medieval india. medieval indian dynasties gupta era: 320-550 ce huna invasion: 455-528 ce kushan...
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Medieval India
Medieval Indian Dynasties
Gupta Era: 320-550 ceHuna Invasion: 455-528 ceKushan Era: 5th -7th c. ceHindu Dynasties: 3rd-15th c. ce
Rajputs: Western India 7th -12th c. ceMuslim Invasions: 7th-11th c. ceDelhi Sultanate: Northern India 12th-16th cMongols under Tamerlane sack Delhi 1398-99Vasco da Gama reaches India: 1498Mughal Empire:1526-1858
HinduismSanatana Dharma“The Everlasting
Way”
OMthat which hath no beginning or end
Hinduism:all-embracing structure of
thought
All creation linked in huge web of being
Transmigration of souls through various life forms
Proper behavior linked to purgation and renewal
Dharma: the duty of the believer
Monotheism
• God is Infinite. • The Infinite manifests in billions of ways. • Hinduism believes not only in One God, but also in His
Supreme Personality. • This personality is manifested in different forms
around us and within us perpetually. Therefore, the Infinite manifests in billions of ways to help mankind visualize the Divine Being.
• This belief of Hinduism is often confused with polytheism.
• That the Supreme can be worshipped in any form is a unique concept in Hinduism.
• Hinduism recognizes multiple forms of the one God.
Hindu Concept of Time
The transcendence of time is the aim of every Indian spiritual tradition.
Time is often presented as an eternal wheel that binds the soul to a mortal existence of ignorance and suffering.
"Release" from time's fateful wheel is termed moksha.
Hindus believe that the universe is without a beginning or an end .
The universe is projected in cycles. Each cycle is divided into four yugas
(ages of the world). Shiva dancing
BRAHMAN: Universal Power
ATMAN: Individual Manifestation of the
Universal SpiritBrahman is the indescribable, inexhaustible, omniscient, omnipresent, original, first, eternal and absolute principle who is without a beginning, without an end , who is hidden in all and who is the cause, source, material and effect of all creation known, unknown and yet to happen in the entire universe.
Major Hindu Manifestatio
ns BRAHMAN: divine source
of all being Brahma/Sarasvati, the
creator Vishnu/Lakshmi, the
preserver: benevolence, forgiveness, love
Shiva/Kali, the destroyer: disease, death, the dance
Ganesha, god of wisdom, writing, elephant-headed
BrahmaThe
CreatorHis 4 heads represent the four Yugas or cycles of time in Hinduism.
At the end of these cycles of time the Universe is ripe for destruction and must be created again.
The God Shiva will then destroy the universe so that it can be created again.
The Lord has in his four hands a water-pot (kamandalu), a manuscript (Vedas), a sacrificial implement (sruva) and a rosary (mala).
Vishnu the Preser
ver Protector of dharma
(righteousness) and the guardian of humanity.
His particular task is the conservation or preservation of the Divine Order in the world.
Vishnu has 10 avatars or incarnations. He assumes these and comes down to earth in order to help humanity.
Lord Vishnu lies on the universal waters with Goddess Lakshmi massaging His feet. From His navel sprouts a lotus flower on which Lord
Brahma is born.
Rama
and Sita
• Rama is the 7th avatar of Vishnu.
• Lord Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, is one of the most adored gods
• He is always holding a bow and arrow indicating his readiness to destroy evils.
• More commonly he is pictured with his wife Sita, his brother Lakshmana and his devotee Hanumana
Krishna
• Krishna is the 8th avatar of Vishnu. • The mythology around Krishna is the most colorful and the
richest in lyricism, adventure and in love in all its forms.• Krishna is central to the Mahabharata, the Sanskrit epic
that is eight times longer than the Iliad and the Odyssey put together.
• Krishna is a loyal ally of humans and always helps his friends. His worship is popular all over India and there are many sacred shines to him.
• In Hinduism there is a concept known as Bhakti. Bhakti is the emotional attachment and love of a devotee for his or her personal god. This is common in the worship of Krishna.
Krishna
Shiva the
Destroyer
Lord of the Dance
He performs the dance of
destruction so that the world can be
recreated.
Shiva is the acknowledgment that everything that comes
to birth comes ultimately to death and from death comes new
life.
He is cruel and yet tender, wrathful and
merciful, unpredictable and yet ever the same.
The Great Goddes
sParvati and Uma are the benign aspects of the goddess; the destroyer goddesses Kali and Durga are in turn all aspects of the Devi, or the Great Goddess.
Kali is the negative aspect of the Goddess and symbolizes death. In this form she is sometimes considered the presiding deity of famine and disease.
Kali
Durga
Hindu Dynasties3rd-15th c.
Confused political scene especially in SouthWarlike clans in Rajasthan: RajputsPallave dynasty dominates the south warring with
Cholas, Cheras, PandyasChristianity and Zorastrianism introduced into
India Turkish raids 1000-1206Decline and disappearance of Buddhism in India
around 13th c.
Rajputs
Rajputs
Princely members of the Kashitrya “warrior” caste
Ruled northern and western India 7th-12th c. in local kingdoms, often at rivalry with each other
Champions of dharma and devotees of Siva and Durga
Predominantly Hindu, but tolerated all worship within their realms
Prolific fort and palace-builders
Kumbhalgarh fort built by Maharana Kumbha.
Kumbhalgarh fort : Perimeter wall is 20 miles long. Six horses could ride abreast on the fort ramparts.
Vijay Sthamb (Victory Tower) built byMaharana Kumbha
Udai Palace at Udaipur (city founded by Maharana Udai Singh).
Khajuraho
The temples at Khajuraho were built during the Chandella dynasty, which reached its apogee between 950 and 1050.
Only about 20 temples remain; they fall into three distinct groups and belong to two different religions – Hinduism and Jainism.
They strike a perfect balance between architecture and sculpture.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Kandariya Mahdeo in Khajuraho
Hindu Religious Literature:The Puranas
18 religious books preserving Hindu myths and legends contain 5 major subjectsSarga: the creation of the universe.Pratisarga: secondary creations, mostly recreations
after dissolution.Vamśa: genealogy of the gods and sages.Manvañtara: the creation of the human race and the
first human beings. Vamśānucaritam: the histories of the patriarchs of the
lunar and solar dynasties.
Hindu Religious Literature:
Epic Poetry The Gita Govinda is a work
composed by the 12th-century poet, Jayadeva.
It describes the relationship between Krishna and the gopis (female cow herders) particularly one gopi named Radha.
Important the development of the bhakti traditions
Gita Govinda manuscript c. 1550.
Hindu Religious Literature:
Bhakti PoetryBhakti: mystical devotion to godLyric poetry spoken and sung by poet-saintsTamil hymns (6th-9th c) – earliest bhakti poetry –
focused on Shiva and VishnuTradition of bhakti poetry spread throughout
India and its 16 major languagesPopular and populist: poets came from all castes,
including untouchables and womenBelief that mysticism was the highest path to
release from karmaHighly personal and individual: a form of
spiritual autobiography
Mahadeviyakka12th c
Princess who left her royal husband
Wandered naked through countryside – total devotion to Siva meant giving up conventional coverings society required for females
350 poems express her passionate thoughts on God, love and the world
Mahadeviyakka
12th c
You can confiscatemoney in hand;can you confiscatethe body’s glory?
Or peel away every stripyou wear,but can you peelthe Nothing, the Nakednessthat covers and veils?
To the shameless girlwearing the White Jasmine’s Lord’slight of morning,you fool,where’s the need for cover and jewel?
Muslim Incursions
711 -- Arabs take Sind 11th c. -- Invasions of Muslims from Central Asia
led to political dominance of Muslims in N. India and introduction of Persian culture and Islam into South Asia
Development of Sufism
Delhi Sultanate 1192-1526: Turko-Afghan chieftains establish
sultanate at Delhi and dominate N. India Multiple Muslim dynasties rule Northern India
from the 13th-16th centuries. The Sultans based their laws on the Qur'an and
the sharia and permitted non-Muslim subjects to practice their religion if they paid jizya or head tax.
Temporarily successful in insulating the subcontinent from the potential devastation of the Mongol invasion in the 13th century.
"Indo-Muslim" fusion left lasting monuments in architecture, music, literature, and religion.
Delhi Sultanate13th-16th c.
TimurLang (Tamerlane) sacks Delhi 1398-99 Mongol ruler who
attempted to reclaim Genghis Khan’s empire
Attacked India and conquered Delhi after slaughtering 100,000 captives
Vasco da Gama reaches India 1498
Opened the Indian or Cape Route for regular sailings between East and West
Expansion and consolidation of Portugese empire and trade, dissemination of Portugese culture and Christianity
Portugese settlements in Goa and Cochin
1524: Da Gama named Portugese viceroy in India by King John III.
Moghul Empire(Islamic)
1526-1858 Unification of N. India and parts of S. India under its
rule Amalgam of Persian and Indian culture created in
courts and territories Establishment of trading outposts in India by
Europeans:1609: Dutch1612: English1674: French
Moghul Dynasty I
(1526-56) Founded by Babur 2nd Classical Age
of North India Delhi flourishes as
Imperial Capital Amalgamation of
Turko-Iranian culture
Moghul Dynasty II
(1556-1627) Akbar consolidates and
builds strong empire Akbar commissions
illustrated Persian translations of Sanskrit epics, The Ramayana and Mahabharata
Jahangir succeeds his father
1600: Elizabeth I of England gives charter for trade to East India Company
King Akbar
The Red Fort
Agra’s magnificent monument, the Red Fort, was begun by Akbar in the 16th c. and embellished by Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th c.
Taj Mahal, Agra, 1630-48. Mausoleum built by Shah Jahan for hisWife, Mumtaz Mahal
Sources “Rajput”:
http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/ “Khajuraho”:
http://www.shunya.net/Pictures/NorthIndia/Khajuraho/Khajuraho.htm
“The Mughals”: http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/MUGHAL/ORIGIN.HTM