1

Early Civilizations of India

From the Indus River Valley Civilization to Hinduism today

Characteristics of IRVC Communities Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro  Laid out on a grid-pattern  Food storage warehouses  Buildings of uniform baked clay bricks  3 miles circumference each   Indoor plumbing  System of weights & measures

These are all evidence of what?

Organized Central Government

They had farming economies

 Wheat, barley, melons, dates  1st to grow cotton & weave it into

cloth  Used vast coastline to trade/export  Evidence of them sailing up Persian

Gulf to Sumer  Use of seals

Religion Polytheistic

Evidence of a “mother” goddess Worship of sacred animals

including bulls

Decline of the IRVC - Why?

 Depletion of resources?  Volcanic eruptions?  Earthquakes?  Flooding?   Invasion?   Illness?

2

The Aryan “Invasion”

About 1500 BCE

Who are the Aryans?

 Nomads from southern Russia in the Caucasus Mountains

 Before that, were they from Scandinavia? Blonde, blue eyes…

Who were the Aryans?

 Migrated to India through the Khyber Pass in the Hindu Kush Mtn. Range

 Had superior weapons  Horse-drawn chariots (there were no

horses in India before that)  Nomadic, non-city-builders  Very warlike

Religion

 Polytheistic  A “mother” goddess  Worship of some sacred animals,

especially bulls  Rig Vedas: a collection of hymns,

prayers & religious teachings, first passed verbally, eventually written down

Racial Pride…

 Called the dark-complexioned people they conquered the “Dravidians”

 Social division reflected their racial pride

Aryan Social Hierarchy…

3

The Caste System

 You are born into a social class and you can not change it

 Still practiced somewhat in India & the surrounding region

Role of Women:

 Education for women  Marriage after puberty  Some participation in religious

ceremonies  Women wrote some of the sacred

verses in the Rig Vedas

The Aryans will eventually settle down

In the Ganges River Valley

Vedic Age…

 Between 1500-500 BCE the Aryans combined their culture with other local people (probably people from the IRVC)

 During that time, a new religion evolves, mixing the traditions of the different groups

Hinduism

 By 500 BCE Hinduism is in a similar form to what we know today

  It is a product of the Vedic Age  1000 years of turning the crank on the

“Vedic Age Hopper”

Monotheistic? Polytheistic?

 There is only one god force - Brahman

 Brahman wears many faces - avatars  Each of them is equally and totally

Brahman  The point of the many gods is to

make it easier for humans to understand

4

The point of life…

To achieve moksha

Every soul is a part of Brahman

 Every soul was originally a part of Brahman, but was sent out into the world

 This is unlike Christianity, where man is made in God’s image

 When the soul returns back to Brahman, it has achieved moksha

Moksha-to become one with Brahman

 Somewhat similar to the idea of “going to heaven”   Except it’s not a place - it’s reuniting with

the god-force

How can one achieve moksha?

 To achieve atman - your true self  This can not be achieved in one

lifetime

Reincarnation

 You need many lifetimes to achieve atman

 Karma  Dharmas - the duties you are

expected to perform   Based on your social status

 Karma - the idea that actions affect your reincarnation

Do your dharmas

Get good karma

5

Reincarnation & the Caste System  Higher caste = more dharmas  Your actions in this life affect what

caste you will be in the next life  Your goal is to move up the castes

and eventually find your atman  Then you can achieve moksha

Reincarnation and the Caste System  The connection between

reincarnation and the caste system encourages cooperation with the system. Why?

Other basic beliefs…

  Ahimsa = non-violence   Reverence of cows   Direct connection to Brahman

  Priests not necessary   Every place is holy

  Shrines in peoples’ homes   Connection of mind/body/spirit

  Chakras/yoga

Sects of Hinduism

 Jainism - focus on ahimsa  Hare Krishna  Vaishnavism - focus on god Vishnu

  Currently the most popular sect  Shaktism - focus on creator goddess  Buddhism