Vedic India, Hinduism, and the formation of the core Indian culture

 India Topography Khyber Pass Deccan Plateau

  Centrally located for trade  Indian Ocean & Silk Road  Himalayas insulate India from China  Khyber Pass in Hindu-Kush mountains makes India accessible from Central Asia and West Asia (the Islamic world)  The Indus & Ganges River valleys provide fertile lands for population to grow in North  The Deccan Plateau is marked by deep rift valleys, making access to the South difficult (lack of Indian unity) Implications of Indian Geography on the Development of India

 Ancient Harappan Civilization

 Harappan Civilization 2500 – 1600 BCE Indus River Valley Dravidian (dark-skinned) Herded cattle and farmed Worshipped fertility gods Icons in the shape of cattle and pregnant women Ritualized bathing pools Houses showed evidence of distinct class divisions Aryan Migrations 1600 – 1000 BCE Large, light-skinned Nomadic horseman from central Asia (S. Russia) Brought: Herding Oral tradition in Sanskrit Aryan Gods 4 Classes Blend of Dravidian and Aryan influences + Called the “Vedic Age” Classical Hinduism By 500 BCE (start of the Classical Era) Oral traditions written down in the Vedas 4 Varnas = Castes and their (Dharma) 1.Brahmin = Priests (learn scriptures) 2.Kshatriyas = Warrior/Aristocrats (govern and fight) 3.Vaishyas = Merchants (to sell goods/work) 4.Shudras = Peasants (to serve) UNTOUCHABLES Jati = Sub-castes that further divide the varnas Samsara = reincarnation (cyclical existence of the soul) Dharma = duty Karma = good and bad deeds Moksha = Salvation or release fron the cycle of Samsara =

  Do the dharma  Of your varna  And get good karma  To achieve moksha  From the cycle of samsara.  Free your atman  To reunite with Brahman.  Know, understand, and use these terms. WTF?! (freak)

  Samsara  Brahman  Atman  Karma  Moksha  Review the Upanishads – identify phrases that deal with each concept (quotes that support the idea).  Can you find examples of these?  dharma  varna Upanishads

 MAIN IDEAS of Classical India: 1.Aryans created many small kingdoms in India that often were at war with each other 2.The Mauryan Empire founded a centralized state that unified much of India but didn’t last 3.The Gupta also unified much of India for a short time 4.India lacked a tradition of lasting centralized rule, even after these dynasties existed.

 Economic & Social Developments Aryans settled, began to farm with metal tools, and civilization grew in Ganges River Valley. Social hierarchy developed, as the Aryans forced SHUDRAS or “serfs” to work the fields Towns & trade flourished, causing the further development of the caste system. Towns & Trade – Manufactured goods for local consumption Pots, textiles, iron tools, metal utensils – Luxury goods for elites (jewelry, etc.) – Trade flourished Large factories & marketplaces emerged Empire built roads to facilitate trade within India

  Long-Distance Trade  Political links with Persia & the Mediterranean (Alexander) established trade with those regions  Silk Road trade to China  Indian Exports = cotton, aromatics, black pepper, pearls, gems  Imports = horses from west & silk from China  Indian Ocean Sea Routes Increasingly Used  Merchants used Monsoon patterns to get around  Spring & Summer = from southwest  Fall & Winter = from northeast  Indian merchants to SE Asia for spices

 The Mauryan Empire  Persians and Alexander as evidence of political fragmentation and weakness of India – significance of Alex = political vacuum (may have met / inspired Chandragupta)  Mauryan Dynasty ( BCE)  Chandragupta Maurya united northern India in a state via conquest beginning in Magadha (Ganges & Indus River Valleys)

  Ashoka marked the high point of Mauryan Dynasty (uniting most of southern & northern)  Ashoka ruled via organized bureaucracy  Efficient tax collection  Stone edicts  Buddhist values  Promoted farming by building irrigation systems  Promoted trade by building roads  Ashoka’s policies did not last past his death in 232 BCE Ashoka

  A pillar of Ashoka Hammurabi’s Code 

 Classical India 184 BCE-320 CE  Between Mauryan & Guptan Empires  Cultural vibrance despite political decentralization  Flourishing trade (guilds)  Thriving religion (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism)  Recording of Indian epics: Ramayana & Mahabharata ( Bhagavad- Gita)  Advances in science & technology  Lesser Dynasties after Mauryan  Bactrian (Greek) Rule in Northern India (182 BCE – 1 CE)  Kushan Empire in Northern India (1-300 CE)

 Gupta Dynasty (320 – 550 CE) – Modeled after Mauryan Empire – Smaller empire than Mauryan – Less centralized (local regions made many policies and decisions) – Theatre state – Supported sciences (concept of zero and “Arabic” numerals) – Decline in women’s rights (patriarchal dominance, sati ) – Reemergence of Hinduism and caste sytem

 – White Huns (500 CE +) Invaded from Central Asia Left India in a feudal arrangement of local kings – India disunified until Mughals in 16 th century. Fall of Classical India

 Title: Mauryan / Gupta Venn Diagram  Create a Venn Diagram for the Mauryan and Gupta Empires.  Label each empire with the appropriate dates.  Be sure to include similarities, as well as differences.  Include information from ALL themes.

  Environment – brown/orange  Culture - Yellow  Political – Blue/Purple  Social – Red/Pink  Economic - Green Themes: