India

Geography of the Subcontinent

Geography of India: Landforms and Rivers

India is a subcontinent. A subcontinent is a large landmass separated from the rest of a continent by physical features – in this case mountain ranges.

Geography: Landforms and Rivers

The Himalayas lie to the north and are the highest mountains in the world. To the west are the Hindu Kush. The mountains made it difficult to enter India, however, invaders did find some passes to use.

Geography: Rivers & Plains

The west of the Himalayas is a vast desert. Much of the rest of India is fertile plains and rugged plateaus. The Himalayas are also the source of many rivers including the Indus – the home of India’s first civilization.

Rich Land

Much like the people that relied on the Nile and the Euphrates, Indian culture formed from the flooding of the Indus as the snows of the Himalayas melted leaving very fertile land.

Climate

Most of India is hot and humid and is greatly influenced by monsoons, seasonal wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons.

Climate

The summer brings monsoon winds and heavy rain and flooding. Winter winds come down from the mountains pushing out the moisture and drying the land.

Harappan Civilization: First Cities

The 2 major sources of Harappan artifacts come from two cities, Harappa and Mohenjo Daro. They are 300 miles apart, but remarkably similar.

Harappa and Mop Handle

Cities were well planned. Each could be seen as a grand fortress, with a grid of straight, brick streets and had stores, workshops, markets and homes. They also had many public wells

Harappan Achievements

Most houses had bathrooms and indoor plumbing.

Trash chutes.

Pottery, jewelry, ivory objects and cotton clothing.

High quality tools and system of weights and measures.

Harappan Achievements

They developed India’s first writing system, although scholars do not understand it.

Since language still un-coded, it is hard to tell but we think the society had a strong central government led by kings.

The Decline of Harappan Society

Harappan society ended by the early 1700’s BC. No one is sure what happened – it could have been by disaster such as flood or earthquakes, by invaders sacking the cities or disease / epidemic killing off much of the population.

Aryan Migration

Shortly after the fall of Harappan Society, a new group, the Aryans arrived in the Indus Valley. Originally from central Asia, the Caspian Sea area, they would become the dominant group in India.

Aryan Arrival and Spread

Historians believe that Aryans came from the northwest through mountain passes in the 2000’s BC. Over many centuries they would spread farther east to the Ganges River.

Vedas

Much of what we know about the Aryans come from the Vedas, a collection of religious poems, hymns, myths and rituals written by Aryan priests.

Government and Society

Originally nomads, Aryans brought large flocks into the region, but over time would settle in the villages and began to farm. They did not build big cities.

Aryan Political System

Aryans live in small communities, based on family ties. There was no single ruling authority. Each group had its own leader, often the most skilled warrior.

Aryan Government

Aryan villages were governed by rajas. Rajas ruled villages and surrounding areas. Villagers would farm some land for the raja and used some of their land as pasture lands.

Raja Rumbles

Although many rajas were related, they often came into conflict. Sometimes they would join forces against a common enemy, other times they fought one another.

Languages

The first Aryans did not read or write, therefore they had to memorize stories, hymns and poems.Aryan poems and other writings were in Sanskrit, the most important of Indian languages.At first, it was simply spoken and not written. Later, the written form was mastered and it made it possible to write down and keep records of everything.Sanskrit is the root of many modern South Asian languages.

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How did Aryan migration change India?

Stay tuned next time for the Hindu Gods