Classical+India

Classical India

//1.) PowerPoint of India Vs China Political// media type="custom" key="6988169"

//2. )Paragraph on Political: Classical China VS Classical India// In both classical china and classical India shows numerous of differences among religions, rulers, and philosophy values. The differences created different types of philosophy and religions, Regionalism in India, and Legalism/ Confucianism in China. Legalism/ Confucianism in China united China as one and created a strong central government. Regionalism has develop caste levels and a strong rule of rulers. Both religions has impact politics. India was ruled by religion and social classes, as a result no central government is in it. The religion in India didn't stress the importance of politics and priests were controlling the caste system. On the other hand, China was mostly about politics and philosophy because Confucianism effect on people's everyday life and emperor was consider as god. In order for China and India to approach things differently among each other, both must has different rulers/leaders. In China, rulers/leaders are more qualified and more power, which makes the central government to have more control. In India, rulers/leaders depend on Hindu to maintain power and allow defeated local rulers to maintain regional control, which makes India central government weak.

//3.) INDIA ESPIRIT CHART// // 7.) // y -Religion in India || -Mahabharata-> India’s greatest epic poem -Ramayana-> real and mythical battles settling agriculture society -Epic Age-> creation of Upanishads (epic poems) ||
 * Civilization/groups/nations: India **
 * Time Period: Gupta dynasty 1000BCE- 500CE **
 * E || * Trading/ manufacturing w/ other nations
 * Families-> economic ties-> arranged marriages
 * Best steel-> new uses of chemistry
 * Technology-> textiles~ manufacture cotton cloth, calico, and cashmere
 * Relied on agriculture ||
 * S || * Caste -> occupation (high-rankings-> warrior, government class, middle rankings-> farmers, artisan groups, and low ranking-> “untouchable” leather workers, butchers, etc….)
 * 5 social groups-> heredity through marriage/birth
 * Peasants-> lower contact w/ higher class
 * Castes-> divide to small groups-> “jati” (complex system)
 * Caste System-> lacks social mobility, moving up/down ward mobility among classes
 * Husbands/Fathers-> Strong
 * “wife worship her husband as god” -> Code Law
 * Loving relations/sexual pleasure-> family life
 * Live with extended family
 * Patriarchal society (male head of family, first male take over)
 * Adults care for elders
 * Arranged marriages for women
 * Family members-> work hard ||
 * P || * Rulers depended on power of the armies (fear of betrayal/attack)
 * Gupta-> pick by gods to rule & favored Hindu religion
 * Created taxation system
 * No bureaucracy -> never created
 * Defeated local rulers to maintain regional control
 * No single language-> promoted Sanskrit~ language of education
 * Spread uniform laws, university life, and supporting services
 * Tightly organized villages
 * Caste system ( caste rules -> interpreted by priests-> control many social relationships and work rules.)
 * 5 initial classes
 * I || * Invaded by Alexander the Great
 * Trade with neighboring nations (beyond silk road)
 * Contacts with other empires/kingdoms-> spreading culture (expanding trades) ||
 * R || * Help develop arts/sciences
 * Hinduism(religion)-> no single founder, no holy figure, encouraged political/economic goals
 * Buddhism (religion)-> no permanent stay in India, individuals regulating their lives toward goals, reincarnation ||
 * I || * Art/Architecture of Ajanta/ Ellora-> gave evidence of religious ferment shaping Indian life
 * Wall paintings, stone carved sculptures-> illustrate from Indian ships, style of dresses, musical instruments, weapons, farming tools, and construction
 * Sanskrit-> literary language written by Aryans
 * T || * India number system (Arabic)
 * Buddhism/Hinduism-> current religions
 * Hinduism-> mediation-> “yoga” meaning “union” ||

//4.) Key Terms Of Classical India//

-settled down to agriculture->encouraged tight levels of village organization->Indian characteristic society/politics -Village chiefs drawn from leadership-> organize village defenses/ regulate property relationships of families -warrior/governing class/Kshatriyas/priestly class/Brahmans -> Top of social pyramid-> following by Vaisyas, traders, farmers, Sudras, common leaders. -“untouchables”-> transporting bodies/hauling refuse. -> touching these people would put anyone from a superior class -Indra god of thunder/ god of strength. -5 initial classes subdivide into almost 300 jati (living) -possible to fall to lower class-> marry someone lower/taking on work that not in the class level. -mystics called “gurus”-> gather disciples. -forms of god -> Vishmu, the preserver/ Shiva, the destroyer à can be worship or placated as expressions -stress principle of reincarnation (souls do not die when bodies do but pass into others) ~ soul goes to higher-caste person if you are a good person or falls to an animal if you are a bad one
 * Aryans || * Indo- European
 * Agriculture
 * Use of iron tool
 * Develop Sanskrit
 * Settle during the Vedic Age from about 1500-1000 B.C.E.
 * Develop literary epics-> Epic Age (1000-600 B.C.E.)-> Mahabharata, Ramayana, Upanishads
 * Ideas, social, family forms-> increase influences
 * Social classes (varnas) -> partly make divisions familiar to agricultural societies
 * Brought India-> gods/goddess-> regulating natural forces/human qualities
 * Offer sacrifices/hymns-> gods ||
 * Ashoka || * Chandragupta’s grandson
 * 269-232 B.C.E.
 * Governor of two provinces
 * Enjoy lavish lifestyle (horseback riding/ feasting)
 * Engage in nature study/ influence by Brahmin religion & Buddhism
 * Extended Mauryan conquests-> gain control of southern tip of India ~bloodthirsty
 * Converting to Buddhism due to the belief of dharma/ continue honoring Hinduism
 * Improve trade/communication ||
 * Gupta || * Establish large empire after Kushan state (beginning 320 C.E.)
 * No individual rulers
 * Gave classical India-> political stability
 * Overturn in 535 C.E. by the Huns
 * Promoted Sanskrit
 * Spread uniform law codes ||
 * Caste system || * Begin to take place during the Vedic and Epic age
 * Establish relationships between Aryan conquerors/indigenous people
 * More complex after Epic Age
 * Define groups that a person can eat/marry
 * Hereditary-> strong-> impossible to rise above caste except born/marry higher class
 * Provided a way for India’s various races
 * Separation of people ||
 * Hinduism || * No single founder, no central holy figure
 * Encourage political and economic goals (called artha)/ worldly pleasures (called karma)
 * Hindus called their religion “dharma” or moral path
 * Also called Brahmanism as the ideas of gods became more sophisticated
 * Due to the Upanishads, Hinduism now had fixed ceremonies and rules of conduct and the religion seeking communion with the divine soul
 * Gurus and Brahman priest agreed upon certain doctrines: the basic holy essence is Brahma (formed part of the world);
 * Meditations and self-discipline of yoga (union) ~mind free to focus on divine spirit
 * Sacrifices or gifts to god bring them salvation or entry through reincarnation.
 * Encourage honorable action, legitimize government, caste system providing frameworks ||
 * Sanskirt || * First literary language of Aryans-> Vedas (books) meaning “knowledge”
 * Literary epics -> written down on this
 * Language of educated people ||
 * Upanishads || * Hindu philosophy or idea
 * Proposed that human gratifications/health are not the point of life but the deep understanding of the divine spirit
 * The idea that a divine force telling us that every individual’s soul is part of the whole universe
 * Advanced the idea of a mystical contact with divine essence
 * Attacked the conventional Brahman view: a set of proper ceremonies that would lead to good things in this life or rewards after death ||
 * Dharma || * Hinduism religion
 * Moral path
 * Stresses inner study and meditation~ from divine essence within creature, other than adherence to fix moral rules ||
 * Buddhism || * Siddhartha Gutama called Buddha, “enlightened one”
 * Accept spiritual truth behind Hindu beliefs, such as recantation, but not caste.
 * Rewards after life ~ Salvation
 * Individuals able to control their lives/aspirations
 * Self-control~”Let a man overcome anger by love, let him overcome evil by good, let him overcome the greedy by liberalness, the liar with the truth.”
 * Denied spiritual value due to caste system, performance of rituals, priests
 * Attract followers in India~ greatly increasing
 * Spread/retained coherence through examples, teachings of Monks, organized in monasteries
 * Holy life and earth
 * Spread to other nations ||
 * Tamils || * Southern Indians
 * Traded cotton, silks, dyes, drugs, gold, ivory~ earn great fortunes
 * From Middle East~ Roman Empire-> brought back pottery, wine, metals, some slaves, and above all gold
 * Southeast Asia trade-> more active
 * Spreading India’s culture to different places~ caravan trade develop in China
 * Seafaring people along the south coast~ active ||
 * Chandragupta Maurya || * Seized power along the Ganges River in 322 B.C.E
 * First Indian Ruler~ Mauryan dynasty
 * Follow examples of Alexander the Great
 * Maintain large armies
 * Developed bureaucracy
 * Government-> rely on ruler’s personal and military power
 * Designated rule to son-> religious ascetic-> die peacefully at old age ||
 * Gurus || * Mystics gather disciples around them
 * Communion with divine soul
 * Brahmans-> teaches Hinduism ||
 * Bhagavad Gita || * Classic sacred hymn
 * Warrior sent to do battle against own relatives
 * Hindu ethic explains devout Hindus could be aggressive merchants or eager warriors
 * Hindus refer Gita as a form of god
 * Contains over 700 verses. ||

//Summary Of India:// During the classical period of India, it remain as a religious nation and develop a weak central government. India wasn't like China that isolate themselves from other nations, instead they trade and manufacture with them. Also, it depends on mostly on agriculture life. Caste system was created in India, to separate the differences among classes. Peasants would usually have low contact with higher classes. India was a patriarchal society and elderly would get many respect. Arranging marriages existed and it was the law that the wife has to worship their husband as god. The government doesn't have any bureaucracy and the defeated local rulers continue to rule regional control, which makes it a weak. Later on two different religions begin in India and they are Buddhism and Hinduism. The two religions still continue to be worship nowadays.