india
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India. Geography. Geographic barriers allowed Indian civilization to progress with few interruptions from invaders. Hindu Kush Mountains Himalayan Mountains Indian Ocean. Indo-Europeans. Nomadic peoples who migrated across Europe and Asia They spoke forms of the same language. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
India
Geography
• Hindu Kush Mountains
• Himalayan Mountains
• Indian Ocean
Geographic barriers allowed Indian civilization to progress with few interruptions from
invaders.
Indo-Europeans• Nomadic peoples who migrated across
Europe and Asia• They spoke forms of the same language
Indo-Aryans• Nomadic herders who migrated through
passes in the Hindu Kush Mountains
Khyber Pass• Aryan migration route
Aryan Invaders• Conquered advanced Indus River Valley cities• Put native Indians on the bottom of the caste
system
Aryans• Moved east and
built kingdoms along the Ganges river.
• The Indus and the Ganges were the most important rivers in the Indian subcontinent
Vedas• Vast collection of ancient Aryan prayers,
magical spells and and instructions for performing rituals
•passed on orally for 1000 + years
Caste System• Rigid class system based on occupations
• People were born into their caste for life and could only move up in another life
Castes• Influenced all social interactions and
choice of occupations
• Job•Marriage•Dress
Hinduism• Many forms of
one God• Reincarnation• Caste system• Karma• Vedas and Upanishads
Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva
Brahman• Many forms of
one major deity (God).
• The unifying soul in all things.
Reincarnation
• Cycles of Rebirth• A spirit is born
again and again until moksha (perfect understanding) is achieved
Karma• Good deeds and
bad deeds• Future life based
on present behavior
• Influences caste, health, wealth, etc.
Spread of Hinduism• Hinduism
spread from India to Southeast Asia
Upanishads
• Dialogues between student and teacher
• Explains such concepts as Brahman, karma and reincarnation
Origins of Buddhism• Buddhism was
founded by Siddhartha Gautama in the part of India that borders present-day Nepal.
Siddhartha Guatama• Buddha :” The Enlightened One”
• Enlightenment: wisdom; a state of perfect understanding
Beliefs of Buddhism• Rejects the Hindu
caste system, but keeps the concepts of karma and reincarnation
• Four Noble Truths
• Eightfold Path
Four Noble Truths• Life is full of suffering• The cause of suffering is
desire• The way to end suffering
is to end desire• To end desire, one must
follow the Eightfold Path
Eightfold Path• The Middle Way between desires and self-denial
• By following the path anyone could reach Nirvana• Nirvana: release from selfishness and pain
Asoka• Asoka’s missionaries and their writings spread Buddhism from India to China and
other parts of Asia
Spread of Buddhism• Mahayana spread to China, Korea, and Japan• Theravada spread to SE Asia and Sri Lanka
Religions of East Asia• Colored areas
represent predominant religions today
• Buddhist ideals eventually became absorbed into the Hindu religion in India
Gupta Empire• Golden age of classical Indian culture
India’s Golden Age• a period of peace and prosperity and a flourishing of arts, literature and learning
•Mathematics•Textiles (cotton)•Literature•Sugarcane
Gupta DynastyContributions
Hindu Numerals• Base 10
• Included zero• Place value and decimals
Gupta Dynasty
Literature• Kalidasa• Tamil poets
Indian Trade
• sugarcane
• cotton cloth
•spices
Lateen Sail