Download Vocab for India

Vocab for India
Subcontinent
A large landmass that juts out of a continent into the ocean.
Monsoon
Very strong winds that blow during a certain time of year in
India.
Mohenjo-
An ancient civilization located in the Indus River valley that had
Daro
very advanced technology for its time (ex: an irrigation system)
Indus River
A river that is located in Pakistan today. The area around the
Indus River is very fertile, which is one of the reasons why
people settled there in ancient times.
Ganges
A river that is located in North-East India. It is considered a holy
River
place for those that are Hindu.
Himalayan
A large mountain range that is located in North East India, Nepal
Mountains
and South East china. Mount Everest is located here.
Aryans
These people were said to have invaded the Indus River Valley.
Hinduism is thought to come from a mix of their religious
traditions and the religious traditions of the people in the Indus
River Valley.
Hinduism
The most popular religion in India. This religion is a polytheistic
religion, and believes in dharma, karma and the caste system.
Reincarnation
The re-birth of the soul after death into another living thing.
Dharma
The moral and religious duty or obligation of a Hindu person.
Karma
The belief that if you act as you should in this life, that you will
be born into a higher social class in your next life.
Caste
A type of social structure that has existed in India for thousands
System
of years. The social class you are born into depends on what
class you are born into, and does not change during this lifetime
Brahman
A single, all powerful force that all hindu gods and people are a
part of
Samsara
The never ending cycle of birth, suffering, death and rebirth that
people go through.
Veda
The religious text of the Aryan people that is considered
Buddhism
A tradition that grew out of Hinduism and seeks to explain how
to best live in this lifetime. Buddhism does not believe in a god,
and believes that if you live as you should you will escape the
cycle or reincarnation.
Meditation
The process of thinking deeply about sacred things
Nirvana
Buddhists seek this lasting peace by giving up selfish desires in
life.
Siddhartha
A man who was born a priest, but who after seeing suffering
Gautama
decided to give up his possessions and meditate about the
meaning of life and why we suffer. He becomes the Buddha
Chandragupta Unified most of India under one rule during the Maurya empire
Asoka
Is considered to have built the greatest empire in India’s history.
He is Chandragupta’s grandson and converted many people to
Buddhism.