade in the Mediterranean Sea He reigned from AD 375 to 415

Chapter 7 Section 2 TRADE SPREADS INDIAN RELIGIONS & CULTURE

Centuries of turmoil and invaders in the Indian subcontinent brought new ideas, while the Golden Age of the early Gupta Empire encouraged cultural advancements.

Changes in Buddhism Buddhism originally had no gods and taught that people could achieve nirvana through lifetimes of following the Eightfold Path Focused on self-denial and individual discipline to get rid of desire and thus escape the suffering of life This original Buddhism became known as the Theravada sect By the first century AD, the Mahayana sect had emerged Taught that the Buddha was a god and people could become Buddhas by giving up nirvana and living as bodhisattvas, working to save humanity through good works and self-sacrifice Offered salvation to all and allowed popular worship of the Buddha

New Trends in Indian Art Huge statues of the Buddha for people to worship Stupas - mounded stone structures surrounding holy relics – became holy sites and were walked around for Buddhist meditation Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain cave temples were carved out of solid rock and decorated with sculptures and paintings Big structures often paid for by Buddhist merchants as “good works”

Hinduism Becomes More Personal Hinduism had hundreds of gods, but they all came to be seen as parts of a single divine force (Brahman) Most important gods: Brahma, creator of the world; Vishnu, preserver of the world; Shiva, destroyer of the world Only Brahmin priests could perform sacrifices, but people became more personally devoted to their favorite gods, Vishnu and Shiva Personal devotion made Hinduism more popular

Growing Dramatic Literature and Poetry Writing academies in the Tamil kingdoms of southern India produced thousands of poems Traveling troops of male and female actors combined drama and dance in performances across southern India Much classical Indian dance today based on their ancient techniques India today continues ancient drama traditions Bollywood produces more than twice as many movies as US - many popular ones are love stories that blend music, dance, and drama

Advances in Science Astronomy knowledge increased to help sailing merchants navigate Adapted Western methods of keeping time from Greek invaders, based on sun cycles and using a seven-day week Proved Earth was round 1,000 years before Columbus by observing eclipse Invented the modern numeral and decimal systems, including the zero Aryabhata calculated value of pi and length of a solar year Compiled two important medical guides describing over 1,000 diseases and 500 medical plants Hindu doctors performed surgeries, including plastic

Indian Trade Spreads Valuable items in India included: spices, sapphires, gold, diamonds, teak and ebony and sandalwood Already traded with Africa and Mesopotamia over 4.000 years ago Spread to China, Central Asia, and Rome over 2,000 years ago when they began using the Silk Roads and increasing use of sea routes Indian merchants also got rich as middlemen, selling between the Chinese and the Romans Banking increased as bankers were needed and made money from interest on loans to merchants

Spread of Culture Buddhist monks traveled along trade routes to convert people along the way, and Buddhist missionaries set up monasteries in China and other countries in Southeast Asia Some Indian merchants moved to other countries and spread culture Indian styles heavily influenced art, architecture, and dance throughout Southeast Asia, especially nearby Buddhism is now a major religion in many Southeast Asian countries Hinduism spread to Nepal and Sri Lanka and Borneo