CHAPTER 6: EARLY INDIA

Section 1: Geography and Early IndiaIndia is a subcontinent- a large

landmass that is smaller than a continentSeparated from the rest of Asia by the

mountains

Fill in the chart provided as we discuss India’s geography instead of taking T-chart notes.

Deccan PlateauLocated b/w 2 mountain rangesElevated and flat area of landDry with few riversSoil is good for cotton, but not for

other crops.

Eastern and Western GhatsMountain chains near the coasts

of IndiaDeccan Plateau sits in b/w the

two chainsWet climateRivers rarely flood here and are

dangerous for travel

Ganges RiverFlows across northern IndiaCarries sediment to plains,

making it very fertileDangerous flooding can occur

and destroy crops

Himalaya MountainsLocated on India’s northern

borderMount Everest is part of this

chainWater from glaciers on the

mountains feed many riversEarthquakes and landslides are

common

Hindu Kush MountainsForm the border b/w India and

AfghanistanNot as tall as HimalayasMany parts are unliveableHas the Khyber Pass, which

connects Asia to India. Was used as trade route as well as for invasion.

Indus RiverBegins in the HimalayasGets water from melting snow

from Hindu Kush mountainsFlows through Pakistan and

empties into Arabian SeaCarries sediment and makes soil

fertile. Has some of the best farmland in

the world

Thar DesertLocated in northern IndiaMostly sand and stoneHas little plant and animal lifeVery hotDust storms are common hereNo rivers

ClimateMostly hot and humidHeavily affected by monsoons-

wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons

Summer- monsoons bring heavy rains from off the ocean

Winter- warm and very dry as monsoon winds blow from off the mountains

Harappan CivilizationBegan in Indus river valley in 3000 BC

and lasted until 1500 BCGrew as farming and irrigation improvedTwo major early cities: Harappa and

Mohenjo-DaroHouses had indoor plumbingMade pottery, jewelry, ivory objects, and

cotton clothingDeveloped India’s first writing system,

but can’t be translatedNo one knows why this civilization ended!

Aryan Migration and GovernmentLived in central Asia where they

raised and herded animalsFarmed and raised cattle Lived in

small communities with family ties

Each village was governed by a raja

Rajas often went to war with each other

Aryan LanguageDeveloped Sanskrit- the

language of ancient IndiaWas only a spoken language at

first, but was eventually written down.

Is no longer spoken today, but is the root of South Asian languages

Their poems and hymns were put in the Vedas, which were first memorized then written down

Section 2: Origins of HinduismAryan society became complexSociety divided into groups

mostly organized by people’s jobsThere were different rules for

each group

SOCIAL CLASSES (Varnas) OF INDIAN SOCIETY

Brahmins (priests)

Kshatriyas (rulers and warriors)

Vaisyas (farmers, craftspeople, traders)

Sudras (laborers and non-Aryans)

Pariahs (Untouchables)

SOCIETY IN ANCIENT INDIAAryans helped develop the caste

system: social groups that people are born into and mostly likely cannot change

Castes had sutras, or rules for how you could live (marriage, types of jobs, etc.)

Could not socialize with people from other castes

Sets the rules for everyone’s behavior and helped Aryans stay in control

BrahmanismAryan religion was based on the Vedas,

which includes hymns to the godsAryan Brahmins wrote down their

thoughts about the Vedas in collections called the Vedic texts

The 1st two describe religious and secret rituals

The 3rd collection is called the UpanishadsHinduism developed from this religion and

a combination of other cultural ideas

HinduismPolytheistcEach god is part of the universal

spirit called BrahmanEveryone has a soul, or atman,

inside themYour soul will eventually join with

Brahman, which could take several lifetimes

This process of rebirth is called reincarnation

Hinduism and the Caste SystemWhen you are reborn, you take on a new

physical formYour form depends upon your karma, the

effects that good or bad actions have on a person’s soul

People with good karma are born into higher castes and will eventually bring salvation, or moksha, freedom from rebirth

Each person had a dharma, a set of spiritual duties that you must perform in your caste

Hinduism helped keep the caste system alive because you had to be happy with your station!

Groups React to HinduismSome Indians did not agree with

HinduismSo they looked for other religious

ideasTwo groups formed: the Jains and

the Sikhs

JainismBased on the teachings of Mahavira who lived

around 599 BCHe thought Hinduism focused too much on

ritualsHis teachings are based on 4 principles: injure

no person, tell the truth, do not steal, and own no property

Practice nonviolence, avoidance of violent actions

Believe that everything is alive and part of the rebirth cycle

Won’t harm humans, animals, or plantsAre vegetarians

SikhismBased on the teachings of Guru Nanak who lived

in AD 1400Blended Hindu ideas with Islam and other religionsMonotheistic- believe in one God who has no

physical formGoal is to be reunited with God after deathYou have to meditate to find spiritual

enlightenmentBelieve in reincarnationTeaches that people should live truthfully and

treat everyone equallyPray several times a day and must wear 5 certain

items every day and a turban

Buddhism 600 BC: some Indians began to

question Hindu beliefs and wanted a more spiritual religion

Founded by Siddhartha GautamaWhy did people suffer and how

could their suffering be cured?Left family and lived as a hermit

and would meditate to find the answer

Buddhism (cont)Became known as the

“Enlightened One” or BuddhaSpent the rest of his life

wandering and telling people what he learned

Believed the everyday world was just an illusion

The only way to find truth was to give up all desires, then you would reach nirvana (a state of wisdom)

4 NOBLE TRUTHSLife is full of sufferingPeople suffer b/c of desireThe way to end suffering is to

stop desireThe only way to stop desire is to

follow the Eightfold Path

THE EIGHTFOLD PATHKnow the Noble TruthsGive up worldly things and don’t

harm othersTell the truth, don’t gossipDon’t commit evil actsDo rewarding workWork for good and oppose evilKeep your senses under controlPractice meditation

Buddhism (cont)Did not believe in caste systemBelieved in reincarnation, but to

stop being born into a new life, you had to follow the Eightfold Path

Untouchables and lower class Indians liked Buddha’s ideas

Buddhism in SE AsiaBuddhism split into 2 groups: Theravada: believed Buddha was

a great teacher, not a godAdopted in Ceylon (now Sri

Lanka) and popular in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos

Mahayana BuddhismBelieved Buddha is a god who

came to save peopleBelieved Eight Fold Path was too

difficult to follow in real lifeBelieved people go to a heaven

and then can follow the Eightfold Path to reach nirvana

Spread into China, Korea, and Japan

Mahayana Buddhism in TibetMixed with the traditional religion

with HinduismLamas (Buddhist leaders) lead

the government called theocracyDalai Lama: leads the gov’tPanchen Lama: leads the religionThere are many Buddhists

throughout Asia, but few live in India (Hinduism is still the dominant religion there)

PRE-AP WIOWe will be going to the computer lab later on to make Mixbooks! Mixbooks are digital scrapbooks where we can display information to compare and contrast Hinduism and Buddhism. www.mixbook.com

Before we can do that though, we have to organize our information. Use your notes to fill out the worksheet that you will use to make your Mixbook.

REG WIO

We will be making a Brochure of India!

Unit 2- Ch 6- India Travel Brochure RUBRIC.doc

Bell Work

HW: NONE!

TODAY’S TITLE: #46 INDIAN CONTRIBUTIONS

RAP: Read the Primary Source box on page 214 and answer the DBQ question: “What does Krishna believe about life after death?”

SEE IF YOU CAN GUESS THE MAIN IDEA!!The Vedas of India- ancient

hymns and prayers for religious ceremonies

Epics- Mahabharata and Ramayana

Kalidasa wrote poems, plays, love stories, and comedies like The Cloud Messenger and Panchantantra

MAIN IDEA: INDIAN LITERATURE

WHAT IS THE MAIN IDEA?Aryabhata was one of the first to use

algebraOther mathematicians developed the

idea of zero (0) and the concept of infinity

Created the symbols of 1-9Invented mathematical algorithms

(steps to solve a problem, which computer programmers use to tell computers what to do)

MAIN IDEA: INDIAN MATH!

KEEP GUESSING: WHAT IS THE MAIN IDEA?!Mapped movements of the planets and

starsKnew the Earth was round and revolved

around the sunUnderstood gravityBelieved the universe was made up of

particlesSet broken bones, performed operations

and plastic surgery, and treated illness by trying to remove the cause of the disease

MAIN IDEA: INDIAN SCIENCE!

WIO

Create an advertisement for a product from India. What kinds of products could we use based on what we learned today?You need to have the following:Sale TitleDescription of product/sales pitchPicture of productPrice of productContact information