Transcript Chapter_12_Civilizations_of_Early_Indiax

Section 1: Indus Valley
Civilization
Picture depicting what a city in the Indus Valley may have looked like. Image taken
from: crystalinks.com
FACTS ABOUT INDIA
The highest mountain in India is
Kanchenjunga, standing at 28,209 ft
 Many different languages are spoken in
India. The main ones are Hindi, Bengali,
Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, and Urdu.
 The capital city is New Delhi, while the
most populated city is Mumbai

FACTS ABOUT INDIA
India has the second largest population
in the world, with over 1.2 billion people
 India is the seventh largest country by
total area.
 India belongs to the continent of Asia

FACTS ABOUT INDIA
The Taj Mahal a famous mausoleum
and popular tourist attraction
 India became an independent nation in
1947 after ending British rule that began
in 1858.
 Mahatma Gandhi is famous for the
important part he played in gaining
India's independence.

FACTS ABOUT INDIA
Once British rule was over, India was
split into the Republic of India and the
Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
 The national symbol is the Bengal Tiger.
 The most popular sport in India is cricket

Indian Subcontinent

India is called a subcontinent
 large landmass that separates itself from the
rest of the continent.

The climate is a very important factor in the
Hindu people’s lives
 Monsoons:
○ the people may burn from the heat and in the
winter they might freeze.
○ they generally bring rain, which translates to water
for crops.
○ Leave behind very rich soil
Advances

The Indus Valley cities
 thick walls
 sewer systems
 streets arranged in a grid pattern.

They had an agricultural economy.
 Farmers grew wheat, barley, and cotton and
raised sheep, cattle, chickens, and goats.
They also domesticated animals for
transportation.
 The economy was also based on trade.

Government and Religion of
Indus Valley
No evidence that Indus valley people
had a king or queen.
 They were a very well organized group
of people.

 This assumption was made based on the
level of planning in making their city.

Historians believe they practiced some
form of Hinduism
 Hindu-like statues were found.
Citadel and Disappearance

The purpose of the citadel
 a fortified area of protection from floods or
attackers.
 It had a wall around it.
 the center of the government.

the disappearance of the Indus Valley
civilization
 No one knows for certain
 Some explanations: disease, floods, climate
change, drought, and foreign invasion.
Section 2: India’s Vedic Age
Picture depicting the wealth of the Vedic Age. Image taken from: media.radiosai.org
The Origins of the Indo-Aryans

There are three theories as to where the
Aryans came from:
1. the Aryans defeated the local Indians, then
they settled into the Indus Valley.
2. the Aryans were the original inhabitants of
the Indus Valley
3. the Aryans migrated to the Indus Valley
Aryan Life
The Aryans were initially nomadic, but
they changed their lifestyle.
 the Aryans were judged by how much
cattle they had.
 To entertain themselves, they danced,
played music, had chariot races, and
gambled.

Vedas

the Veda was to put religious and
society’s ideas into song or hymns.
 Each Veda consisted of hundreds of hymns.
The Vedas called upon people to make
offering to their Gods.
 The Vedas were written down in a
language called Sanskrit.

Growth of Vedic Civilization
Growth came very quickly for the Vedic
civilization
 they eventually created clans and tribes.
 they were joined together to form
republics, although they were not
democratic in nature.
 Finally, they were able to form kingdoms

The Caste System
The purpose of the Caste System is to
separate India’s society in social
classes.
 In India’s Caste System people are born
into a caste and stay there for the rest of
their lives.
 They do not marry or socialize outside
their caste system.
 The Indians were grouped by
occupation and religious status.

Caste System


The Caste System had five varnas or categories:
 The Brahmins were the priests of the country.
 The Kshatriyas were the rulers and warriors.
 The Vaishyas were landowners, bankers, and
merchants.
 The Sudras were the farmers, laborers, and
servants.
 Finally, the Dalits were people who performed
dirty jobs, such as butchering and preparing the
dead for burial.
Times have changed, but Indian culture is still
ingrained in its society.
Hinduism
Symbol of the Hindu religion. Image taken from: sacred-texts.com
Roots of Hinduism
Hinduism originated from Brahmanism.
 people started asking questions, such
as: Why are we born? How should we
live?
 These questions led to the change of
the people’s religious thoughts and the
start of Hinduism.
 The teachers are gurus

Beliefs about God

There are two main aspects of the Hindu
religion.
 there is one supreme spiritual force, or God
known as Brahman.
 every person is born with a soul.

Brahman is viewed as a source of all
things
 all of the Hindu Gods are forms of Brahman.
Beliefs about Life
Hindus believe that if one lives a good
life (good karma) they will be reborn into
a higher varna or social class.
 If they live a bad life (bad karma) then
they will be reborn into a lower varna or
social class.
 Every year millions of Hindus go the
Ganges River to get spiritually cleansed

Beliefs about Life

The four goals of Hinduism as
1. doing what is right, meaning following your
caste rules without complain.
2. Striving for well being, or earning a
livelihood with dignity.
3. Attaining pleasure, such as eating good
food or taking a bath.
4. Finally, attaining moksha, or liberation from
reincarnation.
Hinduism’s Impact
 Hinduism
spread because
 people did not have to worship a
single God
 Hinduism does not call for people to
attend regular religious services.
○ In fact they can pray or make
offerings in their own home.
Section 4: Buddhism
Picture of the Buddha. Image taken from: globalone.tv
The Buddha’s Life
Siddhartha’s mom had a dream that her
son would grow to become a holy man.
 Siddhartha’s father wanted him to
become a ruler.

 To ensure that he would become a ruler,
Siddhartha’s father shielded him from the ill
of the world.
Search for Enlightenment
Siddhartha reached enlightenment when
he meditated under a fig tree for 49
days.
 he reached a place where he thought he
found the perfect state of wisdom.

After Enlightenment
Buddha means ‘the enlightened one’
 He chose to go back into the world and
teach others what he had learned.
 He traveled across India for the next 45
years, preaching a message of truth and
hope.
 The Middle Way is a life of neither total
luxury nor poverty, but the path between
the two extremes.

Four Noble Truths and Eightfold
Path of Buddhism

The Four Noble Truths:
All life involves suffering.
2. Selfish desires cause suffering.
3. Giving up selfish desires ends suffering.
4. People overcome selfish desires by
following the Eightfold Path.
1.

The Eightfold Path leads to wisdom,
morality, or right action, and meditation.
Two Schools of Thoughts

The two schools of Buddhism:
1. Theravada Buddhism
2. Mahayana Buddhism.
Theravada Buddhist: Buddha’s greatest
achievement was enlightenment and
entry into nirvana.
 Mahayana Buddhist: Buddha’s greatest
achievement was his compassion.
