Chapter 6: India and Southeast Asia 1500 B.C.E.-600 C.E.

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Chapter 6 India and Southeast Asia 1500
B.C.E.-600 C.E.

• AP World History

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I. Foundations of Indian Civilization, 1500
B.C.E.-300 C.E.

• A. The Indian Subcontinent
• 1. India has three topographical zones (1) the
  northern mountainous zone, (2) the Indus and
  Ganges Basins, and (3) the peninsula.
• 2. The pennisula has the following sub regions
  tropical Kerala coast, Coromandel coast, flat
  area of Tamil Nadu, and the island of Sri Lanka.
• 3. This geographical diversity has made it very
  difficult for any political power to unify all of
  India for any great length of time

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• B. The Vedic Age
• 1. After the fall of the Indus Valley civ.
  Indo-European warriors migrated to India.
• 2. The oral tradition of these light skinned
  tribes tell of a violent struggle between
  themselves and the darker-skinned Dravidian
  speaking Dasas.
• 3. This struggle led to the creation of the
  varna.
• 4. 1. Brahmin(priests/scholars), 2. Kshatriya
  (warriors), 3. Vaishya (merchants), 4. Shudra
  (peasant/laborer), and the untouchables.
• 5. The four varna were then divided into
  hereditary occupational groups called jati and
  were arranged in order of hierarchy.
• 6. Belief in reincarnation that each
  individuals atman will be reborn in another body
  after death.
• 7. Your station in your next life depends on
  ones actions (karma)
• 8. Vedic religion emphasized the worship of male
  deities through sacrifice.
• 9. Women could study lore and participate in
  rituals, they could own land, and they married in
  their middle or late teens.

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• C. Challenges to the Old Order Jainism and
  Buddhism
• 1. People who reacted against the rigid social
  hierarchy went to the forest to achieve
  moksha-liberation fro the cycle of birth, death,
  and rebirth.
• 2. Jainism was founded by Mahavira.
• 3. Jainism practiced non-violence and went to
  extremes not to kill any living thing.
• 4. Siddathra Gautama founded Buddhism.
• 5. To achieve nirvana-release from the cycle of
  birth, death, and rebirth a person had to have
  moderate living, self-discipline, and rebirth.
• 6. After the death of Buddha his followers
  showed reverence for bodhisattvas and the
  religion broke into the Mahayana school of new
  beliefs, and the Theravada school of original
  teachings.

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In order to eliminate their desires for worldly
things, and thus end the cycle of rebirths, the
Buddha taught his people to follow eight
principals. These eight principals were to know
the truth, resist evil, say nothing that might be
hurtful, respect life, free the mind from evil,
work in service towards neighbors, control evil
thoughts, and practice meditation.
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• D. The Rise of Hinduism
• 1. Hinduism combined the old vedic religion,
  elements of Dravidian cultures such as personal
  religious devotion, fertility rituals, and
  symbolism along with elements of Buddhism.
• 2. Sacrifice became less important.
• 3. Vishnu the preserver.
• 4. Shiva the destroyer.
• 5. These gods and countless others were
  understood manifestations of a single divine
  source.
• 6. Worship centered on temples and included
  puja.
• 7. Religious duties depended on gender, social
  status, and age.
• 8. Hinduism appealed to peoples need for a
  direct connection.
• 9. Became more popular than Buddhism because of
  less constraints.

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II. Imperial Expansion and Collapse, 324
B.C.E.-650 C.E.

• A. The Mauryan Empire, 324 B.C.E.-184 B.C.E.
• 1. Founded by Chandragupta.
• 2. Guided by a Machiavellian brahmin, Kautilya.
• 3. Walled capital and moated city of Patalipura.
• 4. 25 percent tax on agricultural products.
• 5. Ashoka the most famous emperor converted to
  Buddhism because he was shaken by the carnage
  caused by his brutal wars.
• 6. The edicts of Ashoka were inscribed in rocks
  and pillars at various points throughout the
  empire.

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• B. Commerce and Culture in an Era of Political
  Fragmentation
• 1. Was accompanied by economic development in
  which guilds of artisans and merchants played a
  dominant role.
• 2. The Bhagavad-Gita addressed the contradiction
  between duty to society and duty to ones own
  soul. This contradiction can be resolved when
  one takes disciplined action without regard for
  personal benefit and realizes that this is a
  service to the gods.
• 3. Southern India (three Tamil kingdoms Cholas,
  Pandyas, and Cheras) had great artistic
  development and Northern India established an
  independent state in Deccan.

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• C. The Gupta Empire 320-550 C.E.
• 1. Began with the Kingdom of Magadha and brought
  Northern and Central India under one control.
• 2. Army controlled core of empire, but
  provincial administration controlled their posts
  almost independently.
• 3. Theater state because of lack of military
  power.
• 4. Intellectuals came up with concept of zero
  and invented so-called Arabic numerals.
• 5. Women lost right to inherit and own property,
  married very young, and widows were often
  required to burn themselves on there husbands
  funeral pyre.
• 6. Dominated by Hinduism, but was characterized
  by religious toleration.
• 7. Linked to the outside rule by extensive trade
  networks.
• 8. Collapsed under the financial burden of
  defense against the Huns.
• 9. Southern India was ruled by the warrior
  kingdoms of Pallavas and the Cholas.

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III. Southeast Asia 50-1025 C.E.

• A. Geography, Resources, and Early Civilization
• 1. Southeast Asia has three ecological zones
  Indochina Mainland, Malay Peninsula, and the
  islands.
• 2. Natural resources included fertile
  agricultural lands, dependable monsoon rains, and
  several growing seasons a year.
• 3. Early inhabitants practiced swidden
  agriculture and domesticated important crops and
  animals such as rice, soybeans, sugar cane,
  chickens and pigs.
• 4. Malay peoples migrated from southern China
  and continued into the Pacific islands.
• 5. Trade brought Hindu/Buddhist culture.
• 6. First major state to appear was Funan in the
  Mekong river delta.
• 7. Dominated due to the isthmus of Ka until new
  trade routs bypassed Funan.

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IV. Comparative Perspectives

• A. Comparison of Sources 1. The ancient
  history of India is derived more from religious
  artifacts and religious writings than in other
  areas of the ancient world.
• 2. Indians belief in cyclical creation and
  recreation of the world left them with little use
  for keeping a written record of a brief moment in
  time.

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• B. Diversity and Unity Within India
• 1. Political and social division has been the
  norm in India due to the topographical and
  environmental diversity of the subcontinent.
• 2. Unified under strong central governments such
  as the Mauryan and Gupta kings who came to
  dominance by controlling metal resources and
  trade routes.
• 3. Used elaborate class and caste structures to
  organize their diverse populations.
• 4. Hinduism is derived from southern Dravidian
  cultures and Buddhism and is less fixed than the
  practices of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

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