India

Geography

• Hindu Kush Mountains

• Himalayan Mountains

• Indian Ocean

Geographic barriers allowed Indian civilization to progress with few interruptions from

invaders.

Indo-Europeans• Nomadic peoples who migrated across

Europe and Asia• They spoke forms of the same language

Indo-Aryans• Nomadic herders who migrated through

passes in the Hindu Kush Mountains

Khyber Pass• Aryan migration route

Aryan Invaders• Conquered advanced Indus River Valley cities• Put native Indians on the bottom of the caste

system

Aryans• Moved east and

built kingdoms along the Ganges river.

• The Indus and the Ganges were the most important rivers in the Indian subcontinent

Vedas• Vast collection of ancient Aryan prayers,

magical spells and and instructions for performing rituals

•passed on orally for 1000 + years

Caste System• Rigid class system based on occupations

• People were born into their caste for life and could only move up in another life

Castes• Influenced all social interactions and

choice of occupations

• Job•Marriage•Dress

Hinduism• Many forms of

one God• Reincarnation• Caste system• Karma• Vedas and Upanishads

Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva

Brahman• Many forms of

one major deity (God).

• The unifying soul in all things.

Reincarnation

• Cycles of Rebirth• A spirit is born

again and again until moksha (perfect understanding) is achieved

Karma• Good deeds and

bad deeds• Future life based

on present behavior

• Influences caste, health, wealth, etc.

Spread of Hinduism• Hinduism

spread from India to Southeast Asia

Upanishads

• Dialogues between student and teacher

• Explains such concepts as Brahman, karma and reincarnation

Origins of Buddhism• Buddhism was

founded by Siddhartha Gautama in the part of India that borders present-day Nepal.

Siddhartha Guatama• Buddha :” The Enlightened One”

• Enlightenment: wisdom; a state of perfect understanding

Beliefs of Buddhism• Rejects the Hindu

caste system, but keeps the concepts of karma and reincarnation

• Four Noble Truths

• Eightfold Path

Four Noble Truths• Life is full of suffering• The cause of suffering is

desire• The way to end suffering

is to end desire• To end desire, one must

follow the Eightfold Path

Eightfold Path• The Middle Way between desires and self-denial

•    By following the path anyone could reach Nirvana•    Nirvana: release from selfishness and pain

Asoka• Asoka’s missionaries and their writings spread Buddhism from India to China and

other parts of Asia

Spread of Buddhism• Mahayana spread to China, Korea, and Japan• Theravada spread to SE Asia and Sri Lanka

Religions of East Asia• Colored areas

represent predominant religions today

• Buddhist ideals eventually became absorbed into the Hindu religion in India

Gupta Empire• Golden age of classical Indian culture

India’s Golden Age• a period of peace and prosperity and a flourishing of arts, literature and learning

•Mathematics•Textiles (cotton)•Literature•Sugarcane

Gupta DynastyContributions

Hindu Numerals• Base 10

• Included zero• Place value and decimals

Gupta Dynasty

Literature• Kalidasa• Tamil poets

Indian Trade

• sugarcane

• cotton cloth

•spices

Lateen Sail