Ancient India: The Setting

The Monsoons

Indus Civilization• First major civilization in South Asia was

along the Indus River (~2600 BCE)• Cities rivaled Sumer in Mesopotamia• Largest empire until rise of Persians

1,000 yrs. later• By 1900 BCE – Indus Civilization in

decline• Dravidians mostly

dispersed by time of Aryan migration into the sub-continent

Aryan Migration• People from Central Asia (Aryans) enter

subcontinent by 1500 BCE–Nomadic cattle and horse herders– Eventually mingled with native

populations, settled to farm

Aryan-Indian Religion & Society• what is known of Aryan religion comes

from books called the Vedas– Vedas recorded sacred chants passed

down from ~1500 to 500 B.C.E.

• Polytheistic – gods embodied natural forces

• Ranked social groups based on occupation– The caste system developed during the

Vedic Age

Hinduism– Henotheistic: • the worship of a particular god without

disbelieving in the existence of others• Supreme Divinity (Brahma) represented by

hundreds of gods and goddesses– Ultimate goal in life is to be released from

reincarnation (samsara); the release is called moksha

– Karma is the actions a person does that affect your fate• affects your path to moksha and how you

will be reincarnated in the next life– All Hindus have religious and moral duties

(dharma)

The Trimurti

Brahma – the Creator, Vishnu – the Preserver , Shiva – the Destroyer

Hinduism: Conclusion• Hinduism is inherently religiously

tolerant; other religions are simply viewed as alternative personal paths to God– “To claim salvation as the monopoly of any one

religion is like claiming that God can be found in this room but not in the next, in this attire but not another.”

– “How artistic, that there should be room for such variety—how rich the texture is, and how much more interesting that if the Almighty had decreed one antiseptically safe, exclusive, orthodox way. Although he is Unity, God finds, it seems his recreation in variety.”

• With 950 million adherents, Hinduism is the 3rd largest religion in the world; most all Hindus live in India

• Hinduism inspired other, related, religions (Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism)

The Caste System• Extremely rigid social

hierarchy• Determined all aspects

of a person’s life:– job– spouse– neighborhood– diet– who you could interact

with in public– expected behavior

• Cannot move up in a lifetime (only down if marrying down)

UNTOUCHABLESbutchers, waste collectors, leather tanners, cremation

rites