Ancient Indian Civilizations and Religions

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering geography, the Indus Valley civilization, Vedic society, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and the Maurya Empire.

Indian subcontinent

The large South Asian landmass bounded to the north by the Himalaya.

Himalaya

The tallest mountains in the world, which leave the region to the north largely uninhabited.

Indus River

A major river that flows from the Himalaya to the west, emptying into the Arabian Sea.

Ganges River

A major river flowing from the Himalaya to the east into the Bay of Bengal, forming one of the subcontinent's most densely populated river valleys.

Arabian Sea

A body of water that has served as a vital maritime trade and cultural highway connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe since the 3rd millennium BCE.

Deccan Plateau

A high, drier area located on the southern peninsula of the Indian subcontinent that is less heavily populated.

Harappan civilization

A complex Bronze Age urban society that used a grid for planning large cities and built structures with standardized mud bricks.

Mohenjo-Daro

The second largest Indus Valley settlement, located in present-day Pakistan, known for providing drinking water, in-home plumbing, and sewer drains to all its residents.

Indo-Aryans

Nomadic pastoralists who migrated into the Indus Valley using horses and carts and spoke Sanskrit, an Indo-European language from Central Eurasia.

Sanskrit

An Indo-European language developed in Central Eurasia and spoken by the Indo-Aryans.

Hindustani

The common spoken root shared by Hindi and Urdu that evolved around Delhi from Shauraseni Prakrit and Khariboli dialects.

Rig Veda

A Sanskrit collection of 1,028 collective hymns meaning "knowledge of the verses" that describes numerous deities including Indra.

Vedic

A term used by historians to describe both the religion and the society of the Indo-Aryans.

Varna

Four social classes in Vedic society ranked in order of purity: priests (Brahmins), warriors, farmers and merchants, and dependent laborers.

Brahmins

Priests who occupied the highest rank in order of purity within the varna social hierarchy.

Caste system

A rigid social hierarchy that dictated the kind of work people could do, who they could marry, and what they could eat.

Upanishads

A collection of sacred texts composed between 900 and 600 BCE that challenged the old Vedic order and introduced new ideas and deities.

Reincarnation

The rebirth of the soul in different life cycles.

Karma

The principle that a person's actions in this life determine how they will be reborn in the next life.

Dharma

The way of righteous conduct in life that each individual is expected to fulfill.

Bhagavad Gita

A sacred text composed around 200 CE recounting a dialogue between the warrior Arjuna and the god Krishna on righteous conduct before battle.

Krishna

An avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu who served as the chariot driver and moral guide for Prince Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita.

Mahabharata

An epic poem of ancient India providing key information on the development of Hinduism and Hindu moral law.

Ramayana

An ancient epic tale detailing the story of King Rama and his battle to rescue his abducted wife Sita.

Jainism

A religion founded between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE that rejects the caste system and centers on right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct.

Mahavira

The founder of Jainism who lived a simple life, traveled on foot for 12 years debating ideas, opposed Brahminical supremacy, and died after fasting.

Ascetic

A person who chooses a life of voluntary poverty and simple living, often wearing plain robes.

Siddhartha Gautama

An ancient prince who renounced his wealth and palace life to seek enlightenment, eventually becoming known as the Buddha.

Bodhi tree

The tree under which Siddhartha Gautama meditated for 49 days until he attained enlightenment.

Four Noble Truths

The foundational Buddhist teachings stating that life is suffering, desire causes suffering, ending desire ends suffering, and the Noble Eightfold Path ends suffering.

Noble Eightfold Path

The practical guide of Buddhist practices taught by the Buddha to eliminate desire, end suffering, and attain nirvana.

Nirvana

In Buddhism, a state of blissful escape from suffering as well as the attainment of true understanding.

Chandragupta Maurya

The ruler who gained control of northern territory and established his imperial capital at Pataliputra along the Ganges River.

Ashoka

A Mauryan emperor who began his reign in 268 BCE through brutal conquest, later felt remorse for his violence, and converted to Buddhism.

Chakravartin

In Buddhist thought, an ideal ruler who remains a householder rather than becoming a monk while actively promoting Buddhism.

Ceremonial state leader

A leader who holds the highest official title in a realm but possesses little to no direct power over legislation or daily administration.

Monsoon

A large-scale seasonal shift in prevailing wind direction that produces dramatic variations in regional precipitation.

Periplus

A Greek term meaning "around the world"; a navigational guide written for merchants detailing trade ports, distances, and commercial goods.

Cultural diffusion

The transmission and spread of ideas, beliefs, and practices from one culture to another.

Stupa

A dome-shaped Buddhist monument or shrine.