Transcript Introduction to India

The Indus Civilization
• Present-day Pakistan and India
• Isolated by Hindu Kush, Himalaya Mountains,
and Indian Ocean
• Migrant people used Khyber Pass (route in
Hindu Kush) to travel through
• Called a subcontinent because its geographical
features sharply separate it from the rest of
Asia.
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usToons/FamousToons3.html
Geography of India
• 3 physical zones
– Fertile northern
plain – contains Indus
and Ganges Rivers
– Deccan Plateau – dry,
unfertile, no one lived
here
– Coastal Plains – lush,
tropical and most
populated
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Hindu Kush Mountains
Himalayas
Indian Ocean
Bring on the Monsoons!
• Monsoon – heavy, seasonal rain/wind in
Asia
• Summer monsoons very wet, needed to
water the crops.
• Indus Valley also depended on snow from
Himalayas melting each year and flooding
the valley.
Early Indian Civilizations
• Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro 2 major cities
of Indus Valley.
• Very advanced and organized
• Polytheistic, believed in afterlife
• Also created writing system - pictographs
What Happened?
• Cities disappeared for
unknown reason
• 3 Theories
– People overfarmed the
land
– Volcanic eruption killed
everyone
– Violent attack by outsiders
killing everyone
• After collapse, Indo Aryan people migrated
in.
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s/WarnerBros.html
The Indo-Aryans
• Migrated through
Khyber Pass
• Very structured
society
• Measured wealth by
cows
• Used caste system
I NEED
MORE
COWBELL!!!
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The Caste System
• Hereditary social groups
• The system:
– Brahmins – priests
– Kshatriyas –
nobles/warriors
– Vaisyas – middle class
– Sudras – slaves,
peasants
– Untouchables - final group
below the caste system.
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es/00042985.jpg
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u1.gif
Hinduism
• Upanishads and Vedas main books for
Hinduism.
• Believed in Karma – reincarnation is based
on behavior.
• Also Dharma – set of religious and moral
duties for each caste.
• Hinduism is most common religion in India
today.
The Great Asoka
• King of Mauryan dynasty in 270BC.
• Sends Buddhist missionaries across Asia.
• Converted thousands to Buddhism.
http://sokagakkai.info/html3/sg_today3/sg_images3/Map_of_Budd.jpg
A.
Asoka spread
Buddhism to China &
SE Asia
“A soka
you, A soka
you!”
Asoka’s super soka!
Buddhism spread here
Buddhism
• Developed in India by Siddharta Gautama
(Buddha) around 500 BC.
• Created 4 main ideas for new religion – Four Noble
Truths
• Also had guidelines for living – Eightfold Path.
• Stressed religious duties and moral principles.
QUACK
QUACK
!
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m/img/BUDDHISM_graphic.gif
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The Gupta Empire – India’s Golden
Age
• Rules around 320 AD.
• Pushed for Hinduism, basically kicked out
most of Buddhism in India.
• Gupta contributions:
– Mathematics - Arabic numerals, concept
of zero, decimal system, & symbol for
infinity.
– Literature
– New Textiles
• Invaded by Huns 600AD
Questions for Understanding
Write the question and answer in your notes
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How does geography affect India?
What happened to the first Indian settlers?
How was wealth measured by the Indo-Aryans?
Who created the caste system in India?
What is karma?
How does Asoka spread Buddhism?
What factors led to Buddhism’s disappearance
in India?