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Southern Miss HIS 101H - India's Golden Age

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HIS 101H 1nd Edition Lecture10Outline of Last Lecture I. Continued of lecture 8Outline of Current Lecture II. Creation of India III. BuddhismIV. EmpiresCurrent LectureI. India’s Golden ageA. General Chronology • ca. 1000-500 BC—Vedic Period• ca. 700-327 BC—Gangetic Kingdoms• ca. 542-483 BC—Lifetime of Buddha• 327-325 BC—Alexander’s Invasions• 322-185—Mauryan Empire• ca 100 BC-200 AD—Kushan Empire (NW)• 319-540 AD—Gupta EmpireB. Basic Trends • Geographic shift of populace• Rise of Brahmans who were briefly challenged by Buddhists• Mauryans, Kushans, & Guptas create early empires• Emergence & solidification of caste systemC. Late Aryan Period• Created small “hill republics” of semi-independent warriors bands • Gradually coalesced into patchwork of rival kingdoms• Warriors vied with Brahmans for influence• Brahman power tied to admin. Skills, literacy, divinatory powers & ritual knowledgeD. Creation of new culture• Patrilineal culture of Aryans in North merged with matrilineal culture of southern India &may have given rise to caste system• Northern India more Aryan than Southern (Dravidian) culture (Langs. are diff. too)These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.• Traditional Indian culture is essentially a combination of the two & evolved in Vedic timesE. The Vedas• Inscribed ca. 1500-600 BC• Originally written in Sanskrit• Oldest religious texts still used in worship• Last of them, The Upanishads, deal with nature of universe & humanity’s place as well asnotions of good, evil, law, & duty• But Hinduism’s main ethical text is the Bhagavad Gita, a much later workF. Ancient Texts• Texts like Ramayana, & Mahabharata, provide insights into values, beliefs and social norms & expectations• Bhagavad Gita is “divine song” of Mahabharata, a tale of a war between cousins and their families• It stresses order & stability through hierarchy, not individual rebirth as seen in UpanishadsG. The cast system• 4 Major Varnas, or orders:• 1. Brahmans• 2. Warriors• 3. Merchants• 4. Peasants & Artisans• Outcastes• Tied to cleanliness• Jat are occupational subgroups within castesH. Functions of caste• Maintain social control, hierarchy, & order• Tied into religious notions of purity, sin, and reincarnation• Dharma=life path/station• Karma=fruits of one’s past actions• Theoretically no inter-mingling • Only 3 highest castes could even read VedasI. Buddhism • Originated with historical figure, an earthly prince known as Siddartha Gautama• Sheltered until he was thirty, he suddenly was exposed to suffering and wandered India, looking for answers• They finally came to him as he meditated under the bodhi tree• He awakened an enlightened manJ. The four noble truths• Life is suffering• Suffering is caused by desire• To end suffering, you must stop desire• One stops desire by following the Noble 8-fold Path • Ultimate goal is to achieve nirvana, the end of rebirth in this dusty world of sufferingK. Spread of Buddhism • Became a formal religion after founder’s death• Early sermons become the first sutras• Teachings later became popularized and watered down for the masses, seeing the creation of Mahayana, the Greater Vehicle• Appealing because it mounted challenge to Brahman dominance & Caste SystemL. Rise of Mauryan Dynasty• Emerged in aftermath of Alexander’s invasion• Founded by General Chandragupta Maurya (r. 322-298 BC)• Centered on Ganges Plain with fantastic capital located at PatiliputraM. Chandragupta’s Achievements• Created lasting and important empire renowned for trade, culture, & scientific achievements• Philosophy of governance found in Kautilya’s Arthashastra, a text often compared to Sunzi & Machiavelli N. High Point of Mauryans• Chandragupta succeeded by Bindusara (r. 297-269 BC) & Ashoka (r. 268-232 BC)• Ashoka was arguably classical India’s greatest ruler• Great builder of monuments & Buddhist convert (See workbook)• So Buddhism flourished & spread (Stupas)• But he alienated traditional Brahmans & their alliesO. Mauryan State & Society• Patiliputra was world’s greatest city with parks, gardens, libraries etc. • Govt supervised shipyards, factories, mines, granaries, prostitutes• Empire had good roads lined with trees, wells, parks, and rest stations• Under Ashoka, Buddhist building and monument construction greatly expandedP. Mauryan Decline• After Ashoka’s death, internal power struggles ensued• Buddhists became aloof and elitist, and sheltered in monasteries even as Brahmans strove to reconnect with the populace• People were encouraged to worship privately and gods became more accessibleQ. Religious change• In essence Hinduism absorbed Buddhism on the popular level as the Buddha himself became an incarnation of Vishnu in the Hindu pantheon• Merchant classes lost sway as result of decline of Han-Roman trade networks• Many Buddhist temples fell into decay & decline & were later razed by MuslimsR. The Kushan Empire• Nomadic tribe from Central Asia who reunited north temporarily• Ruled from Pataliputra• Became Indianized over time• Maintained extensive trade ties with the Greeks including exchanging missionaries, brass, stones, incense, textiles, exotic animals & luxury


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