2.  Today about 110 languages are spoken in India. The Indian Subcontinent in Asia is made up of a number of important regions. These regions include: 1. The Himalaya mountains 2. The Ganges and Indus River valleys 3. Deccan Plateau

3.  The Himalayas are the highest mountains range in the world, reaching approx. 29,000 feet with Mt. Everest.  The Ganges River valley is rich while the Indus River valley is dry.  The Deccan plateau is hilly and dry in the interior and lush in the west and east.  The primary feature of India’s climate is the monsoon, a seasonal wind pattern in southern Asia.

4. Monsoon  One monsoon blows warm, moist air from the southwest during the summer and another blows cold, dry air from the northeast during the winter.  The southwest monsoon brings heavy rains, and throughout history Indian farmers have depended on these rains to grow their crops.  If the rains come early or late, or too much or too little rain falls, crops are destroyed and thousands starve.

5.  The earliest civilizations in India flourished in the Indus River Valley. Two of these civilizations were in the major cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.  Both of these cities were carefully planned and had streets and roads, large walled neighborhoods, mud brick buildings, public wells, bathroom with drainage system and garbage collection system.

6.  The two cities had well-organized governments and rulers based their power on religious beliefs.  The economy was based primarily on farming & the Indus valley civilization traded with nearby civilizations such as Mesopotamia.  Traded goods included:  textiles, food, copper, lumber,  Precious stones, and cotton.  Much of this trade was done by ship and some by land.

7.  The civilization in the Indus River Valley was affected by floods, an earthquake and climate changes.  Invaders, known as Aryans, brought its final end. The Aryans were nomadic people who moved south across the Hindu Kush mountain range from central Asia into the plains of northern India.  They conquered the Harappans and created a new society based on their culture & traditions.

8.  The Aryans moved eastward across the Ganges Plain and southward into the Deccan Plateau. Eventually, the Aryans extended their control throughout most of India.  The Aryans were pastoral, or country, people with a strong warrior tradition. They eventually became farmers and developed farming tools such as the plow.

9.  With the plow other tools and irrigation, the Aryans cleared the jungle along the Ganges River and turned it into a rich farming area.  They Aryans also developed Sanskrit, which was India’s first system of writing.  Sanskrit enabled them to write down legends and religious rituals that had been passed down.  Early writings reveal that between 1500 and 400 B.C., India was a world of warring kingdoms. The Aryan leaders, known as Rajas, would fight other rajas for property, cattle, treasure, and women.

10.  The conquest by the Aryans had a lasting impact on society. Out of this came a set of social traditions and class divisions that has lasted in India to the present day.  The caste system of ancient India was a set of rigid social categories that determined a person’s occupation and economic potential but also his or her position in society.  The caste system was based in part on skin color. The Aryans were light-skin people who looked down on their dark-skinned subjects; even though the dark-skinned people were more advanced than the Aryans.

11. Brahmans (priests)Kshatriyas (warriors) Vaisyas (merchant/commoners Sudras (dark-skinned natives; peasants) Untouchables (not considered humans) There were five major divisions of Indian castes (classes).

12.  The Brahmans and Kshatriyas were Aryan. The Sudras were not. Most of the Indian population were Sudras. They had limited rights in society.  The untouchables were not considered a real part of the caste system and were given degrading tasks such as collecting garbage and handling dead bodies.  Untouchables, often live in urban slums and have little access to healthcare, clean water, and other basic resources. Although the Indian government has tried to work to improve their status, untouchables continue to suffer discrimination and exploitation by the higher castes. Today, there are more than 160 million untouchables.

13.  Life in Ancient India was centered around the family. Males were considered superior in Indian society. Women were not allowed to serve as priests and were generally not educated.  Divorce was not allowed but husbands were allowed to take a second wife if the first was unable to have children.  Children were important because they were expected to take care of their parents as they grew older.  Marriage arranged by the parents was common for young girls.

14.  Perhaps the most vivid symbol of a women’s dominance by a man was the ritual of the suttee.  In ancient India, the dead were placed on heaps of material called pyres, which were set on fire.  Suttee required a wife to throw herself on her dead husband’s funeral pyres. Those who didn’t were held in disgrace.

15.  One of the major world religions, Hinduism had its origins in the religious beliefs of the Aryans who settled in India after 1500 B.C.  Early Hindus believed in the existence of a single force in the universe called Brahman.  The individual, called atman, had a duty to seek to know Brahman so he could merge with Brahman after death.  By the 6 th century B.C., the idea of reincarnation had appeared in Hinduism.

16.  Reincarnation is the belief that the individual soul is reborn in a different form after death.  According to Hinduism, all living beings seek the a union with Brahman. For Hindu’s achieving oneness with Brahman is done through yoga.  Karma is an important aspect of this process. Karma is the force that is generated by a person that determines how the person will be reborn in the next life. (what goes around comes around.

17.  Karma is ruled by the dharma, or divine law. It is a law that requires all people to do their duty.  People’s duties vary depending on their caste.  It is a law that requires all people to do their duty.  Reincarnation provided religious reasons for the caste divisions: it justified the privileges for those on top, and it gave hope to those on the lower castes.

18.  Hindus achieved oneness with Brahman through yoga.  There are hundreds of gods in Hinduism. The three chief gods are: Brahman the creator Vishnu the preserver Siva the destroyer

19. Buddhism  In the 6 th century B.C., a new religion, called Buddhism appeared in northern India and soon became a rival of Hinduism. The founder of Buddhism was Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha, or “Enlightened One”.  Buddhists believe that pain, sorrow, and poverty are caused by their attachment to material things. Once people let go of their material things, pain ad sorrow can be forgotten.  Achieving bodhi, or wisdom, is a key step in achieving nirvana, the ultimate reality which means the end of the self and a reunion with the Great World Soul.

20. Four Noble Truth  This message/philosophy is based on the four noble truths: 1. Ordinary Life is Full of Suffering. 2. Suffering is caused by our desire to satisfy ourselves. 3. To End Suffering is to end the desire for selfish goals. 4. The way to end desire is to follow the eightfold path.

21. Eightfold Path  The eightfold path is also known as the Middle path. It is called the eightfold path because it has eight steps. 1. Right View Wisdom 2. Right Intention 3. Right Speech Ethical Conduct 4. Right Action 5. Right Livelihood 6. Right Effort Mental Development 7. Right Mindfulness 8. Right Concentration

22. Buddhism: A Philosophy  The Buddha accepted the idea of reincarnation but he rejected the harsh Hindu caste system.  Instead, he taught that all human beings could reach nirvana. Buddhism is simpler than Hinduism because it does not have hundreds of gods.  Buddha did not allow his followers to worship his person or image after his death. He died in 480 B.C. For that reason, many Buddhist see Buddhism as a philosophy rather than a religion.  Philosophy is an organized system of thought, according to the teachings of Buddhism a way of living.

23. Compare and Contrast  Insert the following concepts in the Venn diagram found on the last page of your notes. -Nirvana- Emerged in India -More Strict - Dharma -Eightfold Path- Meditation -Karma- 100’s of gods -Yoga- No gods -Caste system- Reincarnation -Religion- Philosophy -Simpler- Three chief gods -Teacher- Gave people hope -Follow Rules- Complicated -bodhi-atman