Download Classical India

Classical India
Ganges
• Major imperial capitals were located on its
banks.
• Major River that Hindus regard as sacred.
• Varanasi-the most holy city in Hinduism.
• Considered a mother and a goddess and is
both traditional and cultural.
• Supports one of the world’s highest densities
of humans.
Deccan Plateau
(The Great Peninsula Plateau)
• Majority of the southern part of the India.
• Elevation ranges from 100 meters to 1000
meters.
• Contains many habitats.
• Name comes from the Sanskrit word for
south.
• 250 B.C.E.-Maurya Empire.
• 100 C.E. Scythic tribes invade.
• Big seasonal winds from the Indian Ocean.
• Bring heavy rainfalls.
• Some regions receive most of their rainfall
from monsoons.
• Total precipitation and area covered are vast
in India.
Monsoons
Vedic Age
• 1500-1000 B.C.E.
• Vedas: The oldest sacred
texts of the Aryans were
composed.
• Northern and Northwestern
India.
• Kingdoms of Ancient India
formed.
• Mahajanapadas-from 600
B.C.E.-Maurya Empire from
320 B.C.E.
• Sanskrit Literature
• Middle Kingdoms
Maurya Empire
• Founded by
Chandragupta Maurya;
overthrew Nanda Dynasty
• 321-185 B.C.E.
• Capital at Pataliputra
• Expanded after
withdrawal of Alexander.
• One of the largest
empires to rule Indian
subcontinent.
• Sunga Dynasty ended
Maurya rule.
Ashoka the Great
• Emperor of the Mauryan
Empire from 269 B.C.E.232 B.C.E.
• Reigned over most of
present day India after
military conquests.
• Embraced Buddhism and
spread it throughout his
territories.
• Devoted to nonviolence,
love truth, tolerance, and
vegetarianism.
Hinduism
• Combination of religious practices of the Indus
River, other groups, and Aryan Invaders.
• Formed tradition of Vedism-the foundation of
Hinduism.
• Vedas: Four Aryan scriptures=Knowledge.
Written 1500 B.C.E. and Orally 4500 B.C.E.
• 900 B.C.E. Transformation of Vedic thought
outline Hinduism’s basic concepts.
• Law of Manu (200 B.C.E.-200 C.E.)
– Supported the Caste System
• Religious literary text appear:
– The Ramayana: 350 B.C.E. Tale of Rama, the 7th
incarnation of the god Vishnu.
– The Mahabharata: 200 B.C.E.-200 C.E. 90,000 stanzas.
The Bhagavad-Gita (“Song of the Lord”) dialogue of
moral duty.
•
•
•
•
Brahman: World Soul. Brahman is perfection.
Atman: Every living creature has its own soul.
Maya: Material world is an illusion.
Existence: Join one’s atman with the Brahman.
– Samsara: Cycle of life, death, and rebirth called the
wheel of life.
– Reincarnation and Karma: A person’s action in one life
will have consequences in a future life.
– Liberation from the cycle of life and death allows a
person to join with the Brahman.
Mahabharata
Ramayana
• Ancient Sanskrit Epic.
• Depicts relationships
and portrays ideal
servants, brothers,
wives, and kings.
• Heroic Tale.
• Important in Hinduism.
Hindu Gods
• Hinduism recognizes hundreds of
gods and goddesses.
• All are avatars, or incarnation of
the Brahman.
• 200s B.C.E. three gained large
followings: Brahma, Vishnu, and
Shiva.
• Brahma-The Creator-the most
important and masculine
personification.
• Vishnu-The Preserver-A savior
figure. A great friend to
humanity.
– 7th reincarnation: Rama, the hero
of the Ramayana.
– 8th: Krishna, the demigod who
teacher the prince Arjuna about
moral responsibility in the
Bhagavad-Gita.
Versus!
Vishnu: The Preserver
Shiva: The Destroyer
Goddesses
• Goddesses are also
important in Hinduism.
• All female deities are
incarnations of
Mahadevi Shakti, the
great mother goddess.
–
–
–
–
Parvati-the wife of Shiva.
Durga-a warrior goddess.
Lakshmi-Vishnu’s wife.
Kali-a goddess of death.
Dharma
• Moral consequences of
actions.
• Be good and you’ll be
reincarnated as a sacred
animal.
• Be bad and you’ll be doomed
to relive misery over and
over.
• The divine essence is not
fixed like in Western religions.
• Essence of being: quality of
who you are through actions
and fate.
Caste System
Yoga
• Release the divine within.
• Not external: Oneness.
• One on one evolved to Group Activity.
Alexander’s Invasion
• Defeated Persia and turned
attention to India.
• Alex asked for the allegiance of
chieftains. Omphis of Taxila
complied but the Aspasioi and
Assakenoi of Kambojas did not.
• Winter 327-26 B.C.E. Alexander
led campaigns against the
holdouts. They resisted and many
were slaughtered.
• 326: Crossed the Indus and
fought Porus at the Battle of
Hydaspes. Impressed by his
bravery, Alex left him his
kingdom.
• Alexander’s army mutinied near
the Ganges River.
Parthian Empire
• 247 B.C.E.-228 C.E.
• Defeated Alexander’s
successor’s the
Seleucids.
• Controlled the Silk
Road.
• Much of what we know
is deduced from coins.
Gupta Empire
• 280-550 C.E.
• Founded: Maharaja SriGupta-began Classical Age
in the Middle Kingdoms of
India.
• Peace and prosperity
enabled science, art,
literature, logic, math,
astronomy, religion, and
philosophy.
• Model of classical
civilization.
• Golden Age of India.