Indian Empires

Geography

• Subcontinent• Isolated, but not as much

as China• Himalayan Mts. (Kyber

pass)• Indian Ocean• Monsoons- good for

crops but could also be unpredictable and destructive (sounds like what?)

Before the Empires (400 B.C.E.)

• Diverse peoples- government and economy differed from place to place

Aryans (Vedic Age)• After/during the collapse of the Indus Valley, a

group of people known as the Aryans move in (c. 1500 B.C.E.)

• Where are they from?• Warlike• Originally nomadic- learn agriculture from

Dravidians (Dasas)• Set up a social hierarchy with themselves at the

top• “Infiltrate” Indian culture but do not create an

empire

• Created literary epics• Later written in Sanskrit Called the Vedas

(knowledge)• Other stories (Epic Age):

– Mahabharata– Ramayana– Upanishads (epic poems)

• These are the roots of Indian Culture

Sanskrit vowels, diacritics and sample text

Caste System

• Because the Aryans regarded the people they conquered as inferior

• Castes (Jatis)- by occupation– Brahmins (priests)– Kshatriyas (warriors)– Vaishyas (Merchants)– Shudras (servers/laborers) (20%)

• Untouchables (Harijan) (out-caste)

Untouchables

• Castes were hereditary• Most rigid social structure

of an early civilization• Possible to change

caste?• Based on Vedic Age

writings • Over time becomes more

rigid and complex• Purpose of Caste

system?• Benefits of the Caste

system?

First Empires

• 600 B.C.E- India not yet unified (16 warring states)

• 322 B.C.E.- Chandragupta Maurya founds Maurya dynasty

• Who influenced him?• Harsh and paranoid leader• Body guards; spies; palace

Maurya rulers created a strong central government. These rulers:

The Maurya Empire

• supervised the building of roads and harbors.

• collected taxes and managed state-owned factories.

• created royal courts.

Ashoka- The Most Honored King

• Ashoka was Chandragupta’s grandson• Starts off ruthless• Converts to Buddhism• Sends missionaries• Pillars• Improved trade and communication;

stability

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Asokanpillar2.jpg

Describe the rise and importance of the Mauryan Empire. (324 -184 B.C.E)

• The Mauryan Empire • overcame natural and geographic obstacles, as well as India’s

complex social hierarchy, to politically unify India. • Legacy• The Mauryan Empire’s longest-lasting impact was to expedite

the formation of a common Indian civilization. • Particularly important was the conversion of the Mauryan ruler

Ashoka to Buddhism, resulting in the spread of Buddhist influence.

• Even after the collapse of the Mauryan Empire, there continued to be economic, cultural, and intellectual development that was at least partially due to Mauryan rule.

• Empire falls apart, then• 320 C.E. Gupta empire begins• Golden Age (Classical Era)• Political stability• Less centralized• Lasts until 535 C.E. (Huns/Hunas)

The Guptas 320 – 535 C.E.Under the Guptas, India enjoyed a period of great cultural achievement. “Golden Age”

2

Learning… Scholars taught many subjects at Hindu and Buddhist schools.

The Golden Age of the Guptas

Under the Guptas, India enjoyed a period of great cultural achievement.

2

Medicine… Doctors treated illnesses with herbs, performed surgery, set broken bones, and vaccinated against smallpox. Could not…?

The Golden Age of the Guptas

Under the Guptas, India enjoyed a period of great cultural achievement.

2

Mathematics… Mathematicians invented system of numbers we use today (Arabic) and developed the decimal system and concept of zero.

The Golden Age of the Guptas

Under the Guptas, India enjoyed a period of great cultural achievement.

2

Architecture… Builders designed magnificent stone temples and dome-shaped shrines called stupas.Art…More stylized and abstract

Fall of the Guptas

• Invasions by the Hunas break apart the empire, introduce new groups of people to the empire, and decrease trade

• Local princes gain power; so does Hinduism

• Do not re-centralize the country

Mauryans and Guptas compared

• Both control key economic aspects of society; trade routes etc.

• Wealth goes to elites, as usual• Gupta were less centralized • Mauryans (Hindu then Buddhist)• Guptas (Return to Hinduism)• Maurya had larger empire• Both unite diverse peoples under a single

rule

Women• The status and freedom of women decreased over

time. A woman’s duties were to marry, obey her husband, and raise children.

• Ritual of Sati• The most extreme example of Indian women’s

position in which a widow was expected to cremate herself on her husband’s funeral pyre.

Discuss the ways that early Southeast Asia participated in the world system.

• Location• the strategic location of Southeast Asia in the global trade

routes connecting China, India, and the Mediterranean. • expanded trade networks and contributed goods • The impressive navigational skills • riding the monsoon winds and interpreting wave patterns,

clouds, swells, and winds led them to explore the Indian and Pacific Oceans and knit together the shores of India, East Asia, and the islands of the Pacific.

• Religion• Hindu/Buddhist culture served as a source of knowledge,

prestige, and legitimacy for rulers• They fused Indian religious and political ideas and methods with

their own traditions to create a unique culture. • Legacy• important role as a linkage and contributor to the world system

by sailing and trading, absorbing and sharing in the world markets.

Hinduism and Buddhism

Ancient India

Ganesha

Hinduism is the world's oldest organized religion, and the third most practiced in the

world

Roots of Hinduism• Grew out of early Aryan beliefs in

multiple Gods.• Evolved to contain the

overlapping beliefs of peoples in India

• Sacred texts• Beliefs come from the Vedas and

other Indian epics, poems and songs- Upanishads; Mahabharata; Bhagavad-Gita (duty over desire); Ramayana

• No single founder

Polytheistic or monotheistic ?

• Hinduism is sometimes called a polytheistic and monotheistic religion

• Hinduism believes in One God (Brahman), but recognizes that the One God can appear to humans in multiple names and forms

• Three common gods:–Brahman-the Creator–Vishnu-the preserver–Shiva-the destroyer

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Sivakempfort.jpg

Goal of life

• Moksha- union with Brahman (all powerful spiritual force)

The path to moksha

• Dharma: the duty or role of a person in their caste

• Karma: the actions in your life that affect your fate in the next life

• Samsara: the rebirth of the soul (atman) in another bodily form.– Good karma=– Bad karma=

Ahimsa

• Belief in non-violence toward all living things

Trends

• Hinduism regains appeal in Gupta India• Hinduism maintains cultural

cohesion/continuity throughout India’s history• Mostly confined to India. Most converts

outside India are in south east Asia

Angkor Wat

Rise of Buddhism

Siddhartha Gautama• Born around 566

BCE (Kshatriya caste)

• Founder of Buddhism

• Grew up an Indian prince surrounded by wealth and luxury

• Saddened by amount of suffering he saw.

Enlightenment Comes: The Bodhi Tree Experience

• Enlightened after 48 days of deep meditation and fasting

• Siddhartha became the enlightened one, “Buddha” and discovered the Four Nobles Truths:

Buddha: The Enlightened One

“Four Noble Truths”:

1. All life is full of suffering

2. The cause of suffering is desire for things like wealth and power

3. The only cure for suffering is to overcome desire

4. The way to overcome is by

following the “Eight-fold Path.”

The Teachings of the Buddha

•It is important to live a moral life.

•Enlightenment is achieved through meditation and living by clear rules.

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The Teachings of the Buddha

• What is the ultimate goal?

• reach nirvana, or union with the universe and release from the cycle of rebirth.

• Buddha not seen as a god

• Outgrowth of Hinduism

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Spread of Buddhism

• Spreads to China, then Korea, then Japan, then southeast Asia

How Buddhism Spread from India to East Asia

Spread of Buddhism• How did Buddhism

Spread? • Missionaries/monastic

community (first) and Traders (later) helped to spread Buddhism across India to many parts of Asia (used silk roads)

• Two largest groups of Buddhists are the Mahayana and Theravada

Buddhist Monks

Medieval Christian Monks

Jainism

• Similar to Theravada Buddhism• Reject caste system• Go to extreme lengths in the name of non-

violence

Hinduism and Buddhism compared

• Both believe in reincarnation• Both believe in an end to the cycle of death

and rebirth: Moksha/Nirvana• Both emphasize non-violence• Both address the consequences of one’s

behavior• Neither gave a particular respect to women• Buddhism, in many ways, is an outgrowth of

Hinduism

• Buddhism has an original founder, Hinduism does not

• Buddhism denies caste, and many of the rites, rituals, and sacrifice of Hinduism (any social class can achieve Nirvana) – who would be most likely to convert?

• Buddhism originally had no belief in a soul or god• Buddhism has a monastic community (missionary

religion)