Indian Achievemen
tsChapter 19, Section 5
Main Ideas:1. Indian artists created great works of
religious art.2. Sanskrit literature flourished during
the Gupta period.3. The Indians made scientific advances
in metalwork, medicine, and other sciences.
The Big Idea:• The people of ancient India made great
contributions to the arts and sciences.
Key Terms• Metallurgy- the science of working with metals• Alloys- mixtures of two or more metals• Hindu-Arabic numerals- the numbering system
invented by Indian mathematicians and brought to Europe by Arabs; the numbers we use today
• Inoculation- a method of injecting a person with a small dose of a virus to help him or her build up defenses to a disease
• Astronomy- the study of stars and planets
Religious Art: Temples
• Early Hindu temples were small, stone structures.
• During the Gupta period, temple architecture became more complex.
• Buddhist temples were just as impressive and frequently built them out of mountainsides.
• The most impressive were at Ajanta and Ellnore.
Religious Art: Temples
• Another type of Buddhist temple was the stupa.
• Stupas had domed roofs and were built to house sacred items from the life of Buddha
Religious Art: Paintings and
Sculpture
• Painting was a respected profession in the Gupta period.
• Paintings were signed by the person who paid for them.
• Most paintings were clear and colorful. • Some give a glimpse of daily life and
ceremonies during this time period.
Religious Art: Paintings and
Sculpture • Hindu artists painted hundreds of gods
on temple walls.
• Buddhists covered the walls and ceilings of temples with scenes of the life of Buddha.
Religious Art: Paintings
and Sculptures• Many sculptures were made for
Buddhist cave temples. • They carved statues of kings and
Buddha.
• Hindu temples made statues of their gods. Some walls were completely covered with sculptures.
Sanskrit Literature: Religious Epics
• Two great epics were written in this time period.
• Mahabharata: • Longest piece of literature ever written• Includes long passages about Hindu beliefs.• Famous passage= Bhagavad
• Ramayana:• This is a story of a prince named Rama who is
the god Vishnu in human form and lives a perfect life.
Sanskrit Literature: Other Works
• Writers during this period also created plays, poetry, and other pieces of literature.
• A famous writer named Kalidasa was so brilliant that Candra Gupta II hired him to write plays for the court.
• A collection of stories called Panchatantra contained lessons that praised people for cleverness and quick thinking. • This became popular in Europe when it was
translated.
From Panchatantra:• “The good and bad of given schemes
• Wise thought must first reveal:
• The stupid heron saw his chicks
• Provide a mongoose meal”
-translated by Arthur Williams Ryder
Scientific Advances: Metalworking
• Metallurgy- the science of working with metals.
• They also knew the process of mixing metals.• Alloys- mixtures of two or more
metals.
• They made strong products out of iron.
• Iron Pillar near Delhi
Medicine• Medical sciences advanced during this time
period.• They wrote down what they learned in textbooks. • They described how to use plants and minerals
for medicine.• Inoculation- the practice of injecting a person
with a small does of a virus to help him or her build a defense to the disease.
• They performed surgeries!
Scientific Advances: Mathematics and other
Sciences • Hindu-Arabic numerals- the
numbers that we use today!
Astronomy• Astronomy is the study of the stars and planets. • They knew that there were seven of the nine
planets.• They knew the sun was a star and that the
planets revolved around the sun. • They knew that the earth was a sphere and spun
on an axis.• They could predict the eclipses of the sun and
moon.
Summary of Hinduism:
• Hindus believe in the divinity of the Vedas. • Hindus believe in one supreme creator of the universe.
(Many gods within a larger god)• Hindus believe that the universe has an endless cycles
of creation, life and death.• Hindus believe in karma.• Hindus believe in reincarnation.• Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen
worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments as well as personal devotionals create a communion with these devas and Gods.
• Hindus believe in discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry and meditation.
• Hindus believe in nonviolence.• http
://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Hinduism/2000/06/A-Summary-Of-What-Most-Hindus-Believe.aspx#DTBQzzEOSvxSVHYW.99
Summary of Buddhism:
• Based on the life of Buddha, also called the "Enlightened One.”
• After he became enlightened, he taught that the way to eliminate suffering begins with understanding the true nature of the world (Four Noble Truths about suffering).
• However, the Buddha considered knowledge important only insofar as it remains practical.
• Buddhist should focus on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
• Buddhists are nonviolent and do not want to harm life.