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Early India
A Look Ahead
Unit covers two chapters and five sections:
Chapter 4, Sections 1-3 & Chapter 8,
Sections 3-4
There WILL be a project with this unit:
Groups of four or individual
Groups must be approved
Trading cards
A Look at the Land
The Indus River Valley civilizations are located
on the Indian Subcontinent
Mountains to the north
Plateau to the south
Northern Plains in the middle with three
rivers:
Indus, Ganges, & Brahmaputra
Monsoons bring rain in the summer
How does this impact people?
Indus Valley Civilization
Began ≈ 2500 BCE
Two large cities were found:
Harappa and Mohenjo Daro
Hundreds of towns, villages, and cities have
been discovered
The cities are well planned - suggests a central
authority held power over the civilization
What about their economy?
Indus Valley Civilization
Economics
Likely based on agriculture and trade
Trade with who?
Society
We know little about the Indus society
Why is this?
Fell into decline and disappeared
No one is sure why
The Vedic Period
New people came to power: Aryans
Where did they come from?
Most records of the period come from Vedas
What are Vedas?
People settled in villages rather than large
cities
Groups were under the control of rajas
-regional leaders
The Vedic Period
Society divided into four classes called varnas
“When they divided
Purusha, how many
portions did they
make?...
The Brahmin was his
mouth, of both his
arms was the
Kshatriya made.
His thighs became the
Vaisya, from his feet
the Sudra was
produced.”
-The Rigveda,
Book 10, Hymn 90
Brahmins
Kshatriyas
Vaisyas
Sudras
Hinduism - Devas
Brahman - eternal being; the universe itself
Cannot be understood by human minds
Brahma - the Creator; rarely worshipped
because his work is done
Vishnu - the Preserver; comes to earth in a
human form to battle evil
Siva - the Destroyer; destroys the world
Hinduism
What is reincarnation?
Write a brief response, brainstorming what
you know about reincarnation.
Hinduism
Reincarnation - the belief that the soul is
reborn in a new body after death
A new life is shaped by karma - the total of his
or her actions during life
Good actions result in a better rebirth
Moksha is the goal - to escape the cycle
How do you escape?
Hinduism
Dharma is a set of duties
Good and righteous conduct
Performing your role correctly
The Ramayana
A great Indian epic
Provides a model for
dharma
Tells the story of
Rama, a hero who
lived his life by the
rules of dharma
Jainism
Around 500 BCE, a Hindu teacher founded
Jainism
Jains though Hindus worried too much about
rituals
Jains followed a system of nonviolence
Jains refuse to harm animals
Buddhism
Another great religion from India
Unlike Hinduism, it has a single founder
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha
Most of what we know comes from various
Buddhist books
Siddhartha Gautama
Born 500s BCE as a prince
Sheltered as a child; kept in the palace
Finally allowed to leave and he sees suffering
for the first time:
Old age
Sickness
Death
Also sees a monk
Desires to become a monk himself
Siddhartha Gautama
Tried to live as a monk: fasting, etc.
Decided monks could not help him achieve
enlightenment, went his own way
Sat under a tree to meditate
Achieved enlightenment, became the Buddha
Modern-day India
The Question
How did Buddhism spread and, ultimately,
decline in India?
To answer this question, we have to look back
to India near the birth of Buddhism.
India
Alexander the Great of
Macedonia
Large empire but
stopped conquest
after reaching India
Why?
What was the impact?
Chandragupta
Inspired by Alexander the Great
Built an army of 600,000 soldiers
Began to conquer northern India
Defeated one of Alexander’s generals
Controlled as far as Afghanistan
Had an advisor named Kautilya
Divided empire into districts and used spies
Emperor owned all land and mines
Ashoka
Grandson of Chandragupta
One of India’s greatest rulers
Continued expanding the Mauryan Empire
Led a campaign against the region of Kalinga
Ashoka at the Battle of Kalinga
Ashoka
Converted to Buddhism after the battle
Worked to spread Buddhism and better the
lives of his people
Wrote a number of his views and actions on
rocks and stone pillars
Edicts of Ashoka
Edicts of Ashoka
Buddhist Values: Edicts in this category are concerned with the
Buddha's teachings about how to live a correct life.
General Welfare: Edicts in this category are concerned with
making sure people have good health, shelter, clean water, and
enough food.
Justice: Edicts in this category are concerned with fair laws and
treatment in court and jail.
Security: Edicts in this category are concerned with the protection of
people from foreign enemies.