Indian Empires and Religions

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Indian Empires and Religions

• 1500 BC-400 AD

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Essential Questions

1. What impact did the Aryans have on India?
2. Why was the caste system central to Indian
   culture?
3. What are the beliefs of Hinduism?
4. What were the accomplishments of the Mauryan and
   Gupta Empires?
5. What are the beliefs of Buddhism?
6. How did Buddhism spread?

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Indo-Aryans

• Originated in Europe/Asia and migrated to and
  invaded India.

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Aryans cont

• Slowly, the Aryans took over India and held the
  most powerful positions.
• They introduced the caste system and Hinduism.

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Caste system

• A very rigid social class structure.
• A person is born into a caste and stays in that
  caste the rest of his/her life.
• Your caste decides what jobs you can hold, who
  you can marry, who your friends are, and more.

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Caste system cont
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Hinduism

• Developed thousands of years before it was even
  written down!
• Hindus all believe all things are interconnected.
• They believe that god lives everywhere in
  everyone.

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Brahman

• Henotheism belief in one god which is knowable
  in many forms
• Hindus believe that god (called Brahman) exists
  in thousands of forms
• They choose which god to worship.
• Hindu worship is usually done in the home at
  small shrines

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Vedas and Upanishads

• The Vedas are a collection of hymns, prayers, and
  instructions for religious rituals. They were
  passed down orally by the Aryans.
• Around 750 BC, a group of Hindu teachers wrote
  the Upanishads, written interpretations of the
  Vedas.

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Reincarnation

• Reincarnation- a soul does not die, nor is there
  an afterlife. Once a person dies, they are born
  again as the same soul, but different person.

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Karma

• Karma- good or bad deeds. Follows from one
  incarnation to the next. Reinforces caste system.

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Moksha

• Moksha a state of perfect understanding
• Once a person achieves moksha, they are liberated
  from the cycle of reincarnation
• It usually takes several lifetimes to get there.

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Brahman- the Creator of the World
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Vishnu the Preserver of the World
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Shiva- the Destroyer of the World
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vh1-T9LYq1hI
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Prince Siddhartha

• Prince Siddhartha Gautama. Born in Nepal, 563 BC.
• He was groomed to be king. But, at age 29,
  chose to seek religioustruth.
• He travelled India for six years seeking truth.

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Buddha cont

• After 49 days of meditation, he achieved
  enlightenment, or nirvana.
• He began to teach that enlightenment is possible
  for all people.
• Changed his name to Buddha, which means
  Enlightened One.
• Founds Buddhism

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Four Noble Truths

• First Everything in life is suffering and sorrow
• Second The reason for suffering is peoples
  selfish desire for temporary pleasure
• Third The way to end suffering is to end desire
• Fourth The way to overcome desire is to attain
  enlightenment

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The Eightfold Path

• The way to attain enlightenment is the Eightfold
  Path

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Buddhism

• Pacifism- Peaceful
• The Middle Way- moderation in all things. Not
  too much of anything.

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Buddhism spreads

• Buddhism spread primarily through trade.
• Missionaries spread the teachings of Buddha
• Its first converts were low caste people

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Similarities and Differences
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Mauryan Empire
305 BC 232 BC
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Mauryan Empire

• Chandragupta Maurya unified North India in 321
  BC.
• Indias first Empire.
• During the Mauryan Empire, roads were built. The
  emperor even ordered wells and rest houses built
  every nine miles to ease travelling.
• Buddhism also spread during this time

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Asoka- Mauryan Emperor

• After a war with neighboring Kalinga, which left
  100,000 people dead, Asoka started to rethink the
  violence used to expand the empire.
• He converted to Buddhism and started to advocate
  non-violence and tolerance.
• He also sent missionaries throughout Asia to
  convert others to Buddhism

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Gupta Empire
320 AD- 500 AD
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Golden Age of Classical Indian Culture

• The Gupta made incredible advances in
  mathematics, inventing the concept of zero,
  modern numerals, and the decimal system.
• Astronomy- Discovered the Earth is round by
  observing lunar eclipses
• Literature and the arts flourished

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Trade and the Silk Road

• The Silk Road ran from China all the way to Asia
  Minor (Turkey). It was a major trade route for
  thousands of years!
• Not only used for trade, but spread technology,
  ideas, language, and culture.