Download Ancient India Vocabulary

Ancient India Vocabulary
1. Buddhism – A religion founded in India by
Siddhartha Gautama which teaches that the most
important thing in life is to reach peace by ending
suffering.
2. Monk – A man who devotes his life to a religious
group, often giving up all he owns.
3. Karma – In Hinduism and Buddhism, the end result of
all a person’s good and bad acts, which determines
his or her rebirth.
4. Four Noble Truths – In Buddhism, the principles
that rule life and promise an end to suffering.
5. Eightfold Path – In Buddhism, the basic rules of
behavior and belief leading to an end of suffering.
6. Middle Way - In Buddhism, a way of life, neither too
strict nor too easy, that results from following the
Eightfold Path.
7. Caste System – The social system in Hindu society
in which a person’s place is determined by the rank
of the family into which he or she is born.
8. Citadel – A walled fort that protects a city.
9. Dharma – In Hinduism, the laws and duties that
guide the behavior of each caste member.
10. Hinduism – The religion of India that grew out of
the beliefs of the ancient Aryan people; it stresses
that one main force connects all of life.
11. Migrate – To move from one place to another to live,
especially a large group of people.
12. Reincarnation – A Hindu belief that people move in a
constant cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
13. Subcontinent – A large land mass that is connected
to the rest of a continent.
14. Vedas – In Hinduism, the ancient books of sacred
songs on which much of its religious beliefs are
based.
Places
1. India – The largest nation of the Indian
subcontinent; became independent from British rule
in 1947.
2. Indus River - A river that flows from Tibet,
through the Himalayas and Hindu Kush into the
Arabian Sea.
3. Himalayas – The world’s highest mountain range,
forming the northern border of the Indian
subcontinent.
4. Indus Plain – A vast, dry region south of the
Himalayas that is made fertile by deposits of silt
from the Indus River; birthplace of the ancient
Harappan civilization.
5. Harappa- A city of the ancient Harappan civilization;
located in the Indus Valley of South Asia.
6. Mohenjo-Daro: A city of the ancient Harappan
civilization, located in the Indus Valley.
7. Kosala – An ancient kingdom in northern India where
Siddhartha Gautama is said to have been born.
People
1. Siddhartha Gautama - Ancient Indian religious
leader known as the Buddha, or Enlightened One,
who founded Buddhism (563?-483? B.C.).