Classical India

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Classical India

• 1500 BCE 300 CE

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South Asia Indian Subcontinent

• Large landmass-juts out from a continent
• 1 ½ million square miles
• Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri
  Lanka
• Less than 1/3 is arable (fertile)

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What are the three major zones of Indian
Subcontinent?

• Northern plain
• Deccan Plateau
• Coastal plains

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So What?

• This geographical diversity has made it very
  difficult for any political power to unify all of
  India for any great length of time

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The Monsoon
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So What?

• Region was dependent on the Monsoon rains for
  adequate moisture and on the wind for trade and
  travel
• Cultural diffusion and commercial activity map to
  monsoon patterns

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The Vedic Age Arya Migrations

• Indo-European warriors
• King- Patriarchal kinship groups
• Herded cattle
• Vedas
• Brought iron tools/ weapons
• Some moved to Ganges River Valley
• Settled, increased crop production, population
  increased
• Displaced darker-skinned Dravidian- Dasas- to
  south India

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What was the Vedic Age?1500 - 500 BCE

• Foundational religious text
• Prayers, hymns, other religious teachings
• Transmitted orally by priests
• Reveals violent

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Arya Society Varna

• First warriors, then priests had most prestige,
  power
• Aryas dominated Dasas ( Dravidians)
• Origins of Varna system-means color but
  equivalent to class
• Rationalized by belief in reincarnation

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Arya Society Varna/Jati

• Divided by occupation
• Brahmins priests
• Kshatriyas Warriors
• Vaisyas herders, farmers, artisans, merchants
• Sudras farm-workers, servants, laborers

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Caste System Varna/ Jati

• Class divisions were social economic not
  ethnic
• Developed into complex system multiple sub
  castes
• Born into caste
• Could not change

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Women Vedic Age

• Not much is known
• could study lore participate in rituals
• could own land
• married middle or late teens

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Arya Religion Brahmanism

• Polytheistic? Monotheistic?
• Pantheistic?
• Gods embodied natural forces
• Sacrifice, rituals/prayers
• Evolved into single power of brahman
• Mystics devoted their lives to spiritual
  truth-meditation, yoga, spiritual bodily
  discipline

Indra God of war thunder (atmospheric)
Agni God of Fire (terrestrial)
Varuna God of rain (celestrial)
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How Does One Achieve Moksha?

• Reincarnation (samsara)
• Dharma
• Karma

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How did Hinduism Change Develop?

• Brahman sometimes seen as having 3 personalities
• Brahma-creator
• Vishnu-protector
• Shiva-destroyer

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Hinduism Society

• Ideas of reincarnation karma strengthened the
  caste system
• Only men at top could achieve moksha
• Dominated every aspect of life
• Provided stability/order

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Challenges to the Old Order Jainism Buddhism

• Jainism
• Buddhism
• Both were reactions to the rigidity and monopoly
  of the Brahmins

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Challenges to Old Order Buddhism

• Siddhartha Gautama
• Buddha means Enlightened One
• Four Noble Truths
• Eight Fold Path

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Buddhism What are the Four Noble Truths?

• Four Noble Truths
• All life is suffering
• Suffering is caused by desire
• Suffering can end
• Solution is to follow the Eight Fold Path

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Buddhism What is the Eight Fold Path?
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Buddhism

• All are equal
• Moderation alleviate suffering
• Meditation nurtures wisdom
• Being content is good
• Denies existence of a soul
• Ultimate goal is Nirvana-salvation
• Everyone can reach enlightenment
• Bodhisattvas-beings who have achieved
  enlightenment but choose to return to the world
  to help others

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Wheel of Law

• Buddha turned the Wheel of Dharma
• metaphor for spiritual change
• The eight spokes symbolize Noble Eightfold Path
  set out by Buddha
• represents endless cycle of samsara-rebirth

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Buddhism Hinduism Similarity

• Much of Buddhist teaching reflected Hindu
  tradition
• Ordinary life is illusion
• Karma, rebirth, overcoming the demands of ego,
  meditation, release from cycle of rebirth
• Non-Violence
• More simplified accessible than Hinduism
• Reinforced patriarchal views of women

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Buddhism HinduismDifference

• Rejected religious authority
• Rejected rituals sacrifices as irrelevant
• Individuals take responsibility for spiritual
  development
• Egalitarian-rejected caste system
• Buddhism more accessible
• Buddhist nuns-more independence

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Areas of Influence
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Challenges to Old Order Jainism

• Founded by Mahavira (540-468 BCE)
• non-violence (ahisma)
• Many went naked, starved to death
• Less extreme members pursued commerce/banking

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What happened after Buddhas Death?

• Monasteries, nunneries
• Complex, hierarchical
• Worship of Buddha
• bodhisattvas
• Buddha art
• Mahayana- new beliefs
• Theravada-original teachings

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Evolution of Hinduism

• Pressure led to reform
• Sacrifice less important - personal devotion
  increased
• Vishnu Shiva, Devi became prominent
• Preserved Brahmin status and privilege

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How did Hinduism emerge as the dominant religion
of India?

• centered on temples/shrines
• Pilgrimage
• duties varied according to gender, social status,
  age
• Transformation so successful-Hinduism became
  dominant
• Hinduism appealed to common peoples need for
  personal deities
• Hinduism displaced Buddhism
• Theravada too austere
• Mahayana easily absorbed

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How did Mauryan Empire Rise to Power?

• Indus Civs declined around 1900 BCE
• By 600 BCE, almost 1000 years after Aryan
  migrations, many small kingdoms scattered
  throughout India
• In 326, BCE, Alexander the Great conquered region
  -left Macedonian general-Seluecus I-in control
• Chandragupta Maurya overthrew Seluecus-conquered
  all of north India

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How did Chandragupta govern the Empire?

• Relied on Katilya- his Brahmin advisor
• Arthashastra
• Tough policies
• Bureaucratic government
• 4 provinces ruled by prince-divided into
  districts
• Spying
• Assassination

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Mauryan Capital Pataliputra

• Walled, moated city
• Large army
• 25 tax on agricultural products
• State monopolies on mines, shipbuilding,
  armaments
• Very wealthy
• Gold covered pillars
• Fountains
• Thrones
• Parks
• Markets

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Who was Ashoka?

• Chandragupta Mauryas grandson
• Prince - then king
• Conquered Kalinga in brutal war
• Horrified!
• Rejected violence - converted to Buddhism
• Promoted Buddhist principles

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What were Ashokas Edicts?

• Create united empire
• Propaganda-spread common values
• Cave walls, rocks, tower pillars all
• Act morally-take responsibility for actions
• Fairness
• Humane treatment
• Nonviolence
• Religious toleration

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What Else Did Ashoka Do?

• Extensive roads
• Wells rest houses
• Sent out missionaries to spread Buddhism

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Mauryan Empire Decline

• Power vacuum after Ashokas death
• Many kingdoms with overlapping boundaries
• MIGRATION, CULTURAL DIFFUSION, TRADE
• New peoples, new languages, new ideas
• Syncretism-blending of cultures into new form

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What New Kingdoms Emerged?

• Satavahana dynasty in Deccan
• Central India experienced economic improvements,
  more religious authority urbanization
• Southern India-three Tamil kingdoms (Cholas,
  Pandyas, Cheras)
• period of great artistic achievement

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How did India survive the absence of a strong
central government?

• Artisans and Merchants played a dominant role
• Trade flourished
• Exports Pearls, jewels, pepper, spices, silks,
  ivory, ebony
• Importsmetals, coral
• More Roman coins found in India than Indian coins
  in Rome what can be inferred?
• New cities, coastal ports, banks

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What cultural changes emerged?

• Shift from reverence for Buddha to worship like a
  god
• Hinduism God worship became more personal-Vishnu
• Art Architecture blossomed
• Literature
• Law of Manu helped keep order
• Ramayana Mahabharata
• Bhagavad-Gita
• Ayurvedic Medicine
• Analysis of Sanskrit

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Gupta Empire

• Chandra Gupta reunited India after 500 years
• Expansion consolidation of empire
• Controlled iron deposits, established state
  monopolies, 25 agricultural tax
• Golden Age
• Theater State

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Golden Age of Gupta Empire Theater State

• Trade Arts Science Astronomy
• PEACE and PROSPERITY Mathematics

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Women During Gupta

• Women lost right to inherit, own property,
  participate in key rituals
• Treated like lowest varna (Shudra)
• Married young-
• Sati-widows on funeral pyre
• some joined religious community

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Gupta Religion

• dominated by Hinduism-Brahmins regained power,
  influence, wealth
• Religious toleration
• Development of classic form of Hindu temples w/
  exterior courtyard, inner shrine, wall decoration

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Gupta Collapse

• In 550 c.e., the Gupta empire collapsed under the
  financial burden of defense against the White
  Huns
• Harsha (r. 606647 c.e), whose kingdom is
  described by the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang,
  briefly reunited northern India. After Harsha,
  northern India again fell into political
  fragmentation.
• As India decentralized, it developed a feudal
  economic and social structure.

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Southeast Asia, 501025 c.e.

• Geography/ Resources
• Southeast Asia has three geographical zones (1)
  the Indochina mainland, (2) the Malay Peninsula,
  and (3) the islands. The area stands between
  China and India, and has been influenced by both
  civilizations.
• Natural resources include fertile agricultural
  lands, dependable monsoon rains, and several
  growing

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Early Civilization

• Early inhabitants practiced swidden (slash and
  burn) agriculture-domesticated rice, soybeans,
  sugar cane, chickens, pigs
• Received waves of migrations of Malay peoples
  from southern China
• Malay migrations continued into Pacific Islands
  into Indian Ocean.
• Early Malay groups in lived in small villages,
  manufactured bronze tools, and were organized in
  small political units.
• The first large states in Southeast Asia emerged
  in the early centuries c.e. in response to the
  position of Southeast Asia as a crossroads for
  trade and travel between India and China. Trade
  brought business it also brought Hindu/Buddhist
  culture.
• Southeast Asian kingdoms incorporated what they
  found useful from Indian models of bureaucracy
  and cultural beliefs.
• The first major state to appear in Southeast Asia
  was Funan (first through sixth centuries b.c.e.)
  in the Mekong delta area. Funan thrived due to
  its domination of the Isthmus of Kra. Funans
  decline in the sixth century may be related to
  the opening of new trade routes that bypassed
  Funan.

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The Srivijayan Kingdom

• Srivijaya was located on Sumatra and dominated
  the new southern trade route through the Strait
  of Malacca as well as other shipping routes
  through the area of modern Malaysia and
  Indonesia.
• The Srivijayan political system knit together
  four different ecological zones and their local
  rulers under the authority of the Srivijayan
  king.
• These four zones were (1) the core area along
  the Musi River, (2) the upland Sumatran interior,
  (3) river ports, and (4) the fertile rice lands
  of central Java
• The Srivijayan kings maintained their control
  over this complex system through a combination of
  military power, diplomacy, control of trade, and
  the techniques of the theater-state.
• Kings used the splendor of their capital to
  attract resources and labor. The temporal power
  of the kings was enhanced by popular belief in
  their magical powers. Kings were associated with
  forces of fertility. They also patronized
  Buddhist monasteries and schools.
• Indian culture exercised a powerful influence on
  Srivijayan concepts of kingship and government,
  while the Hindu and Buddhist religions became the
  dominant faiths of the region.
• Changes in trade routes led to the decline of
  Srivijaya in the eleventh century. The capital
  was destroyed in 1025 by the Chola kingdom.

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ConclusionA. Comparison of Sources

• The ancient history of India is derived more from
  religious artifacts religious writings than in
  other areas of the ancient world
• In contrast to written records left by
  Mesopotamians, Greeks, Romans, the Chinese,
  Indians belief in cyclical creation
  re-creation of the world left them with little
  use for keeping a written record of a brief
  moment in time

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Diversity Unity Within India

• Political and social division has been the norm
  throughout most of Indias history, in part from
  the topographical and environmental diversity of
  the subcontinent
• The ethnic and linguistic diversity of India was
  occasionally unified under strong central
  governments such as the Mauryan and Gupta kings,
  who came to dominance by gaining control of metal
  resources and trade routes. They used elaborate
  class and caste structures to organize their
  diverse populations
• Distinctive features of Indian civilization arose
  from the caste system and religious beliefs that
  originated in the northern river valleys from
  descendants of Indo-European immigrants. Hinduism
  drew elements of southern Dravidian cultures and
  Buddhism, and is less fixed than the practices of
  Judaism, Christianity, and Islam