India After the Indus Valley
From Aryans to Guptas
Who Were the Aryans? 1500 BC
• Aryans - Indo European group that migrated
from the middle of Eurasia
– Passed thru Khyber Pass about 1500 BC
– What is the Khyber Pass?
Aryans
• Aryans come to India and find
people who are different from
them
– Aryans were light skinned and
spoke a different language and
had a different religion
– Non-Aryans they call dasas
which meant dark (due to their
skin color)
• Dasa would later come to
mean slave
• Differences will create
classes quickly
The Caste System is Born
• Aryans had 3 classes
– Brahmin (priests) – upper class
– Kshatriyas (warriors) – middle class
– Vaisyas – (farmers, craftspeople, traders) – lower class
Non- Aryans
• Eventually non-Aryans were a
class
– Called shudras – laborers, servants,
and farm workers
– They did the jobs Aryans did not
want to do
• Varna – related to skin colorbecomes
the basis of this system; the
classes were called varnas
– Later they would be called ‘castes’
• This starts the caste system
The Four Castes of India
Aryan/ Indian god
known as Brahma
Rituals & Religion of the Caste
• Aryans were polytheistic
– Believed in heroic nature
gods (ex. Thunder)
• Castes or classes gave
role in society
– People born into caste for
LIFE
– Determines your friends,
wife, job, etc.
– Only way to change caste
was through reincarnation
– couldn’t change your
status during your life
Rituals & Religion of the Caste
• Ritual purity a major part of religion
– Eating / cleaning habits keep soul clean
UNtouchables
Untouchables - people in
society who were seen as
less than any caste
– Jobs made them dirty and
‘untouchable’
– Grave diggers, butchers,
etc.
– If someone from another
caste touched these
people, they would
automatically be
reincarnated as an
Untouchable themselves!!!
The Spread of the Aryans
Start notes
Dominated the area of India
from 1500BCE to 500BCE
Aryans begin spreading
east & south
– Spread east to Ganges River
– Spread south into the rest of India
How do we know about this
spread?
• Mahabharata- epic poem that
told of stories of Aryan spread
– Tells of mixing between the
Aryans & non-Aryans
The Mauryan Empire Emerges
• The Mauryan Empire
– Takes power around 320 BCE
Who is the leader?
• Chaundragupta Maurya
What did he do that no one had ever done in India before?
– Unifies all of Northern India for 1 st time
How did the Mauryan Empire rule over such a large area?
– Creates a bureaucratic government
What is a bureaucracy?
– Divides up the decision making
process by a variety of officials
assigned or elected.
The Mauryan Empire Emerges
• Asoka takes over with the death of his father –
he is the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya.
Why is Asoka the greatest ruler?
– Brings India to its greatest heights
Ideas he embraced:
– Turns away from war; spreads
Buddhism
• Practiced religious tolerance - people
choose
• Hindu still the main religion
Other achievements:
– Built road systems, hospitals, etc.
Mauryan Empire and Asoka:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GHe9mR4Zoc
The Gupta Empire Emerges
• Founder: Chaundra Gupta
comes to power around 320 BCE
How does he differ from Ashoka?
Brings Indian culture to its new peak
Also brings Hindu religion to its peak
• Indian society is patriarchal
– Means eldest male rules the family
• Indian civilization prospers from
both trade and conquest
• Create incredible advancements
during this time period
Advantages of India’s geographical location?
• Unique locationPennisula
• Trade Religion,
language, ideas,
mathematical
advancements…
Gupta Empire Advancements
• Math
– Creates the concept of zero
• Medicine
– Book of over 1000 diseases diagnosed
– Surgeries performed, set bones
• Astronomy
– Proved the earth was round
• New Products
– Spices, gems, woods, traded silks
****Used the Silk Roads for trading****
• Literature
– Khalidasa- famous playwright and writer
Watch Gupta Empire:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5upeOZHzSyw