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Chapter 7
India and Southeast Asia
1500 B.C.E – 600 C.E.
The Indian Subcontinent
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India has three topographical zones
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(1) the northern mountainous zone
(2) the Indus and Ganges Basins
(3) the peninsula
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Peninsular India and the Ganges Valley
have a subtropical climate and plentiful
rainfall
The Indus Valley is dry and agriculture
there relies on irrigation
The staple crop of the Ganges Delta is rice;
elsewhere, the staple crops are wheat,
millet, and barley.
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KEY  This geographical diversity has
made it very difficult for any political
power to unify all of India for any great
length of time
Hinduism
Origins
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Developed over thousands of years combining
the beliefs of the Aryans & Indus peoples
NO single founder
The word Hindu is derived from the river
Sindhu or Indus
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Indo-Europeans begin migrating
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Migrated from mid Europe to all over Europe
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Hittites attack Mesopotamia
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Aryans invade Indus River Valley
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Aryans change everything about Indus society
The Aryans
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The Aryans invaded India around 1500 B.C.E.
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When the Aryans invaded India, they brought
their religious beliefs.
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Hinduism is a religion largely based on the
beliefs of the Aryans.
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India goes from classless to caste system
Caste system - rigid social classes associated with
religion
Aryans expected non-Aryans to do worst jobs
3 main social classes
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Brahmin- priests
Warriors
Peasants
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Social classes based on color - known as varnas
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The four varna were subdivided into
hereditary occupational groups called jati
(also known by the Portuguese word caste)
Jati were also arranged in order of
hierarchy; complex rules governed the
appropriate occupation, duties, and rituals
of each jati and laid forth regulations
concerning interaction between people of
different jati.
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The systems of varna and jati were
rationalized by belief in reincarnation
According to this belief, each individual has
an immortal spirit (atman) that will be
reborn in another body after death.
One’s station in the next life depends on
one’s actions (karma) in this and previous
lives.
The Caste System
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Caste
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Social groups into which people are born in & out
of
You cannot move into a different caste during
your life time
The Caste System
Brahmins (Priests)
Kshatriyas (Rulers & Warriors)
Vaisyas (merchants, farmers, & artisans)
Sudras (non-Aryan farmers & servants)
Untouchable (butchers, gravediggers, trash collectors)
No Single Holy Book
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Unlike Judaism, Christianity, and Islam,
Hinduism has no single holy book.
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However, there are many significant Hindu
writings.
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The Bhagavad-Gita, the Upanishads, and the
Vedas are important Hindu writings.
The Bhagavad-Gita is a conversation
between a warrior and a god.
Many gods, One Force
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Hindus believe in many gods. As such,
Hinduism can be considered polytheistic.
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However, Hindus believe that every god is a
manifestation of one Supreme Being.
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Brahman is the Supreme Being.
The Universal Spirit
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Hindus believe in one unifying spirit called
Brahman
Brahman is too complex for humans to
understand
Hindus worship many gods to give a more
concrete form to Brahman
The Three Main Hindu Gods
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Brahman The creator
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Vishnu The preserver
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Shiva The destroyer
Moksha
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The main goal of life is to achieve union with
Brahman
Moksha can only occur when you free
yourself from all your selfish desires
Most people cannot achieve moksha in one
lifetime
Reincarnation
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Reincarnation  the soul is reborn in a new
body
Each new lifetime allows you to get closer to
moksha
Hindus get closer to this union by being born
into higher levels of existence
Karma & Dharma
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Karma  the deeds & actions (both good &
bad) of a person’s life that affects his/her
existence in the next life
Dharma  The moral & religious duties that
are expected of an individual
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A person’s gender, class/caste, age, & occupation
can affect his/her dharma
Dharma
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Every caste has its rules.
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Dharma is the Sanskrit word for the rules of
caste.
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Marrying in your caste is an example of
dharma.
Other Facts
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The Ganges River is sacred
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Bathing in it can purify, cleanse, and cure the sick
Upon death many Hindus are cremated & have
some of their ashes spread in the Ganges
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Religion affects everything in life
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Connects with caste system to tell people how
to live depending on caste
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Harsh life leads to new religions - Jainism and
Buddhism