India unit (M14, L1; M15, L1-2)

Subcontinent

A large landmass that is smaller than a continent

Mount Everest

the world's tallest mountain, located in the Himalayas

Ganges River

Located in India, this river flows from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal and is considered sacred to Hindus

Delta

triangular area of marshland formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of some rivers

Indus River

A river in Pakistan with a wide fertile plain in which the Indian subcontinent's first civilization developed

Monsoons

seasonal wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons

Delhi

Capital of the Mugal empire in Northern India

colony

a territory inhabited and controlled by people from a foreign land

partition

divide into parts; Great Britain did this with India and Pakistan

Hinduism

A religion native to India, featuring belief in many gods and reincarnation

Caste System

A Hindu social class system that controlled every aspect of daily life

Urbanization

the increase in the percentage of people who live in cities

Buddhism

Belief system that started in India in the 500s BC founded by Siddartha Gautama

Harappa

a large ancient city in present day Pakistan that the Indus civilization is named for

Mohenjo-Daro

Indus Valley city much like Harappa; laid out in a grid pattern with irrigation and sewer system.

Sanskrit

the most important language of ancient India, it is the basis of several modern languages

Vedas

Collections of hymns, songs, prayers, and rituals honoring the various gods of the Aryans.

Aryans

nomads from central Asia who migrated to India and settled in the Indus River valley after the Harappan civilization ended

Upanishads

A group of writings sacred in Hinduism that were teachers' and students' reflections on the Vedas.

Rajas

leaders of Aryan villages in India

varnas

Another word for the social classes in the Caste system, based on the temperaments that vary from person to person

brahmins

The priest varna of the caste system (the "thinkers" of society)

Kshatriyas

The warrior and ruler varna of the caste system (the "leaders" of society)

Sudras

Caste made up of the peasants and laborers (the "hard workers" of society)

Vaisyas

Caste made up of farmers, craftspeople, and traders (the "skilled" workers of society)

jatis

social groups determined by birth and associated with specific occupations

Untouchables

lowest class of people in the caste system of Hinduism, do all the dirty work of society

Dalits

another name for the Untouchables

caste norms

unwritten rules that people in a society know that they are required to follow

Chandragupta Maurya

united parts of India, Afghanistan, and Asia into India's first empire; improved farming and trade, standardized weights and measures

Gupta Empire

Indian empire that formed after the Mauryan Empire; saw important advances in math, medicine, and astronomy

Mughal Empire

a powerful kingdom established in northern India by Turkish Muslims around 1550

Akbar

The most important ruler during the Mughal empire, known for his religious tolerance

East India Company

a British trading company that set up large, profitable trading post colonies in India