South Asian Culture

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South Asian Culture

• World Geography
• Cy Woods HS
• Spring 2012

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Hinduism

• Considered the oldest organized religion. It is
  about 5,000 years old.
• Originated in the Indus River Valley.
• There is no single founder.
• The third largest religion after Christianity and
  Islam.
• There are many religious texts including the
  Gitas and Vedas.

• No main leader so many different sects and
  doctrines (beliefs).
• Do not consider themselves polytheistic (belief
  in many gods).
• Most consider themselves henotheistic (devotion
  to one god while accepting others) or monistic
  (one god with many manifestations).
• Seen as an integral part of Indian culture.

Om -sacred sound
Swastika represents two forms of Brahma
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Hindu Basics

• 3rd largest religion in the world
• 837 million adherents
• 13 of the worlds population
• Practiced primarily in India and Nepal
• 80 of Indians practice Hinduism

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Diffusion of Hinduism
Since Hindus do not proselytize, the religion is
spread when Hindus move to other parts of the
world
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Concepts of god

• Most Hindu believe in a single god of the highest
  form. Hundreds of other gods are a part of
  Brahma.
• Brahman
• God is everywhere, is everything, and is beyond
  everything.
• god represents the very fabric of reality.
• People are thus part of Brahman as well.

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sacred animals
Hindus believe that all living beings have a soul.
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Dharma

• Generally translated as the law.
• Varies according to caste or class.
• Also seen in Buddhism and Sikhism.
• How one should live their life.
• Dharma determines karma

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Karma

• Cause and effect
• a fluttering butterflys wings causing a storm
  on the other side of the world
• Unbalance in karma will be worked out in the next
  life.
• Goodness begets goodness and evil begets evil.

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Moksha

• Release from the cycle of birth and rebirth.
• Realization of ones union with god.

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Bindi

• Help concentration and retain energy
• Protect against demons or bad luck
• Traditionally indicated that a woman was married
• Worn all over South and South East Asia
• Not only Hindus

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Ganges River

• Varanasi is considered by some to be the holiest
  site in Hinduism.
• On the banks of the Ganges R.
• Some believe they must bathe in it once in a
  lifetime
• Cleanse a persons soul from sins
• Heal the sick

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The caste system is a type of SOCIAL ORDER in
which a persons occupation and position in life
is determined by the circumstances of his/her
birth.
Traditional Caste System in South Asia
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Caste System
Showing the original caste levels in the
pyramid shape symbolizes status from highest to
lowest, but also represents the the portion of
the population fitting into each level.
Brahmans
Kshatriyas
Remember that this social order is not based on
how much you have
Vaisyas
Sudras
Largest of population
Untouchables are NOT a part of the caste system.
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Brahmans priests/ scholars
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Kshatriyas warriors
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Vaisyas farmers and merchants
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sudras
(artisans and laborers)
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Untouchables (dalits)
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Vaisyas Merchants farmers (most Woods
families here)
Sudras laborers
Comparisons in the West
Kshatriyas Military leaders and politicians.
Brahmins Religious leaders scholars
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Sikhism
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Sikhism

• Monotheistic religion started in the 15th century
  by Guru Nanak Dev in the Punjab region of India.
• Like Hinduism, most Sikhs live in India or where
  theyve migrated.
• 5th largest and one of the fastest growing
  religions in the world.

• Major beliefs are faith and justice. Follow the
  teachings of the ten gurus (enlightened leaders).
  Emphasize equality and against discrimination by
  caste, gender, and creed.

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Sikhism

• The Golden Temple, the holiest site in the Sikh
  faith, located in Amritsar.

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Sikhism

• Sikhs do not cut their hair, drink, smoke,
  participate in superstitions or rituals, or
  become obsessed with material possessions.

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Language

• There are 14 official languages with 24 spoken by
  more than 1 million people. There are countless
  dialects.
• The primary official language is Hindi.
• Because there are so many languages, the lingua
  franca (bridge language) is English. It is used
  in business, education and government.

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Bollywood

• The capital of the Hindi-language cinema based in
  Mumbai (formerly Bombay). More than 1,000 movies
  are made each year compared to around 500 for
  Hollywood.

Shahrukh Khan
Aishwarya Rai
Highest grossing Bollywood movie (70 M)
Hrithik Roshan
Kajol