India And Southeast Asia By: Priyanka, Liz,

Hayley, Heather, and Thomas.

IndiaEnvironment

• Asian subcontinent. • Physically isolated by the Himalayas to the north and

the Indian Ocean to the east, south, and west. • Climate is subtropical. Moisture source comes for the

seasonal monsoon.• Migrations: invasions and migrations came by land in

northwest India.• Mountains: Himalayas and Hindu Kush mountains

ranges• Major Rivers: Indus River and Ganges River • Crops: rice, wheat, barley, and millet

Hinduism• Is a wide variety of religious

traditions and philosophies that have developed in India over thousands of years.

• Hinduism has no beginning--it precedes recorded history. It has no human founder.

• It is a mystical religion, leading the devotee to personally experience the Truth within

• Most Hindus worship many gods and believe in reincarnation.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=872LRkujZ3E

Traditional dance in Hinduism (they sing about the Gods Radha and Krishna) ->

Buddhism

• A path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of reality.

• Buddhist practices like meditation are means of changing yourself to develop Awareness, kindness, and wisdom.

• Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or 'way of life‘ and the Buddhist path can be summed up as:

• (1) to lead a moral life,(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and(3) to develop wisdom and understanding.

• Skin color was a bases for the divisions. This system was known as the Varna System.

• The population was divided into jati, or birth groups.

• These birth groups had proper occupation, duties, and rituals. Individuals also had to marry within their group.

Society In the Vedic Age

Society in the Vedic Age

• Society was divided in four separate groups:

- Brahmin: Priests and Scholars

-Kshatriya: Warriors and Officials

-Vaishya: Merchants, artisans, and land owners

-Shudra: peasants and laborers

- Untouchables (Avoided at all possible costs)

• Women were able to study sacred lore, compose religious hymns, and participate in sacrificial rituals.

• Women’s status began to decline. They were treated as if they were untouchables.

• They lost the right to own property.

• Women were suppose to kill themselves if their husband died.

Society in the Vedic Age

Interactions • Had major cities.• Interacted with Southeast and East

Asia.

Works of Literature/Art

• Rig Veda - several mythological and poetical accounts of the origin of the world.

• Vedas – Came after Rig Veda it is the same but has the main source of information about the Vedic Age.

• Upanishads - Group of philosophical treatises contributing to theology of ancient Hinduism, elaborating earlier Veda

Continued

• Ramayana - Story of Rama (heroic prince)

• Mahabharata - Story of 2 cousins battling for the throne.

• Bhagavad-Gita - Most renowned of all Indian sacred texts.

Political Structures of the:

Mauryan EmpireGupta Empire

Funan

Gupta Empire

• Their capital city was in Pataliputra.

• Was much smaller than Mauryan Empire

• The empire lasted from 320-550 A.D. and saw advancement of trade, agriculture, and mining.

• This empire was a perfect example of a theater-state which is a government that receives power by elaborate events that leave ignorant subjects wowed.

• Were engaged by the European Huns causing a financial collapse from the money spent fighting them.

Trade in the Gupta Empire

• Was a “theater state”, which acquires prestige and power by developing attractive cultural forms and staging elaborate public ceremonies to appeal to more people.

• Sought to control the ports on the Arabian Sea• Traded with Southeast Asia and East Asia • Traded Indian cotton cloth, ivory, metal work and

exotic animals for Chinese silk or Indonesian spices.

Mauryan Empire

• Chandragupta Maurya developed the first Indian empire.

• Their capital city was in Pataliputra where the empire was ruled by the emperor and his six committees that governed manufacturing, trade, sales, taxes, welfare of foreigners, and registration of the births and deaths.

• Chandragupta’s grandson Ashoka the Great conquered many lands and expanded the empire before the loss of his men got to him.

• His commitment to Buddhism led to its expansion to many new lands preventing the religion or philosophy from dying out.

Southeast AsiaEnvironment

• Three geographical zones: Indochina mainland, Malay Peninsula, and the islands extending into the Pacific Ocean.

• Tropical climate

• Volcanic soil: fertile land supports large populations.

• Southeast Asia is mainly rainforest.

• Crops: rice, soybeans, sugarcane, yams, bananas, and coconuts.

• Due to the thousands of small islands, people who migrated from China became expert navigators.

Funan• Its capital was in Oc-Eo

and the empire flourished between the 1st and 6th centuries.

• Were a dominating trade society with control of many trade routes.

• Unclear reason for decline in 6th century.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLIvYFvRU9M