India, Pakistan, Bangladesh

South Asia

Climate and ResourcesMonsoon - Seasonal wind that

dominates the climate of South Asia. Two monsoon seasons, wet monsoon

of summer and dry monsoon of winter.Wet Monsoon arrives in late

May/early June. Hot and very wet, up to 120 F.

Dry Monsoon arrives in October, season of clear skies, low humidity, and mild temperatures.

Key to life of farmers: must plant seeds in the months before wet monsoon

If monsoon is late, plants die; if there is too much rain, rivers wash away crops

Bangladesh One of the most densely populated countries in the world.

Population crowded in delta region between Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers.

Extremely fertile soil, can plant and harvest 3 rice crops a year.

Land however can barely support the amount of people.

Land is barely above sea level, so flooding is common during monsoons. Plus every 5-7 years, cyclones sweep in and cause extensive damage to property and takes lives.

Climate and ResourcesMonsoons affect South Asia unevenly,

so climates and vegetation vary Some areas get heavy rainfall, some

get little and are desert. Water is scarce, rain plentiful but

only falls during wet monsoon. In dry season, people irrigate water

from rivers or tap into underground water.

Minerals : Iron, copper, manganese, coal, few sources of oil.

Culturally diverse, major religions are Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhs, and Buddhism.

India - 700 languages, 15 official languages.

Money - Rupee

Indus Valley Civilization2500 B.C. to 1500 B.C. -

Lasted 1,000 years and one of the world's earliest civilizations

Developed in fertile river valley (again)

Cities surrounded by walled fortress; Checkerboard pattern streets, sections for homes and public buildings.

To support cities, taxes collected were in form of food.

Most people were farmers, grew barley, wheat, peas and kept cattle.

Merchants traded with the people of the Middle East.

History that’s a mysteryStill many aspects of the Indus Valley

Civilization that is unknown. Unable to decipher clay tablets' writing.

No one knows why the civilization declined. Evidence suggests decline was natural

causes, possibly floods or exhausted soil. People migrated to other parts of the Indian

subcontinent.

HinduismSacred text - Vedas & UpanishadsBrahman - Gods part of single supreme force, that is

nameless, formless, and unlimited. Only a few people can truly understand it.

Main Gods - Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver), Shiva (destroyer).

Atman - Every person has an essential self, part of universal soul.

Reincarnation - Rebirth of the soul in various forms, from god to flower to snake.

Karma - Every deed in this life affects a person's fate in a future life.

Caste System - Strict social and religious order. A person born in to a certain caste and remained there for life. Believe caste is result of karma.

Dharma - Duties and obligations associated with a particular caste.

BuddhismFour Noble Truths1. Suffering Universal2. Cause of suffering desire3. Only way to end suffering is to crush desire4. End desire by following Eightfold Path

Nirvana - Condition of wanting nothing.Believed in karma and reincarnation, denied

existence of gods, thought priests unnecessary, rejected caste system.

Buddhism spread across Asia, adapted to their own needs

JainismFounder - Mahavira, rejected power of the

Brahmans.Grew out of efforts to reform Hinduism.Emphasize ahimsa or non-violence, avoid

harming all living creatures. Everything has life, stones, sand, etc.

Strict vegetarians Sikhism - Combined Hinduism and Islam.

Caste SystemOriginally four varna or classes, later

a fifth group emerged. Brahmans - Priests, at top of society.Kshatriyas – Warriors.Vaisyas - Landowners, merchants,

herders.Sudras - Servants and peasants.Untouchables - Lowest level of

society.

Over time, caste system grew as it divided people within each class until there were thousands of castes.

Caste was based mostly on occupation, so added sub-castes as occupations changed.

Higher castes were considered the purest members of society, contact with the impure lower classes could make them unclean.

Caste rules governed cooking, marriage, employment, where you lived, worshipped, and manners.

Each occupation had its own caste, so your job was determined at birth.

Life very harsh for lowest castes and untouchables, accepted their own unworthiness.

Created a sense of stability and order in life, deeply imbedded in law, custom, and religion.

Village LifeBasic unit of society. Headman governed village, a

respected landlord who inherited position.Made decisions with a council of

elders, organized villagers to work on projects like roads, irrigation, and temples.

Varied in size from handful to hundreds of families.

Castes did jobs needed for daily life.Self-sufficient, produced almost all of

what they needed.Landlords held much of the land,

landless workers farmed plots belonging to landlord and gave him part of the harvest.

Family LifeIdentified first with their family, then their

village. Joint Family - Traditionally highly valued.

Included parents, sons and their wives and children, and unmarried daughters. Also sometimes included the husband's brothers, uncles, and cousins all in one house.

Patriarchal - Father was oldest male, had complete control over household.

Family interests, rather than individual, were most important.

MarriageFamily concern, head of family arranged marriages to

protect and benefit family.Marriages often arranged at young age, actual wedding

taking place later. Once married, a girl became a part of her husband's

family and only visited her family once a year.Great ceremony in weddings, very costly and paid by

the bride's family. Bride's family had to provide a dowry, or gift of money

or goods to the groom.

Women’s LivesWomen had few rights

Duty was to marry, wait on husband, and bear sons.

Inferior position, but women did have powers.

Hindus believed women had shakti or creative energy, but lacked knowledge on how to control it so seen as dangerous unless ruled by men. Men were incomplete unless they

married since they did not have shakti. Purdah - Complete seclusion. Higher caste women had to wear

veils and rarely left home. Kept separate from all men expect husband and close relatives.

Women’s Lives After MarriageWidows forbidden to remarry

Expected to give up all comforts and spend life in prayer.

Considered unlucky, so ignored by family. Some women threw themselves on husband's

funeral fires rather than endure a hard life. Seen as "virtuous women“; By sacrificing her

life, she wiped away sins of husband and herself.