Transcript Ch. 24: The Cultural Geography of South Asia

Ch. 24: The Cultural
Geography of South Asia
24-2 Notes: History &
Government
Ch. 24: The Cultural
Geography of South Asia
Indian Society Notes
Early History
 The
earliest S. Asians left few written
records
– evidence of their achievements in
building & trade have been discovered.
Indus Valley Civilization
 Arose
around 2500 B.C.
 Developed a writing system, strong
central gov’t, and overseas trade
 They built possible first cities
Mohenjo Daro & Harappa
– Brick, sophisticated plumbing
 Civilization
declined, maybe b/c of
env’tal changes like droughts or
flooding
The Aryans
Hunters & herders called Aryans came
from the NW to settle in India
 Aryan society had 4 groups:
 Priests, warriors (or nobles), artisans &
farmers, and enslaved people
(Untouchables)
 The “Caste” System
 It became more complex over time; no
class mixing
 From birth, people belonged to their social
class

Hinduism
Grew out of Aryan culture
 Expects everyone to carry out their
dharma, or moral duty
 Hindus believe in reincarnation until the
soul achieves perfection
 Law of Karma—good deeds help a person
achieve perfection; evil deeds tie one to
the endless wheel of rebirth
 Hindus worship thousands of gods &
goddesses, which are seen as different
forms of one eternal being (Brahman);
some worship no gods.

Buddhism
Based on the teachings of Siddharta
Gautama
 During the 500’s B.C. let his family &
riches to seek the true nature of human
existence
 Known as the Buddha, or “Awakened One”
he urged people to achieve happiness by
working hard, thinking clearly, showing
compassion, & avoiding attachment to
material things
 If you could do all that, you could reach a
state of insight, calm, & joy called Nirvana

A Marriage of Influences
 Buddhism
rejected the caste system
 It appealed to lower classes
 Spread from India to other countries
 Blended with local practices
Invasions & Empires
 After
the Aryans, other invaders came
through the Khyber pass
 Mauryan Empire—Buddhism &
nonviolence
 Gupta Empire—Hindu Civilization;
technology, math, & the arts
– Arabic numerals—later brought to Europe
by Arab traders
 1100’s—Muslim
forces—Mogul Empire—
converted many S.Asians to Islam
Invasions & Empires
 1500—Europeans
arrived by sea
 1700’s the British became the major
European power in S. Asia
– Referred to the empire as the British raj
(Hindi word for empire)
 British
reconstructed the school
system, introduced the English
language, railroads, & civil service
system
Modern South Asia

Independence
– Mohandas K. Gandhi
inspired Indians to
protest British rule by
nonviolent measures
– Peaceful protests,
boycotting British goods
– Wanted to end rigid social
system
– Became known as
Mahatma, or “Great Soul”
– Assassinated in 1948
Independence

British India gained independence in 1947
– Divided along religious lines
– Hindu majority—India
– Muslim majority—Pakistan (East Pakistantoday Bangladesh- and West Pakistan); divided
by 1,000 miles of land
1948—Ceylon—independence from
Britain; 1972 started using its ancient
name— Sri Lanka
 1971—East & West Pakistan revolted—
Bangladesh established; west remained
Pakistan

Indian Society

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

The Aryans set up a social
institution in India that has
lasted to this day
The caste system
determined a person’s job,
economic potential, and
position in society
Aryans were light skinned &
looked down on the darker
skinned Indians
Indians actually had a more
advanced civilization
India’s Caste System
Priests
Brahmans
In charge of religious
ceremonies
Warriors
Kshatriyas
Families from other castes
could move to the warrior
class
Commoners Vaisyas
Merchants & Farmers
Peasants
Made up most of the Indian
population; manual labor;
limited rights
Sudras
Untouchables—considered to be BELOW the
caste system.
Untouchables
(Dalits)



Had jobs no other
Indians wanted—trash
collection, handling
the dead
Not considered human
Other castes thought
they were harmful to
just be around;
tapped sticks so
people new they were
coming and could
avoid them

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
Family was the basic unit of
Indian society
Ideal to have 3 generations
living together
Families were patriarchal;
only males could inherit
property & were educated
Women couldn’t be priests,
divorce was forbidden,
children were supposed to
take care of their aging
parents
Marriages—arranged, girls
married young-considered
an economic drain on the
family
Indian Society
Suttee
Women were expected to throw
themselves on their dead husbands
funeral pyre and die herself
 Women who refused were disgraced

Hinduism (Indian Society Notes)


Hinduism is the world’s oldest organized religion
Brahman was a single force in the universe
– Each person’s goal was to try to “know” this ultimate being and
merge with him after death

Reincarnation came along later
– After a number of existences, the soul could reach it’s final
goal-union with Brahman



Karma determines how one will be born in their next
life; what people do in their current life determines how
they’ll be reborn in their next life
Hindu reincarnation justified the rigid caste system and
privileges of the upper classes; gave hope to the lower
classes for a better next life
Other Hindu gods (forms of Brahman)
– Shiva (destructive & creative forces of the universe)
– Vishnu (preserver of the universe)
Buddhism
 Also
began in India around the 500’s
B.C.
 Based on the teacher of Siddharta
Gautama, known as the Buddha or
Awakened One.
The story of Buddha……

Holy Man or Great
World Leader
– Sickness
– Old age
– Death
– Monk
Buddhism
 He
wanted to find the true meaning
of life
 Practiced intense meditation
 While sitting under a tree, he
reached enlightenment about the
meaning of life
 Spent the rest of his life preaching
what he had learned.
Buddhism
 Buddha
said pain, poverty, and
sorrow people face is based on their
attachment to material things in the
world
 Buddhists want to ultimately reach
nirvana, an ultimate reality and a
reunion with the Great World Soul
4 Noble Truths
Ordinary life is full of suffering
 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
 End desire by following the Middle Path
(also known as the Eightfold Path)

– Eightfold Path called for a life of morality,
wisdom, and concentration
Buddhism
 Buddhism
accepted the idea of
reincarnation, but rejected the Hindu
caste system.
 He believed all people could reach
nirvana based on their behavior in
THIS life.
 Buddhism reject the large number of
gods and complexity of Hinduism
Buddhism
 Buddha
forbade his followers from
worshipping either him or his image
after he died.
 Buddhism, more of a philosophy and
not a religion
 Buddhist monasteries are places
where monks can live a simple life in
the pursuit of wisdom