The document provides information on cultural developments in India between 600 BCE and 600 CE. It discusses the emergence of influential thinkers from this time period like Plato, Aristotle, Buddha, and Mahavira who questioned social and economic changes and humanity's relationship to the universe. It also describes the spread of Buddhism and Jainism as new schools of thought, with Buddhism spreading across Asia through missionary work and translation of texts. Key Buddhist and Jain concepts are outlined. Architecture like stupas and temples from this era contained symbolic sculptures that told religious stories and myths on stone.

1. CLASS -12 HISTORY
THEME 4
THINKERS BELIEFS AND
BUILDINGS
CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
TIMELINE : c. 600 BCE –
600CE PART- 1

2. THE BACKGROUND – SACRIFICES AND
DEBATES
EMERGENCE OF THINKERS LIKE PLATO, ARISTOTLE., BUDDHA ,
MAHAVIRA AND SOCRATES ETC. THEY TRIED TO FINDOUT ABOUT THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMANS AND COSMIC ORDER (UNIVERSE).
ALSO , THEY TRIED TO FIND OUT THE CHANGES WHICH WERE
TAKING PLACE SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY.
SACRIFICIAL TRADITONS
1. VARIOUS BELIEFS WERE GIVEN IN RIGVEDA.
2. IT INCLUDED HYMNS IN PRAISE OF AGNI,INDRA SOMA.
3. THESE HYMNS WERE CHANTED WHEN PEOPLE PRAYED FOR GOOD
HEALTH, CATTLE , SONS AND LONG LIFE.
4. TWO IMPORTANT SACRIFICES WERE DONE – RAJASUYA(consecration
ceremony) AND ASHVAMEDA(sacrifice of horse).

3. INTRODUCTION
• 1. The main focus of this chapter will be on the cultural
changes and developments taking place around this
period.
2. It will focus on the emergence of new beliefs , ideas
and thoughts.
3. Emergence of new schools of thought and thinkers -
Buddhism and Jainism.
4. All of it were expressed orally and also in written texts
as well in architecture and sculptures.
5. Sources : monuments, inscriptions , stupas and texts.

4. A GLIMPSE OF SANCHI
1. EUROPEANS WANTED TO TAKE AWAY PARTS OF
SANCHI STUPA.
2.FRENCH AND ENGLISH TOOK THE PERMISSION
OF SHAJEHAN BEGUM TO TAKE AWAY THE
EASTERN GATEWAY BUT WAS INTEAD INSISTED
TO TAKE AWAY PLASTER COPIES.
ROLE OF BEGUMS OF BHOPAL TO PRESERVE SANCHI AND WHY
SANCHI STUPA STILL SURVIVES?
1. SHAJEHAN BEGUM AND SULTAN JEHAN BEGUM
FUNDED THE MONEY.
2. THEY ASKED TO TAKE PLASTER COPIES OF IT.
3. SULTAN JEHAN FUNDED THE MUSEUM AND THE
GUEST WHERE JOHN MARSHAL WAS ALLOWED
TO WRITE VOLUMES DEDICATED TO BOTH THE
BEGUMS.
4.FUNDINGS WERE GIVEN FOR THE
PUBLICATIONN OF VOLUME.
5. THUS, DECISIONS MADE MY BOTH THE
BEGUMS WERE FRUITFUL ENOUGH WHICH IS
WHY THE SANCHI STUPA IS PRESERVED.

5. DEBATES AND DISCUSSIONS
1. EMERGENCE OF 64 SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT.
2.TEACHERS TRAVELLED FROM PLACE TO PLACE TRYING TO
CONVINCE EACH OTHER AND SOCIETY.
3. THE PLACES WHERE DEBATES AND DISCUSSION WERE DONE
WERE KNOWN AS KUTAGARASHALA.
4. THE AUTHORITY OF VEDAS WAS QUESTIONED BY BUDDHA AND
MAHAVIRA AND SUGGESTED THAT MAN CAN LIBERATE HIMSELF
THROUGH SALVATION.
5. THIS WAS AGAINST THE BHRAMINICAL NORMS.
NEW QUESTIONS-
1. MEANING OF LIFE
2.LIFE AFTER DEATH
3.NATURE OF ULTIMATE REALITY
5. IMPORTANCE OF SACRIFICES
HUTS WITH POINTED
ROOFS
KUTAGARASHAL
A

6. How Buddhist texts were prepared and preserved
The Buddha (and other teachers) taught orally – through discussion and debate.
Men and women (perhaps children as well) attended these discourses and
discussed what they heard. None of the Buddha’s speeches were written down
during his lifetime. After his death (c . fifth-fourth century BCE) his teachings were
compiled by his disciples at a council of “elders” or senior monks at Vesali (Pali for
Vaishali in present-day Bihar). These compilations were known as Tipitaka –
literally, three baskets to hold different types of texts. They were first transmitted
orally and then written and classified according to length as well as subject matter.
The Vinaya Pitaka included rules and regulations for those who joined the sangha
or monastic order; the Buddha’s teachings were included in the Sutta Pitaka; and
the Abhidhamma Pitaka dealt with philosophical matters. Each pitaka comprised a
number of individual texts. Later, commentaries were written on these texts by
Buddhist scholars. As Buddhism travelled to new regions such as Sri Lanka, other
texts such as the Dipavamsa (literally, the chronicle of the island) and Mahavamsa
(the great chronicle) were written, containing regional histories of Buddhism. Many
of these works contained biographies of the Buddha. Some of the oldest texts are in
Pali, while later compositions are in Sanskrit. When Buddhism spread to East Asia,
pilgrims such as Fa Xian and Xuan Zang travelled all the way from China to India in
search of texts. These they took back to their own country, where they were
translated by scholars. Indian Buddhist teachers also travelled to faraway places,
carrying texts to disseminate the teachings of the Buddha. Buddhist texts were
preserved in manuscripts for several centuries in monasteries in different parts of
Asia. Modern translations have been prepared from Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese and

7. BEYOND WORLDY PLEASURES
THE MESSAGE OF MAHAVIRA - JAINISM
THE FOUNDER – RISHABHA (INCARNATION OF NARAYANA).
THERE WERE 23 TIRTHANKARAS OR TEACHERS.
VARDHAMANA MAHAVIRA-
HE WAS THE 24TH TIRTHANKARA.
HE WAS BORN IN 540 BCE IN A VILLAGE KUNDAGRAMA NEAR VAISHALI.
HE ABANDONED THE WORLD AND THE AGE OF 30 AND ATTAINED
KNOWLEDGE AT THE AGE OF 42.
THREE GEMS- RIGHT FAITH , RIGHT KNOWLEDGE AND ROGHT CONDUCT
SPREAD OF JAINISM-
JAINS BUILT STUPAS WITH RAILINGS,PILLARS
MATHURA BECAME A CENTRE OF JAIN ART DURING KUSHANA PERIOD.
BULK OF LITERATURE WAS PUBLISHED ON PALI, SANSKRIT AND TAMIL. THEIR
MANUSCRIPTS WERE PRESERVED IN LIBRARIES.

8. THE BUDDHA AND THE QUEST FOR ENLIGHTENEMENT – BUDDHISM
FOUNDER- GAUTAM BUDHHA OR SIDDHARTHA
BIRTH – 563 BCE IN KSHATRIYA CASTE
PLACE- LUMBINI NEAR KAPILAVASTU WHICH IS LOCATED ON THE
FOOTHILLS OF NEPAL.
ABONDENED LIFE AT THE AGE OF 29 AND WONDERED FOR SEVEN YEARS
WAS UPSET WHEN HE ENCOUNTRED THE DEAD BODY, SICK AND AN OLD
MAN.
RECEIVED KNOWLEDGE AND THE AGE OF 35 AT BODH GAYA UNDER A
PIPAL TREE.
FROM THIS TIME HE BEGAN TO BE CALLED BUDDHA OR THE
ENLIGHTENED.
SPREAD OF BUDDHISM
BUDDHAS THOUGHTS SPREAD DURING AND AFTER HIS DEATH.
IT SPREAD TO CENTRAL ASIA, JAPAN , KOREA, CHINA AND ACROSS
THE SEAS TO MAYANMAR, THAILAND ETC.
BUDDHAS TEACHING HAVE BEEN RECONSTUCTED BY EDITING AND
TRANSLATING BUDDHIST TEXTS AND HAGIOGRAPHIES ( BIOGRAPHY
OF SAINT OR RELIGIOUS LEADER).

9. TEACHINGS OF BUDDHISM AND JAINISM

10. BUDDHISM
1.TEACHINGS FROM SUTAPITAKA.
2. WORLD IS TRANSIENT – IT IS
NOT PERMANENT
3. WORLD IS SOULESS ( anatta).
4.SORROW IS INTRINSIC TO LIFE
(dukka)
5.PENANCE AND SELF
INDULGENCE NECESARRY TO
FREE ONE SELF FROM WORLDY
TROUBLES.
6. DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THE
EXISTENCE OF GOD OR SOUL.
7.BUDDHA RECOMMENDDED
EIGHT FOLD PATH.
JAIJAIJAINISM
1.THE ENTIRE WORLD IS ANIMATED.
NON LIVING THINGS TOO HAVE LIFE.
2.NON INJURY TO LIVING BEINGS.
3.CYCLE OF BIRTH AND REBIRTH IS
SHAPED THROUGHT KARMA.
4.PENANCE AND ASCETISM CAN
FREE ONESELF FROM COSMIC
ORDER.
5.MONASTIC EXCISTENCE IS
NECESARRY FOR SALVATION.
6.JAINISM TAUGHT FIVE VOWS: NO
KILLING, NO STEALING , DO NOT
SPEAK A LIE , DO NOT ACQUIRE
PROPERTY AND CELIBACY.
7. DIVIDED INTO 2 SECTS:

11. FOLLOWERS OF BUDDHA
- THOSE WHO FOLLOWED BUDHHA BECAME MONKS .
- AN ORGANISATION OF THESE DISCIPLES WAS FORMED KNOWN AS
SANGHA.
- THEY ALSO BECAME TEACHERS ODF DHAMMA(THE DOCTRINE).
- INITIALLY ONLY MEN BECAME MONKS BUT LATER WOMEN ALSO BECAME
NUNS.
- BUDDHAS MOTHER MAHAPAJAPATI GOTAMI BECAME THE FIRST NUN.
- MONKS LIVED A SIMPLE LIFE ON VERY MINIMAL.
- The Buddha’s followers came from many social groups.
Once within the sangha, all were regarded as equal, having shed their earlier social
identities on becoming bhikkhus and bhikkhunis.
HINAYANA
• ITS FOLLOWERS BEIEVED
IN ORIGINAL TEACHINGS
OF BUDDHA.
• THE Y DID NOT BELIVE IN
IDOL WORSHIP.
MAHAYANA
• THEY BELIEVED THAT
SALVATION CAN ATTAINED
THROUGH GRACE AND
HELP OF BUDHHA AND
BODHISATTAVAS.
• IT BELIEVES IN IDOL
WORSHIP.

12. CHAITYAS
SOME SITES WERE
CONSIDERED SACRED
WHICH INCLUDED TREES,
NATURAL BEAUTY AND
ROCKS. THESE SITES
WHICH ALSO INCLUDED
SHRINES WERE KNOWN AS
CHAITYAS.
SEVERAL CHAITYAS ARE
MENTIONED IN BUDDHIST
TEXTS. THESE ARE
ASSOCIATED WITH
BUDDHA’S LIFE.
LUMBINI – WHERE HE WAS
BORN
BODH GAYA - WHERE HE
ATTAINED ENLIGHTENMENT
SARNATH- WHERE HE GAVE
HIS FIRST SERMON
KUSINAGARA- WHERE HE
ATTAINED NIBBANA

13. STUPAS
WHY WERE STUPAS BUILT?
1. THE RELICS , BODILY REMAINS AND OBJECTS USED BY BUDDHA WERE
BURIED IN MOUNDS WHICH CAME TO BE KNOWN AS STUPAS.
2. STUPAS HAS RELICS THUS IT IS VALUED AS AN EMBLEM OF BOTH BUDDHA
AND BUDDHISM.
3. ASHOKA DISTRIBUTED RELICS AND ORDERED TO CONSTRUCT STUPAS AT
PLACES SUCH AS SANCHI, SARNATH.
HOW WERE STUPAS BUILT?
1. record OF donations made for building and decorating them.
2. Some donations were made by kings such as the Satavahanas.
3. Hundreds of donations were made by women and men.
4. Bhikkhus and bhikkhunis also contributed towards building these
monuments.

14. STRUCTURE

16. THE FATE OF AMRAVATI AND SANCHI
1. HISTORY OF DISCOVERIES: FOUND BY LOCAL RAJA
WHO THOUGHT THAT STEPS AT AMARVATI IS LIKE A
HILL WHERE TREASURE WOULD HAVE BEEN BURIED.
2. COLIN MACKENZIE: HE FOUNDS SCULPTURES AND
MADE DETAIL DRAWINGS.
3. WALTER ELLIOT (1854): HE TOOK THE SCULPTURE
PANELS TO MADRAS WHICH CAME TO BE KNOWN AS
ELLIOT MARBELS. HE ALSO DISCOVERED REMAINS OF
WESTERN GATEWAYS.
4. STONE SLABS WERE TAKEN MADRAS AND
LONDON.
THEY WERE INSTALLED IN BRITISH GARDENS.
H.H. COLE – HE HAD POINT OF VIEW IT IS SUICIDAL
TO TAKE AWAY HERITAGE OF A COUNTRY.

17. SCULPTURES - STORIES ON STONE
SCULPTURES WERE THE MOST VALUABLE AND BEAUTIFUL SOURCE OF
HISTORY DURING THIS TIME. THESE STONE SCULPTURES SIGNIFIED AND
SYMBOLIZED STORIES.
VESSANTRA JATAKA
IT SHOWS A RURAL SCENE.
BUT HISTORIANS DEPICT IT AS A SCENE WHICH TELLS ABOUT A
PRINCE WHO GAVE EVRYTHING TO A BHRAMANA AND WENT TO
FOREST WITH HIS WIFE AND KIDS TO LIVE A LIFE OF

18. .
The empty seat was
meant to indicate the
meditation of the
Buddha
the stupa was meant
to represent the
mahaparinibbana.
frequently used
symbol was the wheel
.This stood for the
first sermon of the
Buddha, delivered at
Sarnath
SYMBOLS OF WORSHIP

19. POPULAR TRADITIONS
SHALABHANJIKA- beautiful women swinging from the edge of the gateway
According to popular belief, this was a woman whose touch caused
trees to flower and bear fruit. It is likely that this was regarded as an
auspicious symbol and integrated into the decoration of the stupa.

20. Many animals were depicted on the
sculptures these include elephants,
horses, monkeys and cattle. Elephants,
for example, were depicted to signify
strength and wisdom.
Another motif is that of a
woman surrounded by
lotuses and elephants
which seem to be
sprinkling water on her
as if performing an
abhisheka or
consecration. While
some historians identify
the figure as Maya, the
mother of the Buddha,
others identify her with a
popular goddess,
Gajalakshmi – literally,
the goddess of good
GAJALAXMI OR MAYA

21. THE GROWTH OF PURANIC HINDUISM
Vaishnavism (a
form of Hinduism
within which Vishnu
was worshipped as
the principal deity.
Shaivism (a tradition
within which Shiva
was regarded as the
chief god), in which
there was growing
emphasis on the
worship of a chosen
deity.
cults developed around
the various avatars or
incarnations of the deity.
Ten avatars were
recognised within the
tradition. These were
forms that the deity was
believed to have
assumed in order to
save the world
whenever it was
threatened by disorder
and destruction because
of the dominance of evil
forces
Shiva, was
symbolised by the
linga, although he was
occasionally
represented in human
form too.

22. Building temples
The early temple was a small square room,
called the garbhagriha, with a single
doorway for the worshipper to enter and
offer worship to the image.
A tall structure, known as the
shikhara, was built over the central
shrine. Temple walls were often
decorated with sculpture.
One of the unique features of early
temples was that some of these were
hollowed out of huge rocks, as artificial
Kailashnatha Temple, Ellora (Maharashtra). This
entire structure is carved out of a single piece of
rock.

23. Grappling with the unfamiliar
when nineteenth century European scholars first saw some of the sculptures of gods
and goddesses, they could not understand what these were about.
Sometimes, they were horrified by what seemed to them gods with multiple arms and
heads or with combinations of human and animal forms.
These early scholars tried to make sense of what appeared to be strange images by
comparing them with sculpture with which they were familiar, that from ancient Greece.
If text and image do not match
One of the most best examples of
this is a famous sculpture along a
huge rock surface in Mahabalipuram
(Tamil Nadu)
Some feel that this depicts the
descent of the river Ganga from
heaven.
Others feel that it represents a story
from the Mahabharata – Arjuna doing
penance on the river bank in order to
acquire arms

24. Thank you for
watching…..
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