India: Empires and Pillars of Life

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India Empires and Pillars of Life

• Chapter 4.2-4.3

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Maurya Empire

• Rulers Duties maintain peace, enforce laws,
  resist invaders and encourage economic growth
• Northern India battleground
• Rich Ganges Valley
• 321 BCE Chandragupta Maurya created first Indian
  empire

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Chandragupta

• Capitol at Pataliputra
• Schools, libraries, palaces, temples
• 530 towers, 64 gates
• 1st gained power in Ganges Valley, then conquered
  India
• Roads, harbors and shipyards for trade
• Taxes, state-owned factories

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Justice

• Justice system
• Secret police reported on crime, corruption,
  dissent
• Specially trained women warriors guarded palace

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Asoka

• Most honored Mauryan emperor
• Fought to control Deccan region
• Over 100,000 dead
• Converted to Buddhism
• Rejected violence
• Vegetarian
• Missionaries spread Buddhism throughout Asia

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Asoka

• Preached tolerance for other religions
• Stone pillars announcing laws- edicts
• United diverse empire
• Built hospitals, shrines
• After his death, empire declined

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Deccan

• North
• Divided into many kingdoms
• Own capitol, own palaces
• Women high status
• Tamil kingdom sometimes ruled by queens
• Tolerated all religions
• Trade important
• Spices, textiles, luxuries to Rome

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Golden Guptas

• Most powerful kingdom
• 500 years after Maurya
• United India
• Strong central govt
• Ruled from 320-550 CE
• Golden age- period of achievement
• Power in local govt
• Trade and farming
• Wheat, rice, sugar cane
• Cotton, pottery, metalware

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Learning

• Religious schools
• Not limited to one religion
• Math, physics, languages, literature, other
  subjects
• Arabic numerals
• Concept of zero
• Decimal system based in 10
• Doctors
• Herbal remedies
• Setting bones, surgery, vaccinations for smallpox

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Architecture

• Stone temples
• Hindus and Buddhists
• Stupas- dome shaped shrine that house remains of
  Buddha or other important religious people
• Murals
• Carvings
• Literature- poems and plays

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Gupta in Time

• Reached height just as Roman Empire collapsed
• Declined under pressure
• Invaded by Huns
• Destroyed cities and trade
• India split into kingdoms again

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Caste System

• Created by Aryans
• Evolved with each kingdom
• Many castes by Gupta
• Close ties to Hindu beliefs
• Different castesdifferent species of being
• Complex rules
• Could not interact with members of different
  castes
• Untouchables- outside of caste system

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Effects

• Ensured stable social order
• Karma determined caste
• Hope for reincarnation into higher caste
• Sense of identity, independence
• Cooperation
• Peace and Harmony

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Family Life in India

• Ideal--Joint Family extended family in one home
• Achieved in rich, but not poor homes
• Patriarchal- made decisions about whole family
• Children learned family/caste rules
• Dowry- payment to groom for wedding

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Women

• High status from Aryan to Gupta times
• Changed over time
• Restricted to homes
• Cover whole self
• Shakti- creative energy that Men lack
• Helped to make husband complete
• Husbands duty was to channel that energy so that
  it couldnt become destructive

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Women

• Job marry, show devotion to husband, raise
  children
• Rebirth to higher caste accomplished through
  devotion to husband
• Widows forbidden to remarry
• Expected to join husband in his funeral fire
• Became a sati or virtuous woman
• Some women did this, others rejected it and were
  rejected