Chapter 12.1South Asia: Cultures and History

Terms [313]

• Caste– A social group in the Hindu religion into which people

are born. It cannot be changed.

• Boycott– To refuse to buy or use goods or services. Used as a

punishment.

• Partition– To divide into different parts

• Merge– To bring together or to combine something

• Golden Age– When a civilization is at its height of science, art,

technology

[310-311]

READ: 312

Notes [313]

• Where was the Indus valley civilization located?– In what is today Pakistan and India along the Indus river.

• Who were the Aryans?– People from Central Asia– They brought their language and beliefs

• How were the Aryans different than the Indus people?

• Spoke Sanskrit• They were nomads and herders

• What are the five main castes in Hinduism?– Priests-scholars, rulers-warriors, farmers, servants-

laborers, untouchables

Sanskrit tablet

Notes [314]

READ: Hinduism• What is the main religion of India?

– Hinduism

Brahma Vishnu Shiva

Video: Hinduism in India• What country did Buddhism begin?

– India

READ: Buddhism• What are the Four Noble Truths taught by

Buddha?1. Everyone suffers

2. The cause of suffering is your desires

3. You have to get rid of suffering

4. There is a way to get rid of your suffering

Notes [314]

• Religion in South Asia– What is Reincarnation?

• when you die you will be reborn into a new life

Notes [314]

• Religion in South Asia – What is Karma?

– Why are people in this world different?

• What is the cause of the inequality that exists among mankind?

• Why should one person be brought up in the lap of luxury, endowed with fine mental, moral and physical qualities, and another in absolute poverty, steeped in misery?

• Why should one person be a mental prodigy, and another not smart at all?

• Why should one person be born with saintly characteristics and another with criminal tendencies?

• Why should some be linguistic, artistic, mathematically inclined, or musical from the very cradle?

• Why should others be congenitally blind, deaf, or deformed?

• Why should some be blessed, and others cursed from their births?

Notes [314]

• Religion in South Asia– Karma and Reincarnation

• Karma

– A person’s actions will

determine what you will

be in your next life

Sacred Evils: hatred, ignorance, greed

Your Behavior

GOOD BAD

Good Karma Bad Karma

higher status innext life

lower status innext life

Notes [314]

The Spread of Buddhism [314]

Notes [315]

• What are the three main empires in South Asia?– The Maurya, the Gupta, the Mughal

READ: The Maurya Empire

READ: The Gupta EmpireREAD: The Mughal Empire [315]

• What is an achievements of the Gupta during its Golden Age?– They developed the numbers we use today (Arabic

Numerals)

Notes [315]

READ: The Mughal Empire [316]

• What was the main religion of the Mughal Empire?– Islam

• Why was Akbar a good leader of the Mughals?– He let people practice any religion– He supported arts and literature

Notes [316]• What empire took over after the Mughals?

– The British

• Why did Great Britain take control of India?– For its natural resources (spices, tea, salt, wood)

What was the British East India Company?

• How did Gandhi work to help India gain its independence from British rule?– Asked citizens to protest - nonviolently– Asked citizens to boycott British goods– Led peaceful marches– Spoke to leaders of other countries to let the

outside world see what was going on in India

Notes [317]

• Why did India partition into India and Pakistan in 1947?– The Muslims thought that would have too much control– The Muslims began fighting and demanding for a Muslim

country

READ: Conflict in South Asia

India

Notes [318]

• What is the religion of Pakistan and Bangladesh?– Islam

• Why is English spoken in India?– When the British took over they made English the main

language– After the British left people continued to speak it– It is still the language used in government, business and

medicine

How many official languages does India have?