Download CLASSICAL INDIA

CLASSICAL
INDIA
FROM THE MAURYANS
TO THE GUPTAS
THE LATE
VEDIC AGE
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The Vedic Age: 1500 – 500 BCE
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Social Classes evolved into Castes
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Name from Vedas, which records history
Began with Aryan migration into India
Aryans pushed into Ganges, up to Deccan
Eventually nomadic Aryans settled down
Ruled local inhabitants (dasas, Dravidians)
Increasing rigidity of class and gender rules
Separation justified by religious teachings
Ganges Republics (mahajanapadas): 900 – 500 BCE
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Generally 16 larger states dominated Indus-Ganges Region
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Republics dominated by kshatriyans (warrior-rulers)
States vied for power constantly with each other
Within states, kshatriyans vied for power with rulers
Rulers performed social, religious rituals
Magahda was one of the most dominant of the states
BRAHMANISM
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Vedic Religion
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Upanishads and Brahmins
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Brahmin priests interpreted the Vedas
Very intellectual and esoteric
Brahmins acquired great influence in population
A Religion of Rituals, Sacrifices, Duties
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Originally polytheistic, similar to the Greeks
Oral traditions eventually written down as Vedas
Vedas contain history, hymns, rituals of Aryans
Religion was civic not personal or emotional
Veneration of nature but not a hopeful religion
No popular attachment or emotional to traditions
The Rigidity of the Caste Systems, Gender Systems
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Twice-born castes of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisayas had power
Castes increasingly rigid over time with no changes allowed
Genders increasingly defined and restricted in rights
JAINISM
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Vardhamana Mahavira
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Jainist doctrine and ethics
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Born in north India, 540 B.C.E.
Left family, searching for salvation from cycle of incarnation
Gained enlightenment, taught an ascetic doctrine
His disciples began to lead a monastic life
Mahavira became Jina, the "conqueror," and followers, Jains
Inspired by the Upanishads
Everything in the universe possessed a soul
Striving to purify one's selfish behavior to attain a state of bliss
The principle of ahimsa, nonviolence toward all living things
Believed that almost all occupations entailed violence of some kind
Too demanding, not a practical alternative to the cult of the brahmins
Appeal of Jainism
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Social implication: Individual souls equally participated in ultimate reality
The Jains did not recognize social hierarchies of caste and jati
Became attractive to members of lower castes
The ascetic tradition continues to today
EARLY BUDDHISM
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Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.E.)
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The Buddha and his followers
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Born in 563 B.C.E. to the Kshatriya caste
Witnessed miseries of the human condition
Gave up his comfortable life
Began searching for enlightenment
Intense meditation and extreme asceticism
Received enlightenment under the bo tree
"Turning of the Wheel of the Law," 528 B.C.E.
Organized followers into a community of monks
Traveled, preached throughout north India
Buddhist doctrine: The dharma
 The Four Noble Truths
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The Noble Eightfold Path (“Setting the wheel in motion”)
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All life involves suffering
Desire is the cause of suffering
Elimination of desire brings an end to suffering
The Noble Eightfold Path brings the elimination of desire
Right belief, right resolve, right speech, right behavior
Right occupation, right effort, right contemplation, and right meditation
Religious goal: Nirvana, a state of perfect spiritual independence
APPEAL OF BUDDHISM
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Appealed strongly to members of lower castes
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Appealed to women as all souls considered equal
Accepted merchants had a role to play in faith
Less demanding than Jainism, more popular
Used vernacular tongues – not Sanskrit
Holy sites, pilgrimages, festivals
The Sangha: Monastic organizations
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Salvation without services of the brahmins
Did not recognize social hierarchies of castes and jati
Spread the Buddhist message, won converts
Could be endowed by others to support the religion
Centers of learning, good works, contemplation
Ashoka's support
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Emperor Ashoka became a devout Buddhist, 206 B.C.E.
Banned animal sacrifices in honor of ahimsa
Granted lands to monasteries
Sent missionaries to Bactria and Ceylon
SPREAD OF
BUDDHISM
DEVELOPMENTS
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Buddhism After Buddha
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The Sangha Develops
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The Laity
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Communities of Monks, Nuns
Lived according to Buddhist teachers
Made heavy demands on individuals
Gave up personal property, social standing
Detaching oneself from worldly pleasures
Lived simply, wore orange robes, begged
Those who liked Buddhism but not ready for full experience
Duty was to prepare and support the Sangha
On-Going Developments of Buddhism
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Many Hindus, some followers saw Buddha as a god
Called a bodhisatva - "an enlightened being"
Monasteries accepted gifts from wealthy individuals
Buddhism became more popular, attractive to laity
DIFFERENT BUDDHISMS
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The Schism of Buddhism
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Theravada
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The “Teachings of the Elders
Maintained older view that Buddha was a man
Strongly centered on the Sangha
Spread first to Sri Lanka by Ashoka’s son
Missionaries spread it to Southeast Asia
Mahayana
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Was he a god or man?
Buddha was worried this would happen
Told his followers he was not a god
Means "the greater vehicle"
Idea that Buddha is a god, special divine being
Heavily associated with development of Bodhisatva
Adopted by Kushans, spread to Central Asia
Merchants carried it to China along Silk Road
In China coopted Confucian and Daoist traditions
In India
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Hinduism began to view Buddha as a god, an avatar of Vishnu
Buddhism died out in India as it merged with Hinduism
RISE OF MAURYAN EMPIRE
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Western Intrusions
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Intrusions of Persians (520 B.C.E.)
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The Greek Interlude (c. 327 B.C.E.)
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Alexander the Great conquered Persia, Invaded India
Alexander’s withdrawal left a political vacuum
Seleucid Empire succeeded to Alexander’s lands in India
Magadha kingdom filled the vacuum in Ganges
Chandragupta Maurya
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Persians established Indus satrapy
Introduced imperial government, ruling style, coins
As young prince, held hostage by Greeks, escaped back to India
Overthrew Magadha kingdom 321 B.C.E. , founds Mauryan Empire
Conquered the Greek state in Bactria, Selecuid control of Indus
Chandragupta's empire embraced all of northern India
Chandragupta's government
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Centralized harsh and efficient government
Synchronized Persian, Greek, and Hindu ideas into Indian model
Government procedures devised by Kautalya, the advisor of the empire
The political handbook, Arthashastra, outlined administrative methods
ASHOKA
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Ashoka Maurya (reigned 268-232 B.C.E.)
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Chandragupta's grandson
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Ruled through tightly organized bureaucracy
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Established a tolerant rule of righteousness
Sent out missionaries to Sri Lanka, SE Asia, Central Asia
Mitigated harsher policies of state: new state role as a parent, protector
Decline of the Mauryan Empire
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Ashoka died in 232 B.C.E.
Heirs were not strong and cost of ruling was expensive
Suffered from acute financial and economic difficulties
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Established capital at Pataliputra
Policies of encouraging agriculture and trade
Continued emphasis on acceptance of merchants
Converted to Buddhism
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The high point of the Mauryan empire
Conquered the kingdom of Kalinga, 260 B.C.E.
Developed remorse and renounced future war
High cost for maintaining army and bureaucrats
Debasing the currency, not a effective resolution
The empire collapsed by 185 B.C.E.
POST-MAURYANS
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Regional States
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The Deccan
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Persian, Roman, Greek merchants travel to India from SW Asia
Later Christian, Zoroastrian missionaries visit India
Migration of Indo-Europeans, Indo-Iranians
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Spread of Hinduism, Buddhism to the Deccan
Establishment of regional states, dynasties in Deccan
Establishment of Trade Routes in Indian Ocean
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Local princes (kshatriyas) reasserted their control
Rise of tribal states and aristocratic republics
Constantly rivalry produces power vacuum
Castes provide stability , continuity after collapses
Without Mauryans to prevent it, groups moved into India
Their elite groups integrated into caste system as jatis
Incursion of the Hunas
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First invasion of the Huns
Stopped by local princes and small states
THE NOMADIC INTERLUDE
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Northwestern Kingdoms: 200 BCE to 300 CE
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Indo-European nomads enter India from Central Asia
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Indo-Greeks came from Bactria c. 180 BCE
Indo-Scythians (Sakas) come from C. Asia c. 80 BCE
Indo-Parthians came from Persia c. 20 CE
Influenced Indian art, commerce, religion
Syncretic blending of Greek culture, Buddhism
Indians saw them as foreigners, impure barbarians
Linked India to the Silk Road, China, Western Asia
Became “Indianized” over time
The Kushans
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Indo-Europeans pushed out of China
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Called Yueh-zhi or Tocarians
Nomads allied with Chinese Han Dynasty
Took over Scythians, Central Asia, Northwestern India
Dominated Silk Road trade between Mediterranean, China
Adopted Buddhism, blended with Greek, Persian traditions
Borrowed Greek and Sanskrit writing systems
Gandaran art style was a major artistic period
Controlled trade from India to Central Europe and China to Iran
Helped facilitate spread of Buddhism back to China
THE
KUSHANS
THE GUPTAS
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The Gupta Dynasty: 320 CE to 550 CE
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Gupta Government
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Dynasty was relatively decentralized
Local rulers retained great influence
Theatre state: ruler had ceremonial functions
Devaraja Cult: ruler was incarnation of a god
An Indian Golden Age
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The Gupta state rose to power in Magadha
Chandra Gupta founded the new dynasty
Guptas supported revival of Hinduism
During this age Hinduism took its major form
Guptas supported sciences, mathematics
Golden Age of the Arts, Literatures
India was a center for trade, commerce
Indian army was largest, most powerful in world
Gupta decline
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Invasion of White Huns weakened the empire
After 5th century C.E., Gupta dynasty ruled in name only
Large regional kingdoms again dominated political life in India
HINDU NUMBERS?!
Hindu-Arabic
Hindi word for the
ordinal numeral
Sanskrit word for the
ordinal numeral
(wordstem)
Translations in
some
languages
0
śūnya (शन्
ू य)
śūnya (शन्
ू य)
sifr (Urdu)
ék (एक)
eka (एक)
echad (Hebrew)
२
1
2
do (दो)
dvi (द्वि)
dva (Russian)
३
3
tīn (तीन)
tri (त्रि)
tri (SerboCroatian)
४
4
cār (चार)
catúr (चतुर)्
katër (Albanian)
५
5
pān̄c (पााँच)
panc (पञ्च)
penki (Lithuanian)
६
6
chaḥ (छः)
ṣáṣ (षष ्)
seis (Spanish)
७
7
sāt (सात)
saptá (सप्त)
şapte (Romanian)
८
8
āṭh (आठ)
aṣhṭá (अष्ट)
astoņi (Latvian)
9
nau (नौ)
náva (नि)
naw (Welsh)
Modern
Devanagari
०
१
९
CHESS ANYONE?
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A Game of Math, the Army and Social Conventions
Originated in Guptan Empire
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Called Chaturanga: Buddha would not play the game!
Raja (Shah): weakest but most important piece
Vizier (Advisor, General): next to Raja, moved in all directions
Means literally four divisions of the military
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Later Sassanid Additions and Christian Modifications
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Elephants became the bishops (2)
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Elephants were very powerful and quicker than infantry
Elephants were not as fast or deadly as chariots
Sassanids used war elephants but the west did not – used bishops!
Queen (1) replaced Vizier in West
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Infantry became pawns – moves slowly, many foot soldiers
Cavalry became knights – cavalry very mobile
Elephants became bishops – very rare pieces, very powerful
Chariotry became rooks – moves only in straight lines
Guptans were polygamists and had many wives – of little importance, no piece
In Western Chess queen was more important than vizier, value of one wife high
Shah Mat! = Check Mate…. “The King is Helpless”
THE GOLDEN AGE OF
THE HINDU TEMPLE
POPULAR HINDUISM
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The epics
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Mahabharata
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A secular poem revised by brahmin scholars
Honored Vishnu, the preserver of the world
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The Bhagavad Gita
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Ramayana
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Secular story of Rama and Sita was changed into a Hindu story
Shows extent of spread of Hinduism in region
Hindu ethics
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Poetic dialogue between god Vishnu, Prince Arjuna
Illustrated expectations of Hinduism and promise of salvation
Lower demands for achieving salvation
Individuals should meet their responsibilities in detached fashion
Balance of dharma, artha, karma to attain moksha, end samsara
Popularity of Hinduism
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Became more popular than Buddhism; Buddhism too aesthetic
The Guptas helped Hinduism become the dominant religion
Guptas placed Brahmins as lead caste above Kshatriyas
Trumurti of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva emerges – one reality, many faces
ECONOMICS AND SOCIAL
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Towns and manufacturing
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Long-distance trade
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Strong patriarchal families; subordination of women to men
Child marriage placed women under control of old men
Development of caste system
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Invasions by Persians helped build trade networks
Trade with China through silk roads of central Asia
Trade in Indian Ocean basin, Africa to Southeast Asia
Spread Buddhism, Hinduism to Central, Southeast Asia
Social and gender relations
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Towns dotted countryside after 600 B.C.E.
Towns provided manufactured, luxury goods
New social groups of artisans, craftsmen, and merchants appeared
Individuals of same trade or craft formed a guild; guilds were subcastes, jatis
Functions of guilds: social security and welfare systems
Wealth and social order
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Trade and industry brought prosperity to many vaishyas and shudras
Old beliefs and values of early Aryan society became increasingly irrelevant