What is a subcontinent?
a large landmass that is smaller than a continent
Is India a subcontinent?
yes
What is the highest mountain range in the world?
Himalayas
What is to the North of India?
Himalayas
What is to the West of India?
Hindu Kush
Where was India’s 1st civilization?
Indus
What caused the land to be fertile in Pakistan?
Indus flooded when the mountain snow melted.
Where did the Harappans settle?
The Indus River Valley
What made the Harappans grow?
irrigation and agriculture
Describe the climate.
hot and humid
What is a monsoon?
seasonal wind patterns that causes wet and dry seasons
How many inches of rain does India receive in the summer due to monsoons?
100 or 200 inches of rain
What are winters like in India?
warm, dry
Who was the Harappan civilization named after?
Harrapas
The Harappa and the Mojenho Daro had what type of wells?
public wells
What do you think the public wells were used for?
drinking water
What is a citadel?
fortress
What did Harappan houses have?
bathrooms and indoor plumbing
Have we deciphered Harappan writing?
no
Why don’t we know how Harappan civilization ended?
There is no written record.
What are Vedas?
religious writings
Did the Aryans build big cities?
no
What is raja?
a leader who ruled a village and the land around it
Did all the rajas get along?
no
What happened when the rajas did not get along?
They went to war against each other.
Why did the Arayans memorize their poems and hymns?
They could not read or write so they memorized.
What is Sanskrit?
The most important language of ancient India.
Is Sanskrit spoken today in India?
no
Why were the Brahmins the highest ranking?
performed rituals for the gods
What is a caste?
a level in society that divided India into groups based on a person’s birth, wealth, or occupation
At one time how many castes existed in India?
3,000
The caste a person belong determined _________.
The caste a person belong determined their place in society.
Who was the worst off in the caste system?
people who didn’t belong to a caste
Could people have contact with the others that didn’t belong to a caste?
no
What were some of the jobs of the Untouchables?
- tanning hides
- disposing of dead animals
The Untouchables were seen as _______.
The Untouchables were seen as unclean.
Were you able to marry someone from another caste?
no
Were you able to eat with someone from another caste?
no
Hindus are ___________.
Hindus are vegetarians.
What did Mohandas Gandi call the Untouchables?
“children of God”
What did Mohandas Gandi do to help the Untouchables?
He worked to raise their status.
In 1949, the Untouchables were given _________ but people are still prejudice.
In 1949, the Untouchables were given _legal rights _but people are still prejudice.
What were thoughts written down by the Aryan Brahmins?
Vedic Text
The blending of many religious ideas caused the creation of what religion?
Hinduism
What is the largest religion in India?
Hinduism
Do Hindus believe in many gods?
yes
Name 3 major gods that Hindus worshipped.
- Brahma - the creator
- Shiva - the destroyer
- Vishmu - the Preserver
The Siva, the destroyer, is usually shown with __________.
The Siva, the destroyer, is usually shown with 4 arms and 3 eyes.
Definition:the process of rebirth
reincarnation
What is karma?
the effects of good or bad actions
If you have bad karma, you could be born as _____.
If you have bad karma, you could be born as a lower caste, such as a pig or ant.
What will you be born into if you have good Karma?
a higher caste
Women were inferior to _____.
Women were inferior to sun.
What were women not allowed to do?
read the Vedas or other sacred text
Name the 4 main social classes in India, according to the Vedas.
- Brahmins
- Kshatriyas
- Vaisyas
- Sudras
The Sudras had hard _____.
The Sudras had hard lives.
What would happen if you married someone or ate with someone outside of your caste?
You would be banned and known as an Untouchable.
How many Vedas are there?
four
What do the Vedas contain?
poems and hymns
Everyone has a ______ inside them.
Everyone has a soul inside them.
The soul holds the person’s _______.
The soul holds the person’s personality.
*The ultimate goal is to unite the soul with ______, the universal spirit.*
The ultimate goal is to unite the soul with Brahman, the universal spirit.
The Hindus believe the world is an ________.
The Hindus believe the world is an illusion
Brahman is the only ________.
Brahman is the only reality.
It takes many _______ to see through the illusion.
It takes many lifetimes to see through the illusion.
Why are Hindus reborn into another body?
Because it takes many lifetimes to see through the illusion.