Topic 4, Lesson 1 Indus Valley Civilization

Geography

• Subcontinent (large landmass set apart from rest of the continent)

• River system (main river and all the other rivers and streams that drain into it)

  • Indus & Saraswati Rivers - NW India / location of India’s 1st civilization

  • Ganges - to the East - center of civilization after the Indus & Saraswati

• Monsoons (seasonal winds) bring rain in the summer, agriculture depended on it

Religion - No evidence of temples or religious activities

Achievements

• Cities well planned and organized - grid pattern with straight streets

• 1st citywide sewer system

• First to use cotton for cloth

Politics

• So well organized that it must have had a strong central government

• No evidence of royal statues or tombs - kings unlikely

• Citadel - fortified area - center of government, religion or maybe both

Economics of Indus River Valley Civilization

• Relied on agriculture - granary - special building to hold grain

• Rich in resources - trade by sea to Mesopotamia (stone/clay seals as evidence)

Society / Social Structure of Indus River Valley Civilization

• Much of what we know from archaeological sites like Mohenjo-Daro & Harappa

• Still unable to translate the markings of their language

• Eventually disappeared and the people moved east towards the Ganges

• Several different theories as to why those people disappeared

  • Diseases - due to mosquitoes drawn to standing flood water

  • Starvation - cattle overgrazed and crops couldn’t grow

  • Earthquake - changed course of river

  • Long term drought - climate change dried up the rivers

Topic 4, Lesson 2 India’s Vedic Age

Geography

• Might be India’s original inhabitants - no mention of migrating in the Vedas

• Or from Central Asia - migrated into India with their livestock, mixed with local people and local beliefs to create the Indo-Aryans

• Spread east across the Ganges plain - formed towns and cities

Religion & Achievements

• Indo-Aryans wrote 4 books known as the Vedas - each with 1000s of sacred hymns

• The Vedas were written in Sanskrit - a language of sacred literature that was ancestor to English and other modern languages in India

Politics

• Changed from Clans with chiefs to a republic to over a dozen kings

Economics of Indo-Aryan Civilization

• Started as herders with their livestock, then agriculture became important

Society / Social Structure of Indo-Aryan Civilization

• Much of what we know about the Indo-Aryans comes from the Vedas

• Society organized by castes - fixed social classes based on birth with specific rules of behavior

• Four varnas (groupings based on skill) - Brahmins (priests and teachers) represent a higher caste than even the rulers, those that work with their hands (Sudras) represent the bottom.

• jati - birth groups by occupation, each with their own rules & restrictions

• “Untouchables” - exist outside of the jatis - low social status / work impure

• Costs of caste system - limit individual freedoms, pattern of lives fixed at birth

• Benefits of caste - help India develop by stability, diff. groups w/diff. beliefs

• Castes in India today - law prohibiting discrimination based on caste

Many do not identify as a caste / jobs no longer depend on a caste

Topic 4, Lesson 3 Origins and Beliefs of Hinduism

-Main religion in India and widely practice in S. and SE Asia for thousands of years

-Hinduism based on word Hindu - name given to people of India by Persian traders

Early Hinduism

-Vedas - hymns to many Gods and Goddesses - later part of Hinduism

-Early Hinduism (Brahmanism) - based on rituals to Brahman given by the priests

Classical Hinduism

Gurus - religious teachers - thought and discussed religious ideas

Upanishads - writings of these teachers - connection between heavenly forces and

people’s lives - questions of life and death / right and wrong

With the Vedas, became Hindu holy scriptures.

Epic Poems - story of heroes told in verse / explain religious ideals & how to live

Ramayana - importance of dharma (righteous action)

Mahabharata - world’s longest poem - conflict between loyalty to family and duty

Bhagavad-Gita - considered by some as Hinduism’s most imp.text

Central Beliefs of Hinduism

1. Brahman - one supreme cosmic consciousness, spiritual force, or God

   1. All of the Gods that Indians worship are forms of Brahman

   2. Brahman is the source of all things

2. Every person is born with a soul - also a form of Brahman

Reincarnation - rebirth of a soul in new body

Karma - effect of a person’s actions in this and in previous life

Law of karma determines how a person is reincarnated

Bad karma will bring suffering in a next life, good will lead to a clearer path

Four Goals of Hinduism

1. Following dharma (a person’s duty or what is right) brings good karma

2. Living a good & successful life - earning a livelihood with dignity

3. Doing things that bring pleasure - like eating good food, taking a hot bath

4. Moksha - liberation from reincarnation, joining Brahman, the purpose of life

Four Paths to Moksha?

1. Way of Knowledge - true understanding of one’s soul and oneness with Brahman

2. Way of Works - religious rituals and duties to improve karma

3. Way of Devotion - worshiping / offerings to the Hindu Gods or Goddesses

4. Way of Meditation - mind can be disciplined with spiritual practices like yoga

What helped the growth of Hinduism?

1. Its flexibility - all gods as forms of a single, supreme God

People did not have to give up their old gods when they became Hindu

2. Did not require regular attendance at religious services

People can pray and make offerings when convenient - even shrines @home

3. Indian traders and priests carried Hinduism throughout SE Asia