15.2- History of South Asia

Through the AgesThrough the AgesThousands of years ago people settled in the Indus

Valley of South Asia. These people are believed by historians to have come across the Himalayas from other parts of Asia and possibly from northern Africa. Through history, conquerors pushed people living in northern India southward and finally onto islands in the Indian Ocean.

More than 1 billion people live in South Asia today, from the tiny farming villages of the Himalayan foothills to the bustling cities on the coast.

Life in the Indus ValleyLife in the Indus Valley• Indus civilization was established

between 3000 and 1700 BC, located along the Indus River Valley in northwestern India and modern-day Pakistan

• Indus Empire was based on agriculture – farming and herding

• Indus people established cities as a center for living and trade– Early civilizations always start along

waterways. Transportation, irrigation, water, food.

Life in the Indus ValleyLife in the Indus Valley• Archaeologists

believe that these people understood urban planning – the designing and planning of city layouts

• The ruins of ancient cities are evidence that this was a highly advanced civilization

The ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro was built on a grid design.

Life in the Indus ValleyLife in the Indus Valley

• The ancient cities of Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa, and Lothal had wide avenues of homes and shops with stairways, bathrooms, and underground drainage systems

• Every home had a kitchen with a fireplace and large jars for storing grains or keeping other goodsThe Great Bath of Mohenjo-daro


The Indus valley civilization was made up of three distinct social groups. One group ruled and administered the city, another group included the merchants who were associated with trade and other business activities in the city, and a third group were the laborers who worked in the city. Also included were the farmers who cultivated wheat and barley as their main crops. Animals like the buffalo, sheep, pigs and the humped bull were bred for food. Animals like the elephant, camels and dogs were also domesticated.

Life in the Indus ValleyLife in the Indus ValleyThe discovery of

various equipment such as axes, knives, spears and daggers made of bronze and copper suggest metal work as a major profession commonly pursued in the towns. Copper was used for making weapons, utensils, and ornaments. Spinning, weaving and pottery also formed important occupations.

Aryans Bring ChangeAryans Bring ChangeThe Aryans were

semi- nomadic people who started moving from their original home towards the west, south and east. The group which went to Europe were the ancestors of the Greeks, Romans, and Celts. Another group went to Anatolia. The great empire of the Hittites evolved from the mixture of these immigrants with the original people. The group which remained were the ancestors of the Slavonic people.

Aryans Bring ChangeAryans Bring Change

The group which moved south came in contact with the west Asian civilization. They crossed the Hindu Kush Mts. and entered India through Afghanistan, capturing the greater part of northern India.

Aryans Bring ChangeAryans Bring ChangeCaste System

• A social system that divides people in society into different social classes

• A result of the Aryan culture blending with other people in South Asia and enslaving people in India

Caste SystemCaste System• There are five different levels of the system:

Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, and Harijans

• Within each of these categories are the actual "castes" or jatis within which people are born, marry, and die. All people have their own place among each other and accept that this is the way to keep society from disintegrating to chaos.

Caste SystemCaste System

Brahman - priest

Kshatriya - ruler,warrior, landowner

Vaishya - merchants

Shudra - artisans, agriculturalists

Caste SystemCaste SystemCalled untouchables because people believed that they were so dirty that they were not fit to be touched by other people in higher castes, their jobs involve doing most of the cleaning, or what we might call "dirty work." The name for them later changed from untouchables to Harijans, which means gods children.

Musicians are part of the lowest caste. Though their music is enjoyed by many, the act of playing some of these instruments is

considered to be unclean. The saliva that is being blown into the horns is thought to be very unhygienic, therefore not fit for people

in higher castes to play.

Caste SystemCaste SystemThe girls are

making dung patties. The dung from cows are taken, made into patties and set out to dry. These patties are then used to be burned as fuel or for heat. Though it is the Harijans that have the task of making the patties, people from other castes benefit from the work they do.

Harijan – Untouchables

Aryans Bring ChangeAryans Bring Change• Aryan and other early

South Asian religions blended to become Hinduism

• Hinduism has been around for over 3500 years

• Life is thought of as a cycle of life and rebirth

• Hindus worship many gods and are tolerant of other faiths

Hinduism

Buddhism Begins in IndiaBuddhism Begins in India

Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world, being exceeded in numbers only by Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. It was founded in Northern India by the first known Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. In 535 BC, he attained enlightenment and assumed the title Lord Buddha (one who has awakened)

Buddhism Begins in IndiaBuddhism Begins in IndiaSiddhartha Gautama was an Indian prince who gave up a life of luxury for one of meditation and teaching. His followers began calling him the “Enlightened One” or Buddha. Soon the religion known as Buddhism was born.


Asoka became the third emperor of the Maurya Dynasty of India in 273 BC. He adopted the Buddhist religion late in his life. As emperor, he embraced peace and understanding and changed India's government. He was the first strong ruler to help spread the Buddhist religion.


Asoka ordered the construction of thousands of stupas. A stupa is a curved mound of brick that holds statues of Buddha. Asoka is credited with helping to make Buddhism a world religion.

The Great Stupa at Sanchi, India

The Last EmpiresThe Last Empires

The golden age of India occurred from 320-500 AD and was known as the Gupta Empire. During this time period, literature, the arts, and science flourished in India. Hinduism became the chief religion of the Indian People during the Gupta Empire.

The Last EmpiresThe Last Empires

After the Gupta Empire, many small kingdoms fought for control of India.

• 711 – Arab Muslims

•1206 – Muslim Turks and Afghans

•1526 – Babur establishes the Mogul Empire

•1757 – British keep Mogul rulers as their “puppets,” ruling without power for 100 years

•1947 – British end their rule – India gains its independence

Indians Work for IndependenceIndians Work for IndependenceEuropeans were interested in Asia’s spices and pearls. In the 1600s, the British East India Company set up trading posts along India’s coastline.

Indians Work for IndependenceIndians Work for Independence

"Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest

weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man."

In 1919, Mohandas Gandhi became the leader of the Indian National Congress political party. He organized nonviolent protests against British rule. The British began giving the Indians greater representation and increased power in local governments over time. Finally, the British agreed to end their rule of India in 1947.

After independence, Gandhi tried to resolve problems between Hindus and Muslims.


Gandhi called for the Indian people to boycott, or stop buying, British goods and services. As a result, the British arrested Gandhi along with other leaders of the independence movement.

Indians Work for IndependenceIndians Work for IndependenceIn 1947, as British rule came to an end in India, religious differences existed between Hindus and Muslims. As a condition of granting India its independence, the country of Pakistan was created. It separated the Muslim-dominated parts of India (to the west and east) from Hindu-dominated India.

(West Pakistan is now the country of Pakistan and East Pakistan is now the country of Bangladesh)


Freedom At MidnightFreedom At MidnightPandit Jawaharlal Nehru being sworn in

as Prime Minister of India

“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time

comes when we shall redeem our pledge...At the stroke of the

midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when

we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when

the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance”

-- Jawaharlal Nehru Claiming Independence from British Midnight of August 14, 1947

Review QuestionsReview Questions1. Name an ancient Indus Valley city that was an

example of urban planning.2. What religion did the Aryans help form in South Asia?3. What leader is sometimes credited for having made

Buddhism a world religion?4. Why did South Asia interest European traders of the

1600s?5. Where did the British East India Company set up

trading posts?6. What 2 countries were established before the British

granted India its independence?7. Why did the British establish these countries?8. When did India gain its independence?

15.2- History of South Asia

Education

Transcript of 15.2- History of South Asia