Transcript Imperial India

Imperial India
Do Now
What nomadic group of people settled in India and
established the caste system?
“Your business is with action alone, not by any means
with the fruit of the action…having recourse to devotion,
perform actions, casting off all attachment, and being
equable in success or ill success”
– What idea is being expressed in the quote above?
What region, and religion is this coming from?
Guiding Questions
• How did the Hinduism shape society in
classical India?
• In what ways are China and India similar
in the ways in which their
religions/philosophies shaped their
societies? In what ways are they different?
Decentralization under the IndoAryans
• Decentralized form of
government: feudalism
• Constant warfare
• Caste system
Invasion by Alexander the Great
• 326 – invasion of Indus
valley area
• Troops turned back
• Small-pox
• Inspired the Maghada
ruler to create an empire
The Mauryan Empire
• King of Magadha conquered other nearby
kingdoms and became a Maharaja (Indian
Prince)
• Began the early Mauryan Dynasty during
the 300’s BCE
• Chandragupta Maurya, another conquer,
began expanding territory and centralizing
control
Imperial Organization
•
•
•
•
Divided into provinces
Each ruled by a prince
Each prince had a group of ministers
Each province divided into districts ruled by
a minister
• Huge spy system throughout the entire
empire
• Army kept peace
Economy
• Took large tax – 25 – 50% of all output
• Built massive capital at Pataliputra
Ashoka’s Rule (268 to 232
BCE)
• Ashoka Maurya the most
well known of the Mauryan
rulers
• Greate military leader
• Invaded frontier area of
Kalinga; bloodiest war of era
Ashoka
Ashoka
• Renounced violence &
became Buddhist
• Ruled according to Buddhist
principles, tried to spread
Buddhism
The Buddha
Ashoka (cont)
• Laid out “edicts” on 18 rocks and 30
pillars across the empire
• Sent out Buddhist missionaries to Central
Asia, SE Asia, Parthia (Greeks in
Afghanistan)
• They were sent
out to promote
peace
Gupta Dynasty (Early 300s to 550 CE)
• After the fall of the Mauryan Dynasty long
period decentralized gov.
• Until the Gupta Dynasty, last major Indian
empire of the classical era
• Divided empire into province (like the
Mauryans)
Gupta Rule
• Established Hinduism as religion of the state
• Heavily influenced by caste system
• What is the caste system?
Gupta Achievements
• Improved health care: built hospitals and
encouraged the study of medicine
• The developed the numerical symbols 0 to 9.
These are known as Arabic Numbers however
became eventually the Arab people introduced
them to Europeans
• Preferred diplomacy
to war
• Did not have a welldeveloped
bureaucracy
• Ultimately fell to the
White Huns