Early Civilization in India

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Early Civilization in India
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Indias Geography
North-The Himalaya Mountains, the highest
mountains in the world
Ganges River Valley-rich land
Deccan-dry hilly plateau
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Monsoons
Seasonal wind patterns-southwest winds bring
heavy rains
Farmers depend on these rains but too much or
little, too early or late, can cause thousands of
deaths.
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Indias First Civilization
Advanced civilizations that lasted for hundreds
of years.
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Well Planned-grid of streets, walled
neighborhoods, buildings of mud bricks, public
wells and bathrooms used advanced drainage
system, chute system for trash
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Arrival of the Aryans
Invaded Indias civilizations and created a new
Indian society based on Aryan culture.
Used the iron plow to clear dense jungle growth
and irrigation systems to create farm land
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Sanskrit-first written language of the Aryans
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The Caste System
Rigid social classes that determined a persons
occupation, economic potential, and social
status-based partly on skin color
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Life of the Untouchable was difficult. They were
not considered human. They lived in ghettos and
to tap sticks together so others would know they
were coming.
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Male dominated society -oldest male had legal
authority over the entire family -arranged
marriages -suttee required a wife to throw
herself on her dead husbands funeral pyre and
die herself
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Hinduism
Based on the Vedas-the oldest Hindu sacred text
Believed in an ultimate reality (God) called
Brahman
Individual self, or atman, had the duty to come
to know this ultimate reality
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Reincarnation
The idea that after death the individual soul is
reborn in a different form.

• Karma-the idea that peoples actions determine
  their form of rebirth and the class into which
  they are reborn
• dharma-divine law rules karma, requires people
  to do their duty in ones caste
• provides a religious basis for the caste system,
  gave hope to the lower classes

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Yoga-a practice to achieve oneness with God
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Buddhism
Founder-Siddhartha Gautama, known as Buddha
(Enlightened One)
Gave up his rich life to find the meaning of life
and the cure for human suffering.
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The pain, poverty, and sorrow that afflict human
beings are caused by their attachment to things
of this world. Achieving wisdom is a key step to
achieving nirvana, or ultimate reality-the end of
the self and a reunion with the Great World Soul.
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• Four Noble Truths
• Ordinary life is full of suffering.
• This suffering is caused by our desire to
  satisfy ourselves.
• The way to end suffering is to end desire for
  selfish goals and to see others as extensions of
  ourselves.
• The way to end desire is to follow the Middle
  Path.

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• Middle Path (Eightfold Path)
• Right view
• Right intention
• Right speech
• Right action
• Right livelihood
• Right effort
• Right mindfulness
• Right concentration

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Accepted the idea of reincarnation but rejected
the caste system-appealed to the people at the
lower end of the social scale
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Mauryan Dynasty

• First Indian Empire
• Asoka is considered to the greatest ruler in the
  history of India-set up hospitals for people and
  animals, provided trees and shelter for
  travelers, and expanded trade so India prospered.

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Silk Road
A caravan route between China and the Roman
Empire main route for transporting luxury goods.
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Greatest Indian state since the Mauryan
Empire-much of the cities wealth came from
religious trade as pilgrims came to visit
religious centers
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The Vedas Earliest known Indian literature