Download Notes – Ancient India Harappan Civilization • One of the first

Notes – Ancient India
Harappan Civilization
•
One of the first civilizations to settle in India/Pakistan
–
The first urban civilization in the Indian subcontinent
•
Settled along the Indus River Valley
•
The KHYBER Pass, which goes through the Hindu Kush, allowed for people to move into and
settle this fertile Indus River Valley
–
Later on these pass would also allow for invaders to get through the mountains and
conquer
•
Khyber Pass Pictures
•
Mohenjo-Daro
•
One of the most famous and well planned Harappan cities
•
This city needed careful planning because it was near the Indus river which flooded.
•
Mohenjo-Daro: “hill of the dead”
•
City Planning
•
–
To make travel easier, they organized streets in a square pattern and people built their
homes and shops along these squares
–
At the center of the city was the citadel, or fortress b/c this was where all the important
people were so it kept them safe and in the center where they could control more
Water Infrastructure
–
Built city on a high mound of earth to protect it some from the flooding
–
Clay pipes for a sanitation system, one of the first. Carried waste from homes to
outside the city. Less disease=More people= POWER
–
Canals ran along the Indus which helped control flooding and helped with irrigation
•
Other Innovations
•
Pottery
•
Grainaries
•
Writing
•
Aryan Migration
•
A people from Central Asia called the Aryans traveled through the ______ Pass and invaded
India.
•
Aryan means “noble” or “highborn”
•
Aryan warriors were fierce and were able to defeat the Harappan civilizations with their
advanced weaponry such as
–
Bows and arrows; axes
–
Chariots; these were horrifying to the Harappan who saw these chariots drawn by
charging horses
•
Pictures of Aryans
•
Aryans (contd.)
•
Leaders were known as “rajas” and they ruled a village and the land around it.
•
They ruled independently of one another and so they would sometimes join to fight against an
enemy and sometimes they would fight each other.
•
For many centuries, India would be divided up into separate regions and/or kingdoms ruled by
independent rajas.
•
Pictures of Rajas; Divided raja kingdom map
•
Aryan Religion
•
Brahmanism– named after the name given to Aryan priests, Brahmans
•
Aryan religion based on the Vedas.
•
Oldest Veda is the Rigveda
•
Over time, Brahmans wrote their thoughts about the Vedas which were compiled into a
collection called the Vedic texts.
•
Ancient Texts: Vedas
•
Vedas: Most of what we know about the Aryans comes from books called the “Vedas,” a
collection of poems, hymns, myths, and rituals that were written by Aryan priests.
•
Vedas written in “Sanskrit,” the most important language of ancient India
•
Ancient Texts: Upanishads
•
Upanishads—the final group of Vedic texts which are reflections on the Vedas by religious
students and teachers.
–
Dialogue between teacher and student
–
Questions about the nature of both:
•
Atman—individual soul
•
Brahman—the collective soul
•
Pictures of Vedas
•
Aryan Social Organization
•
Caste system— strict social divisions, class system where each class has special work and duties
to perform
•
Organized around four social classes (varnas);
–
(1) Brahmins—Priest, guarded religious tradition,
–
(2) Kshatriyas—warriors fought,
–
(3) Vaisyas— ordinary people worked like farmers/craftsman/traders,
–
(4) Sudras— usually non-Aryans slaves, who did free or cheap labor
•
Caste System
•
Over time, caste system became more complicated and was organized around profession, such
as the Shopkeepers, farmers, traders etc.
–
You could not leave your social class, so if your father was a weaver you then became a
weaver.
•
Your class determined your position in society.
•
Untouchables: a class that was below slaves and no one is to have contact with these people
because they were seen as “unclean.”
•
Hinduism
•
The Vedas, Upanishads, and the other Vedic texts form the basis of Hinduism
•
Hinduism was influenced by other religions as well primarily, Jains and Buddhists.
–
Jains introduced the principle of “non-violence” or ahisma. Belief that everything is
alive and part of the cycle of rebirth which is why they are vegetarians.
–
Hinduism: Important Facts
•
Polytheistic—belief in many gods
•
Three major gods:
–
Brahma—the Creator
–
Siva—the Destroyer
–
Vishnu—the Preserver
•
Brahma, Siva and Vishnu are all parts of Brahman.
•
Major Beliefs
•
A universal spirit called Brahman created the universe and everything in it. Everything in the
world is just a part of Brahman.
•
Every person has a soul or atman that will eventually join with Brahman.
•
Major Beliefs (contd.)
•
People’s souls are reincarnated many times before they can join with Brahman.
–
Brahman=reality; world=illusion
–
In order to join Brahman you have to see through the illusion (world) which may take
several times (reincarnation) to get to reality (Brahman)
•
Major Beliefs (contd.)
•
A person’s karma affects how he or she will be reincarnated
–
–
When you are reincarnated the type of form you take depends on your karma
(actions/behavior/deeds).
•
Bad = caste will be lowered (i.e. you could come back as a pig or ant).
•
Good= caste will be higher (i.e. you come back as a ruler or warrior)
Your karma is judged based on how well you perform your duties according to your
dharma (list of duties for each class)
•
Part of dharma taught that each person had a duty to accept his or her place in
the world without complaint. This helped preserve the caste system.
•
The spread of Islam and Buddhism limited the spread of Hinduism
•
British Colonized and introduced Christianity and led to the translation of Hindu texts into
English
•
Swami—Hindu religious leader
•
1893 World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago led to a respected swami, Vivekandanda sharing
the teachings of Ramakrishna, a high religious leader in the Hindu faith
–
Swami Vivekandanda set up a center in New York City to spread Hindu ideas.