Ancient IndiaGrade 12 Social PresentationBy: Josh, Sunny, Aun, Knight

Geography

• India’s name came from the Indus River.• One of the oldest civilization• Is a huge triangular peninsula of South Asia surrounded by

China, the Himalayan Kingdoms, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

• Area of 3,185,019 sq. km makes it larger than Europe without USSR.

• Has 3 distinct landscapes: Hindustan in the North, Deccan Plateau in the Center, Tamil South includes coastal plain on both sides.

Geography

• It is the world’s 7th largest industrial nation, 2nd largest textile producer in the world, and the largest exporter of jewelry.

• New Delhi is the capital of India.• Most famous river in India is the Ganges River.• India has great variation in elevation, land forms, and

climate.• 23% is covered with forests and only 57% of the land is

arable, and agricultural productivity is poor due to social problems and uneven rainfall.

People

• Has a population of 800 million in India alone, South Asia has about ¼ of the world’s population.

• Indians represent a wide variety of races, religions and languages.

• Majority are of Aryan (Caucasian) origin; the rest are Mongoloid or Negroid.

• Dominant religion is Hinduism and the rest are Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Jainism, Christianity, and Parsee.

• There are 14 languages and 831 dialects.• Hindi is the official language of India.

Indian Civilization

• Indian Civilization began in the Indus Valley up north about 3000 BC.

• Ruins of the ancient cities are found in Mohendro-Daro and Harappa (Pakistan).

• Early dark-skinned people called the Dravidians built cities, temples, and art works.

• About 2000 BC, the fair-skinned Aryans invaded the Indus Valley. They spoke Sanskrit and founded small kingdoms in the fertile plains of North India.

• They gave India the Vedic Literature, Sanskrit Epics, Hinduism and the Caste System.

Vedic Literature

• The Vedic Literature reflects the life and culture of the ancient Aryans of India.

• Has 4 literary works:• 1. Vedas – composed of hymns, prayers, rituals, magic and

poetry. Earliest sacred books of Hindus.• 2. Brahmas – prose texts containing observations on

religious rites. Also include legends of the exploits of ancient kings and heroes.

• 3. Arakanyas – are books of instructions for the hermits in the forests. Contains elaborate rules for the performance of religious ceremonies.

• 4. Upanishads – also books of instructions given by a father to his son or the teacher to his pupil.

Sanskrit Epics

• The two great sanskrit epics of ancient India were:• 1. Mahabharata – the longest epic poem in the world and

contains lofty philosophical poem.• 2. Ramayana – is shorter than Mahabharata. It is about

the story of King Ramayana, the 7th reincarnation of god.

Hinduism

• Aryans also laid foundation of Hinduism.• Hinduism is the world’s oldest organized religion. • It began as nature worship (animism) as the Aryans prayed to

forces of nature for favors. It has 300 million gods and goddesses representing natural forces and personifies gods to suit human needs.

• The chief Hindu God is Brahma, the creator and world soul. Lesser gods are Vishnu (Preserver) and Shiva (Destroyer). Must win their favors by means of offerings, prayers, and rituals.

• They also believe in Karma (Destiny) and Reincarnation (Good Soul reborn after each into a higher status; a bad soul into a lower status or animal).

Caste System

• A system that divides people into classes.

• Began as a race prejudice of the Aryans against the

Dravidians.

Buddhism

• Started in the 6th Century.• Named after its founder, Gautama Buddha, Son of Rich

Rajah in Nepal.• Gautama Buddha left luxurious life because he was

unhappy of the lies that were being hidden from him so he left his family in search of the truth of which he then found enlightenment.

• His teachings were taught to the masses.• Like Confucius, Buddha only intended for his teachings to

be a code of life to improve human relations.• Aim was to reform Hinduism with its cruel division into

castes.

Buddhism

• Buddha taught all men the “Four Noble Truths”:• 1. Man’s life is filled with sufferings.• 2. Man’s sufferings is caused by his selfish desires.• 3. Man can end his suffering by conquering his selfish

desires.• 4. After ridding himself of his suffering, man attains the

state of Nirvana (Perfect Happiness).

Eight-Fold Path

• To attain the state of Nirvana, one must follow the eight-fold path.

1. Right Belief2. Right Aspiration3. Right Speech4. Right Conduct5. Right Livelihood6. Right Effort7. Right Remembrance8. Right Meditation

Persian Invasion of India

• At the end of 6th century BC, Darius I conquered the Aryan Kingdoms of the Indus Valley.

• Persians introduced Aramaic writing, purdah (practice of secluding women at home and women wearing a veil in the public), and Zoroastrianism, the religion of the Parsees in Bombay today, to the next empire of India, the Maurya Empire.

Greek Invasion of India

• In 326 BC, another invader appeared in northern India.• He was Alexander The Great of Macedonia.• Sadly left India in 324 BC because his troops were

frightened of the Indian armies, especially the war elephants. Alexander made a deep impression on Indian history.

• India was open to European trade and Alexander paved the way for Indian unity.

Maurya Empire ( 322-185 BCE)

• First Hindu Empire.• Founded by Chandragupta Maurya who rallied the Indians and

drove away the Greeks after Alexander died.• Covered the whole Indian Peninsula, except South India,• Chandragupta stepped down from the throne and become a monk.• Bindusara continued the policies by his father.• Asoka, his grandson became the greatest Maurya emperor.• He made Buddhism the state religion and sent missionaries to

other Asian countries.• Asoka built inns, orphanages and hospitals led an exemplary

life.• Asoka is regarded as the greatest ruler of Indian history.• Iron Age.

Gupta Empire (320-550BCE)

• Also known as the “Golden Age”.• Time of peace and prosperity.• Arts of painting and sculpture flourished.• Supported poets, and playwrights the most famous of which

Kalidasa, the foremost writer in sanskrit who is still admimred today.

• In the field of science, the astronomer, Aryabhata, proposed his theory that the earth circled the sun.

• Like Copernicus, he was not believed by his contemporaries. He also calculated the length of time it took for earth to revolve around the axis.

Fall of Gupta Empire

• On the 6th century, the Gupta Empire was already weak.• Central Gov’t was almost powerless while governors of

provinces became stronger until they became as powerful as king within their territory.

• New invaders called the “white huns”.• Huns massacred the population of many communities in the

northwest and burned down the cities.• Huns did not stay very long in India after massive slaughter

and destruction.• Huns could not bear the warm climate in India.

Islam and Mogul Empire

• Islam was brought to India by the Muslims from the Persian Gulf in 711 AD,

• Muslim Conquerors introduced Islam in the urban areas. They destroyed Hindu temples and persecuted the Brahmans.

• 2 new religions were introduced in the Indian subcontinent – Islam and Sikhism.

• Interaction between Islam and Hinduism also brought a new language (Hindustani) and literature.

• Akbar the Great is the founder of the Mogul Empire.• He is a political genius by adopting a policy of reconciliation

toward the Hindus.• He promoted arts and literature, encouraged industries and

trade and tolerated all religions.

India’s Contribution the Civilization

1. 4 great religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism.

2. Developed Philosophy ahead of the west.3. Yoga – discipline of the mind and the body by spiritual

training.4. Enriched world literature by giving mankind the first fable

(Panchatantra).5. Music, Art, and Architecture of India are perhaps better

known than any other forms of Oriental Culture ; Taj Mahal.

6. India invented the zero and numerals in mathematics.7. Numerals adopted by the Arabs and propagated in the west;

now known as “Arabic Numberals”.

End – Thank You