History of South Asia powerpoint with details on Aryans, Hinudism, Buddhism, and Gandhi.

1. Through the AgesThrough the Ages
Thousands of years ago people settled in the Indus
Valley of South Asia. These people are believed by
historians to have come across the Himalayas from other
parts of Asia and possibly from northern Africa. Through
history, conquerors pushed people living in northern India
southward and finally onto islands in the Indian Ocean.
More than 1 billion people live in South Asia today,
from the tiny farming villages of the Himalayan foothills to
the bustling cities on the coast.

2. Life in the Indus ValleyLife in the Indus Valley
• Indus civilization was
established between 3000 and
1700 BC, located along the
Indus River Valley in
northwestern India and modern-
day Pakistan
• Indus Empire was based on
agriculture – farming and
herding
• Indus people established cities
as a center for living and trade
– Early civilizations always start
along waterways. Transportation,
irrigation, water, food.

3. Life in the Indus ValleyLife in the Indus Valley
• Archaeologists
believe that these
people understood
urban planning – the
designing and
planning of city
layouts
• The ruins of ancient
cities are evidence
that this was a highly
advanced civilization
The ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro
was built on a grid design.

4. Life in the Indus ValleyLife in the Indus Valley
• The ancient cities of Mohenjo-
Daro, Harappa, and Lothal had
wide avenues of homes and
shops with stairways,
bathrooms, and underground
drainage systems
• Every home had a kitchen with
a fireplace and large jars for
storing grains or keeping other
goodsThe Great Bath of Mohenjo-daro

5. Life in the Indus ValleyLife in the Indus Valley

6. Life in the Indus ValleyLife in the Indus Valley
The Indus valley civilization was made up of
three distinct social groups. One group ruled
and administered the city, another group
included the merchants who were associated
with trade and other business activities in the
city, and a third group were the laborers who
worked in the city. Also included were the
farmers who cultivated wheat and barley as their
main crops. Animals like the buffalo, sheep, pigs
and the humped bull were bred for food.
Animals like the elephant, camels and dogs
were also domesticated.

7. Life in the Indus ValleyLife in the Indus Valley
The discovery of
various equipment such
as axes, knives, spears
and daggers made of
bronze and copper
suggest metal work as a
major profession
commonly pursued in the
towns. Copper was used
for making weapons,
utensils, and ornaments.
Spinning, weaving and
pottery also formed
important occupations.

8. Aryans Bring ChangeAryans Bring Change
The Aryans were semi-
nomadic people who
started moving from their
original home towards the
west, south and east. The
group which went to
Europe were the ancestors
of the Greeks, Romans,
and Celts. Another group
went to Anatolia. The great
empire of the Hittites
evolved from the mixture of
these immigrants with the
original people. The group
which remained were the
ancestors of the Slavonic
people.

9. Aryans Bring ChangeAryans Bring Change
The group which
moved south came in
contact with the west
Asian civilization. They
crossed the Hindu Kush
Mts. and entered India
through Afghanistan,
capturing the greater part
of northern India.

10. Aryans Bring ChangeAryans Bring Change
Caste System
• A social system that
divides people in
society into different
social classes
• A result of the Aryan
culture blending with
other people in South
Asia and enslaving
people in India

11. Caste SystemCaste System
• There are five different levels of the system:
Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, and
Harijans
• Within each of these categories are the actual
"castes" or jatis within which people are born,
marry, and die. All people have their own place
among each other and accept that this is the
way to keep society from disintegrating to chaos.

12. Caste SystemCaste System
Brahman - priest
Kshatriya - ruler,
warrior, landowner
Vaishya - merchants
Shudra - artisans,
agriculturalists

13. Caste SystemCaste System
Called untouchables
because people believed
that they were so dirty
that they were not fit to
be touched by other
people in higher
castes, their jobs involve
doing most of the
cleaning, or what we
might call "dirty work."
The name for them later
changed from
untouchables to Harijans,
which means gods
children.
Musicians are part of the lowest caste.
Though their music is enjoyed by many, the
act of playing some of these instruments is
considered to be unclean. The saliva that is
being blown into the horns is thought to be
very unhygienic, therefore not fit for people
in higher castes to play.

14. Caste SystemCaste System
The girls are making
dung patties. The dung
from cows are taken,
made into patties and set
out to dry. These patties
are then used to be
burned as fuel or for
heat. Though it is the
Harijans that have the
task of making the
patties, people from other
castes benefit from the
work they do.
Harijan – Untouchables

15. Aryans Bring ChangeAryans Bring Change
• Aryan and other early
South Asian religions
blended to become
Hinduism
• Hinduism has been
around for over 3500
years
• Life is thought of as a
cycle of life and rebirth
• Hindus worship many
gods and are tolerant of
other faiths
Hinduism

16. Buddhism Begins in IndiaBuddhism Begins in India
Buddhism is the fourth largest
religion in the world, being exceeded
in numbers only by Christianity,
Islam and Hinduism. It was founded
in Northern India by the first known
Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. In
535 BC, he attained enlightenment
and assumed the title Lord Buddha
(one who has awakened)

17. Buddhism Begins in IndiaBuddhism Begins in India
Siddhartha Gautama was
an Indian prince who gave
up a life of luxury for one
of meditation and
teaching. His followers
began calling him the
“Enlightened One” or
Buddha. Soon the
religion known as
Buddhism was born.

18. Buddhism Begins in IndiaBuddhism Begins in India
Asoka became the third
emperor of the Maurya
Dynasty of India in 273 BC.
He adopted the Buddhist
religion late in his life. As
emperor, he embraced peace
and understanding and
changed India's government.
He was the first strong ruler to
help spread the Buddhist
religion.

19. Buddhism Begins in IndiaBuddhism Begins in India
Asoka ordered the
construction of
thousands of stupas.
A stupa is a curved
mound of brick that
holds statues of
Buddha. Asoka is
credited with helping
to make Buddhism a
world religion.
The Great Stupa at Sanchi, India

20. The Last EmpiresThe Last Empires
The golden age of India
occurred from 320-500 AD
and was known as the Gupta
Empire. During this time
period, literature, the arts, and
science flourished in India.
Hinduism became the chief
religion of the Indian People
during the Gupta Empire.

21. The Last EmpiresThe Last Empires
After the Gupta Empire, many small kingdoms
fought for control of India.
• 711 – Arab Muslims
•1206 – Muslim Turks and Afghans
•1526 – Babur establishes the Mogul Empire
•1757 – British keep Mogul rulers as their “puppets,” ruling
without power for 100 years
•1947 – British end their rule – India gains its independence

22. Indians Work for IndependenceIndians Work for Independence
Europeans were interested in Asia’s
spices and pearls. In the 1600s, the
British East India Company set up
trading posts along India’s coastline.

23. Indians Work for IndependenceIndians Work for Independence
"Nonviolence is the greatest
force at the disposal of mankind.
It is mightier than the mightiest
weapon of destruction devised by
the ingenuity of man."
In 1919, Mohandas Gandhi
became the leader of the Indian
National Congress political party.
He organized nonviolent protests
against British rule. The British
began giving the Indians greater
representation and increased
power in local governments over
time. Finally, the British agreed to
end their rule of India in 1947.
After independence, Gandhi tried
to resolve problems between
Hindus and Muslims.

24. Indians Work for IndependenceIndians Work for Independence
Gandhi called for the Indian
people to boycott, or stop
buying, British goods and
services. As a result, the
British arrested Gandhi along
with other leaders of the
independence movement.

25. Indians Work for IndependenceIndians Work for Independence
In 1947, as British rule came to an
end in India, religious differences
existed between Hindus and
Muslims. As a condition of
granting India its independence,
the country of Pakistan was
created. It separated the Muslim-
dominated parts of India (to the
west and east) from Hindu-
dominated India.
(West Pakistan is now the country
of Pakistan and East Pakistan is
now the country of Bangladesh)

26. Indians Work for IndependenceIndians Work for Independence
Freedom At MidnightFreedom At Midnight
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru being sworn in
as Prime Minister of India
“Long years ago we made a tryst
with destiny, and now the time
comes when we shall redeem our
pledge...At the stroke of the
midnight hour, when the world
sleeps, India will awake to life and
freedom. A moment comes, which
comes but rarely in history, when
we step out from the old to the
new, when an age ends, and when
the soul of a nation, long
suppressed, finds utterance”
-- Jawaharlal Nehru Claiming
Independence from British
Midnight of August 14, 1947

27. Review QuestionsReview Questions
1. Name an ancient Indus Valley city that was an
example of urban planning.
2. What religion did the Aryans help form in South Asia?
3. What leader is sometimes credited for having made
Buddhism a world religion?
4. Why did South Asia interest European traders of the
1600s?
5. Where did the British East India Company set up
trading posts?
6. What 2 countries were established before the British
granted India its independence?
7. Why did the British establish these countries?
8. When did India gain its independence?