Transcript WHICh3Sec4-5Maurya-GuptaEmpires-2016

About 600-500 BC . . . .
• India was not a unified country
• 16 kingdoms existed in northern
India.
520BC-Kingdom of Magadha
• In about 520BC, King Bimbisara made
Magadha the most powerful kingdom of
Northern India.
• Magadha extended influence across
much of Northern India
• King Bimbisara of Magadha lived at
about the same time as the Buddha. He
heard the Buddha himself preach and
converted to Buddhism
Meanwhile, in the Indus Valley
• Between 520BC-510BC, King Darius of Persia
conquered the Indus Valley, and for a time the
Indus Valley was part of the Persian Empire,
but it was soon independent again. Then,
Magadha conquered it.
• 326BC, Alexander conquered the Indus Valley
• 304 BC, The Indus Valley was conquered by
Chandragupta Maurya.
Chandragupta Maurya& The
Mauryan Empire(320BC-184BC)
• 320BC-Chandragupta Maurya
overthrew the king of Magadha
and started the Mauryan Empire
• We know a lot about
Chandragupta’s rule, because a
Greek diplomat at his court kept
a detailed record of his
experiences.
• Built a grand palace in his capital,
Pataliputra, on the Ganges River
• Raised an army of 600,000 soldiers and
many chariots & war elephants
• Conquered & unified all of northern India
and much of Pakistan
Conquests of Chandragupta
Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya’s
war elephants
Kautilya
 Chandragupta was advised by a man
named Kautilya
 Kautilya wrote “The Treatise on
Material Gain”
 This guide for the king said that a
king should assert strict authority;
that the greatest evil in society is
anarchy, and therefore a single
authority is needed to keep order.
Chandragupta Maurya
• He was a very strict ruler!
•
He took over much of the land and
made the peasants work for him. He
set up state controlled industries,
including mining, spinning and weaving.
• He unified by country by setting up
standardized weights and measures
throughout the country, and even
established standards for physicians.
Chandragupta Maurya
• Chandragupta Maurya became
very afraid of being
assassinated.
• He slept in a different room of
his palace every night, and was
surrounded by trained female
warriors who served as body
guards (women were thought to
be less likely to seek power for
themselves.)
Chandragupta Maurya
• Finally, in about 300BC, as he neared
death, he converted to Jainism, gave
power to his son, Bindusara, and
starved himself to death, which was
regarded as a holy death.
Asoka(ruled 270BC-232BC)
 After Chandragupta Maurya ruled, his son Bindusara
ruled.
 Then Asoka, the grandson of Chandragupta, became
the most famous ruler of the Mauryan Empire. He took
the throne about 270BC.
 Asoka fought bloody
wars to increase the
size of his empire.
He enlarged the
Mauryam Empire until
it included all of India
& Pakistan except the
southern tip. The
Mauryans became the
first to hold nearly all
of India.
Mauryan Empire at its
largest extent
ASOKA
 After the bloody battle of
Kalinga in 262 BC, in which over
100,000 people died, Asoka
became sickened by war. He
became a man of peace.
 He became a Buddhist. He
became a vegetarian and vowed
to spend the rest of his life
making life better for his
people.
ASOKA
• Asoka set up hospitals to provide medical care
for both humans and animals.
• Asoka built roads, and along the main roads he
built shelters and wells, and planted mango
trees for fruit and banyan trees for shade.
• Asoke forbade animal sacrifices and hunting
for sport.
• Asoka promoted Buddhism and sent out
Buddhist missionaries, but respected all
religions.
Women
Under an
Asoka
tree
Edicts of Asoka
• Asoka had large stone
monuments set up all over
India, with his policies and
good advice carved on
them.
• His policies are called the
Edicts of Asoka, and the
stone monuments are
called the Pillars of Asoka.
Edict of Asoka
• “Beloved-of-the-Gods conquered Kalinga eight years
after his coronation. One hundred and fifty thousand
were deported, one hundred thousand were killed
and many more died (from other causes). After
Kalinga had been conquered, Beloved-of-the-Gods
came to feel a strong inclination towards the
Dhamma (right conduct as taught by the Buddha)
Now Beloved-of-the-Gods feels deep remorse for
having conquered the Kalinga.
• Indeed, Beloved-of-the-Gods is deeply pained by the
killing, dying and deportation that take place when
an unconquered country is conquered.”
Edict of Asoka
• “Beloved-of-the-Gods speaks
thus: Father and mother should
be respected and so should
elders, kindness to living
beings should be made strong
and the truth should be spoken.
Edict of Asoka
• “All men are my children. What I desire
for my own children, and I desire their
welfare and happiness both in this world
and the next, that I desire for all men.
You do not understand to what extent I
desire this, and if some of you do
understand, you do not understand the
full extent of my desire.”
Edict of Asoka
• “Beloved-of-the-Gods says: Along roads I have
had banyan trees planted so that they can give
shade to animals and men, and I have had
mango groves planted. At intervals along the
roads, I have had wells dug, rest-houses built,
and in various places, I have had wateringplaces made for the use of animals and men. I
have done these things for this purpose, that
the people might practice the Dhamma.”
After Asoka
• After Asoka died in 232BC, the
Mauryan Empire declined.
• Asoka’s sons battled one another
for control of the throne, and
invaders attacked from the north &
east.
• In 184BC, the last Mauryan
emperor was killed by one of his
generals.
History Channel Mauryan
Empire
Mauryan Empire- Elephants-7
min
Indian Math (except)
History of 1-Terry Jones-India
starts 30 min
Crash Course
Between the Mauryan
Empire and the Gupta
Empire
• Between the end of the Mauryan
Empire in 184BC, and the
beginning of the Gupta Empire in
320AD, India was again divided
into many small kingdoms.
GUPTA EMPIRE 320AD550AD
• In 320AD, Chandra Gupta I came
to power in the region of Magadha.
• He began expanding his power
through conquest and marriage.
• His successors continued the
expansions, until it included all of
northern India & Pakistan (Indus
Valley) , but it never included as
much area as the old Mauryan
Empire.
• Chandra Gupta
I’s successors
continued the
expansions,
until it included
all of northern
India &
Pakistan (Indus
Valley) , but it
never included
as much area
as the Mauryan
Empire
 Chandra Gupta I
Founder of the Gupta Empire
Chandra Gupta I favored
Hinduism,and Hinduism again
became more popular than
Buddhism. This became known as
the Hindu revival.
Chandra Gupta II: During the reign
of Chandra Gupta II, prosperity
continued;
Gupta Empire
• During the period of the Gupta
Empire, India was prosperous,
but the Gupta Empire never
covered as much area as the
Mauryan Empire had,
• Gupta Empire and was never as
centralized as the Mauryan
Empire. It gave more power to
local leaders
• Came to an end in 550 AD
Life in Gupta India
 Fa Xian, a Chinese Buddhist monk traveled along
the Silk Road and visited India in about 500AD
 He was following the path of the Buddha.
 He described life in India during the Gupta
Empire. His journal said:
 Most people were happy and free of
government oppression
Laws were lenient, with no capital punishment
(death penalty).
However, the caste system was developing,
and untouchables had to had to use noisemakers to warn others of their approach.
From the journal of Fa Xian,
describing Gupta Empire
• “The people are numerous and happy;
they have not to register their
households, or attend to any
magistrates and their rules; only those
who cultivate the royal land have to
pay (a portion of) the gain from it. If
they want to go, they go; if they want to
stay on, they stay.”
From the journal of Fa Xian,
describing Gupta Empire
• The king governs with out decapitation
or (other) corporal punishments.
Criminals are simply fined, lightly or
heavily, according to the circumstances
(of each case). Even in the cases of
repeated attempts at wicked rebellion,
they only have their right hands cut off.
. . . Throughout the whole country the
people do not kill any living creature,
nor drink intoxicating liquor, nor eat
onions or garlic.”
From the journal of Fa Xian, describing
the Gupta Empire
• “The only exception is that of the
Chandalas (Pariahs/Untouchables)
That is the name for those who are
(held to be) wicked men, and live
apart from others. When they enter
the gate of a city or a marketplace, they strike a piece of wood
to make themselves known, so
that men know and avoid them,
and do not come into contact with
them.”
Chandra Gupta II
II 11
Life and culture in India during
from the Maurya through the
Gupta dynasties.
Economy & trade
• Most people lived by farming the land
• Trade expanded greatly during the Gupta
dynasty
• Along the coasts of Southern India, there
were ports, and merchants engaged in
trade by sea.
• In Northern India, in the Gupta Empire,
merchants traded along overland trade
routes, including the famous silk road.
• India exported spices, cotton, wheat & rice,
and gold & ivory and precious gems
• India imported silk and horses.
4c
spices
gold & ivory
International Trade
Routes during the
Gupta Empire
LAWS OF MANU
• The laws of Manu were written
between 200BC-200AD, and set
forth the rules for society, including
rules of the caste system and rules
about the role of women.
SECTION 5-Life in India
Laws of Manu-Varnas
• 87. But in order to protect this universe He, the most
resplendent one, assigned separate (duties and)
occupations to those who sprang from his mouth, arms,
thighs, and feet.
• 88. To Brahmins he assigned teaching and studying
(the Vedas), sacrificing for their own benefit and for
others, giving and accepting (of alms).
• 89. The Kshatriya he commanded to protect the
people, to bestow gifts, to offer sacrifices, to study
(the Veda), and to abstain from attaching himself to
sensual pleasures;
• 90. The Vaisya to tend cattle, to bestow gifts, to
offer sacrifices, to study (the Veda), to trade, to lend
money, and to cultivate land.
• 91. One occupation only the lord prescribed to the
Sudra, to serve meekly even these (other) three
castes.
Laws of Manu-Women
• 147. By a girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged
one, nothing must be done independently, even in her own
house.
• 148. In childhood a female must be subject to her
father, in youth to her husband, when her lord is dead
to her sons; a woman must never be independent.
• 149. She must not seek to separate herself from her
father, husband, or sons; by leaving them she would
make both (her own and her husband's) families
contemptible.
• 150. She must always be cheerful, clever in (the
management of her) household affairs, careful in
cleaning her utensils, and economical in expenditure.
• 151. Him to whom her father may give her, or her
brother with the father's permission, she shall obey as
long as he lives, and when he is dead, she must not
insult (his memory).
Status of women
• A woman was never independent. She was under
the protection & control of a man. Women were
expected to obey: fathers, husbands, and (after the
death of the husband), their sons.
• Women could not own property, and were not
allowed to study sacred writings.
• Marriages were arranged.
• Polygyny, the practice of having more than one wife,
was practiced by the wealthy.
Status of Women-Suttee/Sati
• It was a great virtue for a woman to be
devoted to her husband.
• During the Gupta Empire, the practice of
suttee/sati began.
• Suttee/Sati-when a man died, his wife
threw herself on his funeral pyre (fire) and
burned herself to death.
• Suttee/Sati was more common among the
higher castes. In theory it was voluntary,
but sometimes women were forced.
Suttee
Suttee/Sati
Cultural Achievementsliterature
• In addition to the great religious
writings, stories such as the
Panchatantra became very popular.
The Panchatantra had stories with a
moral, teaching traits such as
adaptability, shrewdness,
determination.
• Plays became popular during the
Gupta period. They had tragic
scenes, but always ended happily.
They were usually performed in the
open air.
Kalidasa
 Kalidasa was the most famous poet and
writer of plays.
 His most famous play was Shakuntala.
ART-Buddhist cave paintings
• The most famous paintings of the
period are the Buddhist cave
painting in the caves at Ajanta.
• They show scenes from the life of
the Buddha and his followers
• Indian sculptors made images of
Buddha and the Hindu Gods.
Architecture• Buddhist shrines were called stupas. They
were typically dome-shaped. Objects
associated with the Buddha were inside.
• Many Hindu temples were built during the
Hindu revival of the Gupta Empire. They
had a square base and heavy walls. Inside
was a statue of a God. They usually had
tall, ornate towers on top, shaped like
beehives or pinecones, often covered with
sculpture.
Education-Nalanda
• The most famous university of the
period was Nalanda, a Buddhist
university, which became the center
of higher learning in India during the
time of the Gupta Empire.
• Thousands of students attended. It
was free.
• Students studied the Vedas and
other Hindu and Buddhist literature,
along with mathematics and
medicine.
Education
• Education was very advanced for
boys of the higher varnas. They
studied the Vedas and other great
literature, including the
Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita and
Ramayana, as well as the
Upanishads.
• They also learned astronomy, math
and government.
Gupta
Art
Greatly influenced
Southeast Asian art & architecture.
Mathematics
Indian mathematicians of this period
invented the number system we use
today. We call our numerals the “IndoArabic” numerals. This system uses
numerals 0-9, along with place value, to
express any number.
. . . Thousands, hundreds, tens, ones
They were the first to develop the concept
of 0, and to use a symbol for 0.
They developed the concept of negative
numbers and the concept of infinity.
• The famous mathematician-astronomer
Aryabhata was one of the first to use
algebra and to solve quadratic equations.
• He also described the earth as rotating on
its axis. Before that, most people believed
that the sky turned.
Astronomy
• Indian astronomers understood that
the earth was a sphere, and that
the earth rotated on its axis
(although they—like most others–
thought the earth was in the center
and the sun revolved around it.)
• Indian astronomers identified the 6
planets visible to the naked eye.
Medicine
• Indian medicine was very
advanced.
• Indians developed the practice of
inoculation for smallpox. This was
done by giving a person (usually a
child) a mild form of the disease,
so he would not get the disease
later,
500 healing
plants identified
1000 diseases
classified
Printed
medicinal guides
Plastic
Surgery
Gupta
Achievements
Kalidasa
Literature
Medicine
Inoculations
Gupta
India
C-sections
performed
Decimal
System
Mathematics
Concept
of Zero
PI = 3.1416
Solar
Calendar
Astronomy
The earth
is round
The Decline of the Gupta
Empire
 Invasion of the White Huns in the 400sAD
signaled the end of the Gupta Golden Age, even
though at first, the Guptas defeated them.
 After the decline of the Gupta empire, north
India broke into a number of separate Hindu
kingdoms.