Religion in Ancient India
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Transcript Religion in Ancient India
Life in Ancient India
Religion, Rulers, and
Contributions
What is Hinduism?
Hinduism is a blend of many religions.
It is polytheistic – there are many gods.
1 of 3 Main Hindu Gods
Brahman is the one god which lives in
everything.
Reincarnation
Hindus believe that when a person dies, the
soul is reborn in the body of another living
thing.
dharma
Dharma is doing the right thing. (Example: it
is a man’s duty to protect the women in his
family.)
Dharma is what you GIVE.
karma
Karma is what comes back to you.
Karma is what you GET.
The Goal of Hinduism
Live a good life and do good things and you
will be rewarded.
Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama was a young Hindu
prince →lived life of luxury→changed his life
after he saw suffering.
Buddhism
Did not accept all
Hindu beliefs.
Meditated – looked
inside himself for
answers.
Followers called him
Buddha –
“Enlightened One”
Buddhism
Eightfold
Path –
moral
code of
conduct
to make
yourself
better.
Buddhism
If you follow code,
– Released from reincarnation
– You will find nirvana: eternal peace
Rulers
Chandragupta (chun druh GUP tuh)
Strong, ruthless leader who enlarged his
kingdom to include most of India.
Chandragupta’s Rule
He had absolute power.
He had a huge army including a herd of
9,000 war elephants.
Chandragupta’s Legacy
His rule was harsh, but he brought order
and peace to the people.
He spent his wealth on irrigation systems,
roads for trade, and encouraging crafts and
mining to improve his empire.
Asoka
Chandragupta’s grandson
Further expanded the empire
Asoka’s Leadership
At first, Asoka was a warrior.
After the bloody Battle of Kalinga that killed
many thousands of people, he changed.
Asoka’s Leadership, part 2
He converted to
Buddhism.
He gave up war &
violence.
He built hospitals, and
dug wells along the road
so people & animals
would not be thirsty.
He encouraged people
not to judge others.
Contributions
Invented a technique of printing cloth
Contributions
Progress in philosophy and literature
Contributions
Invented the decimal and number systems
that we use today.