ADDITIONAL GEOGRAPHY CHALLENGE QUESTIONS:

9. What were the benefits and disadvantages of India’s location and geography?

10. What info from this map do you think will be most important in our study of India?

Hinduism and India

•India is considered to be a sub-continent of Asia

•India is located in southern Asia, south of China and east of AfPak and north of the Indian Ocean

Ganges River"nectar of immortality"

• 1560 miles long

• Holiest river for Hindus

• Must bath in it’s water at least once in your life– Cleanse soul of sins

• Hindus keep water from river in their home

• “Mother Ganges”

• Varanasi and Haridwar are holiest cities on river

• Climate change can/will play a major role in the Ganges

• One of the most polluted rivers in the world

Hinduism Origins + Others:

• Oldest religion in world=pre-history

– Pre-2000 BCE

– No singular founder, evolved over time

– Worship in temples, most often alone-temples dedicated to divine gods

Continued…– 80 % of India today is Hindu=about 900 million Hindus

worldwide today!

– Very flexible religion, no rigid rules

– Flowers, incense, lamps are popularly found in Hindu’s home or temple(s)

• Meditation and yoga are popular as well

– Satguru is an enlightened master in Hinduism-kind of like a priest or imam

– Hinduism stresses non-violence!

Brahman and Multiple Gods• Hinduism is polytheistic, really HENOTHEISTIC

or belief in a single god, Brahman above all other gods

• REINCARNATION!!

• Soul is called atman

• Four Vedas– Include hymns, stories, prayers

BRAHMA• CREATOR OF UNIVERSE

• FOUR HEADS, FOUR ARMS=REPRESENTING THE FOUR VEDAS

VISHNU• PRESEVER OF

UNIVERSE• ETERNAL• BLUE SKIN AND SIX

ARMS• PEACEFUL,

MERCIFUL, COMPASSIONATE

SHIVA• DESTROYER!

• PURIFYING POWER

• LETTING GO OF EVERYTHING-THINK OF YOGA

IN HINDUISM, GODS APPEAR IN MANY FORMS…

• GANESHA- removes obstacles, success, beginnings, arts, intellect, wisdom

• DEVI- feminine, energetic, balances masculine gods

• INDRA- weather and war

• RATRI- goddess of night

DHARMA, KARMA, SAMSARA:

• Dharma=law, obligations, duties in life

• Karma=position in life is determined by actions in previous life

• Samsara=cycle of birth, death, rebirth

• Goal is to escape cycle or “MOKSHA”

CASTE SYSTEM:

CASTE SYSTEM CONTINUED…

• Hierarchical in nature

• Restricted by caste:– Marriage– Food– Occupation– Dress

CASTE SYSTEM CONTINUED…

• Women treated unequally in system

• “Varna” is the term for each caste

• Once over 3,000 levels in system-some Indians viewed each caste as a different “species” of Indian