Journey To India

Its history, culture, and other stuff

South Asia

The Region and its Geography

The Heart of South Asia The countries of South

Asia are: India Pakistan Bangladesh Nepal Bhutan Sri Lanka Maldives Myanmar

India, due to its size and population, is the heart of the region.

The “Sub”continent South Asia is a large triangular peninsula.

Mountains separate it from the countries in the north and it is surrounded by water on all sides. This isolation has allowed region to develop a

unique culture. Ex.--Hinduism is only major polytheistic religion.

Region is often referred to as the Indian subcontinent(large landmass that is smaller than a continent) because of the natural boundaries that cut off the region from the rest of Asia.

Major Physical Features—3, 2, 1 3 rivers—Brahmaputra, Indus, and Ganges

All begin in the Himalayas. All are densely populated due to the quality of the soil and

the long growing season. Important to religion as well.

2 mountains—Himalayas and Hindu Kush—form the subcontinent border to the north Mountains have provided protection from invasion and

also quality farmland. 1 desert—Thar Desert. South of the Hindu Kush;

provided another layer of protection from invaders.

India’s Geography

Most of India lies on a plateau, the Deccan Plateau.

Mountains border the plateau area in the center of India. Similar to the

Himalayas and Kush, the mountains have provided protection and good farmland.

The Summer Wind came blowin’ in

Monsoons(seasonal winds) dominate the region’s climate and precipitation.

There are 2 types: 1. Summer monsoons. Also known as the

Wet monsoons. Arrive in late May; end 8 months of little or no

rain. Come in off the sea. Vital to farming in the area. However, sometimes they bring too much rain

and cause severe flooding to the region

Monsoons continued

2nd type—Dry Monsoon. Arrive in October

from the mountains in the north.

Dries out the region until the next rainy season.

Mountains of the region determine the weather. Traps rain in area

during wet season Brings the dry

season winds Ex—areas just south

of Himalayas receive up to 425 inches of rain a year.

The People of South Asia South Asia is home to about 1.5 billion people,

about ¼ of the world’s population. India has over 1 billion alone. (1.17—2nd in world) Bangladesh(148 million/7th) and Pakistan (173

million/6th) are also in top 10 of world population. About ¾ of population are still farmers; however,

cities are growing rapidly, especially in India. All of world’s major religions are present but

Hinduism dominates.

Part 1—Early Civilizations and the Caste System

Early Civilizations

The first civilization to set up shop in India lived in the Indus River valley.

They were replaced by the Aryans Aryans were from Southern Europe. They gradually spread out across the northern

plains of India. Aryans had profound effect on region:

Helped to shape Hinduism Created the caste system

The Caste System The caste system was set up to give people a

place in society. You would be born into one of these classes

and you would remain in it for life. There are 5 classes:

1. Scholars, teachers, priest 2. Warriors/Soldiers 3. Landowners, Merchants, and Herders 4. Servants and Peasants 5. Untouchables

The Caste System

The caste system set up a strict social order. Each occupation had its own caste and your

future occupation was determined at birth. Caste rules governed everything from

cooking and eating habits to marriage and manners.

Despite its unfairness, the system created order and stability in India; the lowest castes accepted their place and rarely rebelled.

Hinduism and the caste system Hindus believe in reincarnation—your soul never dies

and is placed is reborn in another form after your body goes. Your soul will “recycle” until you meet the gods.

Your next life depends on karma—your deeds of this life affect your future life. For Hindus, this means that you are born into your

caste depending on the karma of your past life. Your past life and its deeds have resulted in your

present life; your next life’s position will result from this life. This belief encourages all Hindus to behave morally.

Life at the Bottom The lowest caste, the Untouchables, were

basically left out of society. Not allowed to worship in temples Could not go to school Forced to live in separate areas outside of

town. Untouchables were not given any rights until

India became independent in 1947. They are still subjected to discrimination and

bias.

Caste System and the Rise of Buddhism The highest caste became

very powerful as time wore on. They lived in a completely separate world from the other classes.

Siddhartha Gautama was a member of the highest caste.

One day, he went for a walk and saw how the rest of the world lived.

He realized that life was full of suffering.

According to legend, he left his wife and family and set out to find the cause of human misery.

After six years of searching, he discovered the cause of suffering—and its cure.

His beliefs spread quickly in part because he rejected the caste system.

The 4 Noble Truths

1. Suffering is universal. 2. Cause of suffering is desire 3. Only way to end suffering is to crush

desire. Strive to achieve nirvana—the condition of

wanting nothing. 4. To end desire, you must follow the Noble

Path (a guide to conduct)

Hinduism vs. Buddhism Neither are similar to the other major world religions.

Hinduism is polytheistic. Buddhism has no god. Both believe in reincarnation.

Both are centrally-located in Southern and Eastern Asia and nowhere else in the world. Although its roots are in India, Buddhism is almost non-

existent there. Hinduism is a tolerant religion and absorbed many of

the Buddhist ideas and, as a result, did not lose many converts.

Journey to India—part 2

History of the region

The Earliest Empires The Maurya Empire

First to unite the northern part of India.

Ruled for about 140 years.

Greatest leader—Asoka—ruled for 37 years. His impact:

1. Spread of Buddhism to East Asia

2. Conquered most of Indian subcontinent

The Mughal Empire A Muslim Empire Reigned from 1526

to 1800s. United most of the

South Asia area. The Taj Mahal was

built during this period.

European Contact

The Portuguese were the 1st Europeans to gain a foothold in India. Came in the 1500s during the Mughal reign. The Dutch, French, and British soon followed.

They all came as traders; set up a port on the coast and traded gold and silver for cotton, silk, tea, and textiles.

As the Mughal Empire weakened, Britain and France sought to take more power in the region. Britain ended up the victors.

British Rule England set up the EAST

INDIA COMPANY. Sole purpose was to secure

trade rights and secure English presence in India.

Company became powerful enough to basically form its own army and began to take territory in India.

They collected taxes, created laws, and set up a court system.

East India Company was basically a business running a country.

British government tried to limit the power of the EIC but London was too far away to effectively do it.

Indians did not like many of the laws that were passed, hated taxes, and resented the Christian missionaries that had arrived.

Sepoy Rebellion Began in 1857. Sepoys—Indian troops who served in the British army—had

been upset by: 1. A rumor that their new rifles were greased with beef

fat; and 2. They were expected to leave India to fight for

Britain in foreign lands. Fighting went on for a year. British were able to end the

fighting in June 1858. 1.Changed the relationship between Indian and British 2. India was forced to become a colony.

Effects of Colonization 1. Modernized the

country Improved roads, modern

ports, built railroads, and established telegraph systems.

Improved health care and sanitary conditions.

2. Destroyed the Indian economy and tied their well-being to Britain.

3. The British also began to educate the higher caste.

Their studies were “British based” but, in an unintended effect, the educated learned English(which united all Indians regardless of their native language) and Democratic principles.

4. The educated began to group together and form independence movements. Example—Indian

National Congress—formed to work for Indian independence.

Part 3--Gandhi

The Rise Of Gandhi He became the president of the Indian National

Congress in 1920. He was able to unite all of India for independence; he

took the struggle beyond the members of the middle-class Congress and was able to inspire the commoners, who had been left out of the movement to that point.

His appeal won support at all levels; he stressed India’s proud history, he presented himself as a devout Hindu, he dressed traditionally, he rejected parts of the caste system, and demanded better treatment of the lowest castes.

Gandhi’s Principles

Gandhi’s beliefs were rooted in both Hinduism and Christianity.

From Hinduism, he preached the respect for all living things and non-violence.

From Christianity, Gandhi admired the Christian teaching of love, even for your enemies.

Gandhi was even influenced by American author Henry David Thoreau; Thoreau had practiced civil disobedience.

Gandhi and Civil Disobedience

Civil disobedience is the refusal to obey unjust laws.

Examples—strikes, sit-ins, boycotts His goal was to make the world aware of the

British injustice by accepting punishment without striking back.

Gandhi’s approach would later influence Martin Luther King during his civil rights crusades.

The Salt March 1930. British had placed a high tax on salt; they had also

made it illegal for Indians to make their own salt. In protest, Gandhi led followers on a 200 mile march

from his home to the Indian coast. Once there, they broke the law and made salt from

the sea water. The British response was to arrest 50,000 Indians;

brought worldwide attention and support to the Indian independence cause. Also had British wondering if India was worth all the trouble of keeping.

Independence

As with Africa and Middle East, World War I and World War II weakened Britain; holding on to colonies became too difficult

At the outbreak of WWII, Gandhi organized the “Quit India” movement; India would not support Britain’s war efforts unless promised independence.

By 1945, Britain realized enough was enough. 1947—Britain’s parliament passed the Indian

Independence Act.

India’s Government

Similar to U.S., Indian government is a federal system in which power is divided between a central government and various state governments.

India’s government is a parliamentary democracy.

President with little power. Real power is held by political party that has the

most seats in Parliament.

MODERN INDIA/PROBLEMS WITH PAKISTAN

India—Part 4

Britain’s Independence Plan

For many years of the independence movement, Hindus and Muslims worked together.

– However, by the time independence came around, there were deep divisions. – Hindus were the majority, and were wealthy.

Independence Plan cont.

Muslims were poorer and seen as invaders (Mughals).

Gandhi worked to keep both sides united but failed. –riots and clashes broke out between the 2 sides in 1947. – Britain thought that if they left things as they were, a full-scale war would break out.

Britain’s Plan Britain decided that Pakistan needed to be

divided up. – Plan was to create 2 countries—a Muslim

Pakistan and a Hindu India.

Britian’s Plan cont. 2 major problems with Pakistan 1. Was created with a disputed region (Kashmir) in which

both India and Pakistan claimed as there own. 2. Pakistan was divided into 2 parts —East and West—

that were on either side of India and 1800 miles apart

The Aftermath—Immediate

Both new governments promised tolerance for the other religion but the level of distrust was too much to overcome.

– Violence soon broke out– Gandhi was killed. – A mass migration began. – Estimates range from 10 to 15 million people

– Hindus went south towards India; Muslims went north to Pakistan

– An estimated 1 million died during their journey. – Gandhi fell victim to the violence as he was

assassinated in January 1948.

The Aftermath—Long Term

India and Pakistan have had 4 armed conflicts. – 1947, 1964, 1971 and 1984

– The 1971 war resulted in the loss of East Pakistan(became Bangladesh)

The issue for the rest of the world is that both of these countries are nuclear powers.

Also, any type of damage to the Indian economy would severely hurt the world economy.

Major issue now is Pakistani-sponsored terrorists attacks in India.

Modern India

– India possess one of world’s fastest growing countries. – Also one of world’s largest populations—43 cities have over a million people(U.S. has 9) – Will surpass China as world’s largest country in population in 2025.

– Stands to become a major player in world affairs—2 biggest trading partners are U.S. and China—as long as there economy continues to perform and industrialize.