Chapter 6 Early India Study Guide The Buddha – Siddhartha Gautama Gupta Empire – India’s golden age of learning and culture Hinduism – Grew from a mixture of Aryan beliefs and those of the Harappans, world’s 3rd largest religion Dharma – Meaning ‘divine law’, it directs Hindus to do the duty of their caste Himalaya – Highest mountains in the world Asoka – Greatest Buddhist king, rejected violence, embraced Buddhism Caste System – Determines a person’s job, social group, and marriage Buddhism – Religion that believes the way to stop suffering is to stop desire Reincarnation – The belief that people pass through many lives Sanskrit – Written language developed by the Aryans Indus River Valley – Site of India’s first settlements were here Brahma – A Hindu god, he is the creator of the world, also the people at the top of the Caste System Aryans – Invaded India from the north, used caste system to rule people Karma – The consequences of how a person lives his or her life Centralized Government – System where rulers run the government from a capital city Monsoon – A strong wind that blows one way in winter and another way in summer Ganges River and Indus River – India’s most important rivers Harappans – First civilization in the Indus River Valley Untouchables – The lowest people in Indian society Nirvana – A state of wisdom reached by giving up all desires Theocracy – A government controlled by religious leaders Silt – Material left behind after India’s rivers flooded Subcontinent – large landmass separate, and below a larger continent Mohenjo-­‐Daro – Largest Harappan city Grid System – Type of city plan where streets run at right angles, forming a grid Raja – Leader of Aryan tribe Eightfold Path – Buddhist system of steps to follow in order to eliminate suffering Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism – The two primary sects or denominations of Buddhism Chandragupta Maurya,-­‐ Indian prince, founded India’s first empire the Mauryan Dynasty Dynasty -­‐ series of rulers from the same family Stupa -­‐ Buddhist shrine shaped like a dome or mound Pilgrims -­‐ people who often used the trade routes to travel to a religious shrine or site. Mahabharata and Ramayana -­‐ two sacred texts that are still famous in India today Kalidasa -­‐ a writer who lived during the Gupta dynasty. Essay How did the monsoons affect the development of India’s first civilizations? Hinduism path to the Afterlife: Buddhism path to Enlightenment: