8 Physical Features of India

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8 Physical Features of India

1. Brahmaputra River
2. Ganges River
3. Indus River
4. Deccan Plateau
5. Ghats (East and West)
6. Himalaya Mountains
7. Hindu Kush Mountains
8. Thar Desert

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Brahmaputra River

• Begins in Himalayas
• Monsoons cause it to flood every summer
• Sediment from the mountains provides rich soil
  for farming
• Ends in the Ganges River
• Description
• The Brahmaputra River begins in the Himalayas. It
  joins the Ganges on the plains and makes the land
  on the plains fertile.

3
Ganges River

• Begins in Himalayas
• Flows across most of northern India
• Sediment from the mountains into the Ganges
  provides the richest soil in the world
• Ends in the Bay of Bengal (then the Indian Ocean)
• Description
• The Ganges River begins in the Himalayas. It
  leaves sediment on the northern plains, making
  that area fertile.

4
Indus River

• Begins in Himalayas
• Snow melt from the Hindu Kush also adds to this
  river
• Sediment from the mountains provides rich soil
  for farming
• Ends in the Arabian Sea (then the Indian Ocean)
• Description
• The Indus River begins in the Himalayas and
  empties into the Arabian Sea. It deposits
  sediment in the Indus River valley. It is also a
  source of water for farming.

5
Deccan Plateau

• Fairly dry with thin forest
• Water provided by summer monsoon
• This provides rich soil for farming
• Has black, yellow, and red soil. Black soil is
  good for growing crops, yellow and red are
  missing nutrients
• Description
• The Deccan Plateau is a flat area between two
  mountain ranges in southern India. The plateau is
  fairly dry, but is watered by monsoons. Some of
  the land is fertile.

6
Western and Eastern Ghats

• Chain of mountains along Indias coast
• Defined by steep slopes and narrow valleys
• Thick forest and plenty of rain
• Rivers flow through the ghats, but are not safe
  to travel
• Description
• The Eastern and Western Ghats are long mountain
  ranges near Indias coasts. The Western Ghats are
  high and very wet while the Eastern Ghats are
  lower and not so wet.

7
Himalaya Mountains

• Contains the worlds tallest mountain- Everest
  (5.5 miles high)
• Provides a natural border from the rest of Asia
• The glaciers of the Himalayas feed Indias main
  rivers
• Fierce storms, earthquakes, and landslides occur
  each year
• Description
• The Himalayas are the highest mountain range in
  the world. The highest peaks are always covered
  in snow.

8
Hindu Kush Mountains

• Natural Border between India and Afghanistan
• Much of Hindu Kush is uninhabited
• There is only one way through the Hindu Kush
  Khyber Pass
• Description
• The Hindu Kush are high mountains that form a
  barrier between India and Afghanistan. The Khyber
  Pass through these mountains connects central
  Asia to India.

9
Thar Desert

• Mostly sand and stone
• Temperatures can reach 120 degrees
• Occasionally, a monsoon will provide some water
• Though humans do not live there, a variety of
  animals do. (45 kinds of reptiles, birds,
  gazelles)
• Description
• The Thar Desert is a hot area of sand and stones
  with
• little water. It is a home for lizards, snakes,
  gazelles, and
• birds.

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India Map
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Yesterday we talked about the physical features
of India

1. Brahmaputra River
2. Ganges River
3. Indus River
4. Deccan Plateau
5. Ghats (East and West)
6. Himalaya Mountains
7. Hindu Kush Mountains
8. Thar Desert

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Today- The Early Days of India

• First known civilizations appear in the Indus
  River valley
• The ruins of one of these cities still stands
  today- Mohenjodaro

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Mohenjodaro 2700 1900 BCE

• Name means place of the dead
• City consisted of two parts

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Mohenjodaro
Lower Part houses, workshops,
stores, etc.
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Mohenjodaro What was
uncovered?

• A grainary in the citadel included weights and
  scales
• The Great Bath- 39ft long, 8 ft deep
• Sewer System- open canals that dumped into the
  Indus River

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Daily Life

• Row houses 2 stories high with a flat roof, made
  of mud bricks
• Front of houses opened to narrow alleys
• Back of houses opened to common areas where
  families could gather
• Second floor windows had screens of terra-cotta
  or alabaster

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Items Found

• Statue
• Archeologists are not sure what to
• think of this statue. What do you think?

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Items Found

• Beaded Jewelery
• Over 400 Seals?
• Games that include dice, a mancala type game,
  and others

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Ancient Indian Society

• How society was structured and the way in which
  people live was largely dependent upon their
  religion

Hinduism
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Hinduism- Indias first major religion

• Their religious text Ramayana
• Instructs people to follow dharma and tells of
  the Rama
• Dharma
• Every person must perform their duty and live as
  they should (law, obligation, duty)
• Rama
• Is depicted as a loyal son, loving husband, and
  responsible ruler

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Hinduism

• A collection of texts called the Vedas are also
  important
• Vedas is the Sanskrit word for knowledge
• Contains hymns, prayers, teachings
• Brahmins priests and scholars in charge of
  interpreting Vedas and performing rituals
  correctly

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The Caste System

• Pick a number 1 100

Numbers 10 50 Shudra Numbers 51 80
Vaishyas Numbers 81 85 Kshatriyas Numbers 86
100 Brahmin
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Hinduism
Brahmin
Kshatriyas
Vaishyas
Shudras
Priests
Rulers and Warriors
Herders and Merchants
Servants
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What about 1 9 ?

• Later came the untouchables. If you picked a
  number between 1 and 9 this is you.
• Untouchables had unclean jobs collect garbage,
  clean sewer, etc.
• They had to live in a separate village and could
  not attend school or temple

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Can I improve my status in society?
NO
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Gods of Hinduism

• Ancient Times the most powerful god was Indra
  (god of thunder)
• Modern three important gods
• Brahma creator
• Vishnu preserver
• Shiva destroyer

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Brahma

• Always creating
• New plants, animals, people
• Out of his four heads came the four Vedas

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Vishnu

• Preserving life as long as possible
• Two front arms for his work in the physical world
• Two arms in back for work in the spiritual world

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Shiva

• Destroyer and transfomer of life
• Destroys desires, animals, plants, etc.
• The opposite of Brahma

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Central Beliefs of Hinduism

• Samsara (a wheel) your life is a constant
  cycle of life, death, rebirth
• If you get out of the cycle your soul may join
  Brahma

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Central Beliefs of Hinduism

• How to get out of the cycle
• Karma you are reborn according to the way you
  lived your previous life. If you lived a good
  life you would move up in the cycle. If you
  lived a bad life, you moved down.

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Question?
What is your opinion of the Caste System in
India? Back up your opinion with at least 2
reasons why you feel that way.
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Yesterday we talked about

• The Caste System
• Hinduism

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From 2700 600 BCE

• This is how India lived for over 2000 years
• Then an awakened one changed everything

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Religion Transforming in India
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BUDDHISM
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Prince Siddhartha Gautama

• Born in 563 BCE in Northern India
• Was the son of King Suddhodana and Queen Maya
• King and Queen had different expectations for
  their son

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Prince Siddhartha Gautama

• Before the prince was born, Queen Maya had a
  dream
• She was carried over the Himalayas to a silver
  mountain and placed on a silver couch

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Prince Siddhartha Gautama

• A white elephant with six tusks walked around her
  and struck her side
• The Queen asked the Brahmins what this meant.
• She was told that her son would have two possible
  paths in his life.

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The Two Paths

• Mightiest ruler in the universe
• or
• Achieve enlightenment

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Prince Siddhartha Gautama

• King Suddhodana wanted the prince to be the
  powerful ruler
• To be sure this would happen, the king kept the
  prince inside the palace and gave him all of the
  finest things. This would make the prince be
  used to the finer things and want to continue to
  have them

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Prince Siddhartha Gautama

• The prince was always curious about what was
  beyond the palace walls
• At age 16 the prince got married
• For 12 years, he and his wife continued living
  the high life in the palace.
• At age 29, they had a son.

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Prince Siddhartha Gautama

• Once he became a father, the king thought he was
  ready to see the outside world.
• The king began releasing the prince to go on
  trips to handle some of the royal business
• While on these trips, the princes eyes were
  opened.

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Trip 1

• The prince sees a withered, old man walking with
  a cane and learns that age weakens the body

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Trip 2

• The prince sees a man crying out in pain and
  learns what sickness can do to a body

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Trip 3

• The prince sees a man completely wrapped in a
  white cloth and learns that the body dies
  eventually
• The prince begins to think about these 3 images
  he has seen.

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Trip 4

• The prince meets an ascetic and describes him as
  a calm man glowing with inner peace

p.156 Last P
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Prince Siddhartha

• The prince decides to renounce his royalty and
  become an ascetic himself.

16.5
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Prince Siddhartha

• On his 35th birthday, while meditating under a
  tree, the prince receives enlightenment.
• The prince now becomes known as Buddha, which
  means enlightened one

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Buddha

• Lays down the 4 Noble Truths that lead to
  spiritual nirvana
• The Noble Truths
• Suffering Will Happen
• Suffering Is Caused By Desires And Wants
• Giving Up Desires and Wants Ends Suffering
• Give Up Desires and Wants By Following The 8
  Fold Path

p.159
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The 8 Fold Path

• 1

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Question?
How did Prince Siddhartha become the Buddha?
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Yesterday

• Reviewed Vedic Caste System
• Rise of Buddhism

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Today

• Indias Gets Unified

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Unifiers Where Weve Been

• Mesopotamia Sargon of Akkad
• Israel David
• Egypt Menes
• India ?????

Ashoka
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322 BCE

• Hinduism and Buddhism still an active part of
  peoples lives, but aside from religion, there is
  something else going on.

• Populations in northern India begin to get so
  large that they end up competing over the same
  resources
• After many years of fighting each other, the
  northern kingdoms are getting weak
• One kingdom the Maurya family makes their
  move

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The Maurya Family

• The leader of this kingdom is Chandragupta Maurya
• He saw the northern kingdoms getting weak from
  fighting each other
• He assembles the strongest army India has ever
  seen 700,000 soldiers and 9,000 war elephants

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Mauryan Empire

• Chandragupta took over all of northern India
• In 269, he becomes an ascetic and hands the
  empire over to his grandson Ashoka
• Ashoka conquers the rest of India

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Mauryan Empire
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King Ashoka

• While looking over his victory in the last
  battle, Ashoka stared at all of the dead fathers,
  husbands, sons, cousins, etc.
• He had seen enough death and decides to give up
  violence to follow Buddhism

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King Ashoka

• Ashoka made four edicts that his empire would be
  focused on

• Spread Buddhism
• Health of the People
• Maintain Justice
• Keep Empire Secure

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Spread Buddhism

• Connected all parts of the empire with the Royal
  Road (1,000 miles long)
• Had Stupas built all over India to spread Buddhism

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Health of His People

• Ashoka made sure that each town in his empire had
  enough clean water, food and shelter for its
  people.
• However, despite his Buddhist beliefs, Ashoka
  still allowed slavery in his empire.

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Justice

• Ashoka was determined to have fair laws and
  described, in great detail, how people were to be
  treated in court and in jail.
• However, despite his Buddhist beliefs, Ashoka
  still allowed people to be executed.

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Security

• Ashoka maintained a strong army to at least make
  people think twice about trying to take over.
• He kept a large number of soldiers and war
  elephants

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Fall of the Mauryan Empire

• Fell in 187 BCE
• India broke back up into separate kingdoms
• For the next 500 years, they would fight each
  other
• In 320 CE, another family would rise up to unite
  India once more

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Gupta Empire 320 CE 550 CE

• Began in northern India like the Mauryans
• They learned a lot from the Mauryans and have
  many similarities
• Created a time of peace in India. Arts and
  sciences were encouraged

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Gupta Empire

• The Empire began under Chandragupta I
• Conquered northern kingdoms and created alliances
  by arranged marriages
• Samudragupta took over the Indus River Valley and
  the Eastern Ghat
• Chandragupta II extended the empire even farther

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Gupta Empire Indias Golden Age
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Aspects of Society Stable Food

• The Gupta Empire still enjoyed the benefits of
  Indias three rivers

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Aspects of Society Political System

• King with a council of advisors
• Empire split into provinces ruled by governors
• Local areas have significant independence to
  operate as they please

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Aspects of Society Culture

• Built universities and monasteries
• Sculptures made millions of statues of Buddha

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Aspects of Society Culture

• Paintings on papyrus or murals on walls

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Aspects of Society Culture

• Big advances in math.
• They had a base ten number system with numbers
  1-9
• They had place values that included a 0
• Were the first to use decimals

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Aspects of Society Technology

• Gold and Copper Coins with rulers picture
• Iron pillars that are still in perfect condition
  after 1,600 years

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Aspects of Society Technology

• Architecture beautiful temples
• Roads Karakoram Highway goes from the eastern
  border (Pakistan) all the way across India into
  China

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Aspects of Society Written Language

• Palm Leaf Books
• Sanskrit writing including illustrations
• Puranas (Hindu legends)
• Mahabharata (100 year poem)