The Indian Subcontinent

The Indian Subcontinent

As early as 3000 BC, a civilization started at the Indus Valley,
when the Aryans migrated to the north of the Indian
subcontinent.
The white Aryans ousted the dark-skinned Dravidian tribes, who
moved farther south in India.

In its prime this early society spread from the present borders of
Iran and Afghanistan to Kashmir, Delhi and southern Gujarat,
covering an area larger than its contemporary civilizations
Sumeria, Egypt and China.
 THE
ARYANS

Archaeologists refer to these people as the Andronovo culture, better

known to linguists as the Indo-Iranians. Most Indo-Iranian groups
referred to themselves as some variant of the term arya, meaning
noble; this is the etymology of both the modern country of Iran, and
the Aryans of India.
 DRAVIDIANS
• While genetically, farmers from Iran contributed to most of the
DNA of the northwestern subcontinent and the IVC, around 5,000
years ago, some farmer groups began to fan out, mix with the
aborigine Indians in much of what is present day India, and
establish agricultural communities throughout the subcontinent.
 The Aryan conquerors occupied the best lands
in the north and grew into many small kingdoms
run by the "maharajahs" or beloved kings.

They developed a new civilization

of religious aristocratic farmers,
warriors, craftsmen, and traders.
 HINDUISM
one of the world's oldest religion
believes in innumerable, perhaps hundreds of
millions of gods found in persons, nature,
animals, etc.

Their customary greeting is to fold

the hands together in front of the
face, bow, and say, "Namasteh" (I
honor you).
The chief god of Hinduism is Brahma, the
"World Soul." The Hindus believe that
man can attain true happiness if his soul
unites with Brahma. They believe in the
reincarnation of a person through many
lives until he or she comes to Brahma
(perfection).
BUDDHIS
M
• has no set of gods and does not claim to be a
religion, but a method of living.
• founded by Siddhartha Gautama, a rich
prince in Nepal (560-480 BC).
• Buddha, meaning the enlightened one
"Noble Truths"
• (1) life is full of suffering;
• (2) suffering is caused by selfish desires;
• (3) we can end suffering by conquering selfish
desires, and
• (4) we can reach the highest state of Nirvana ,
(perfect happiness).
Eight fold path of correct practices;
• (1) right belief
• (2) right aspiration,
• (3) right speech,
• (4) right conduct,
• (5)right livelihood,
• (6) right effort,
• (7) right remembrance, and
• (8) right meditation.
BUDDHIS
M
• Buddhism split into two branches, called Mahayana
(Greater Vehicle with priests) and Hinayana (Lesser
Vehicle without priests).
• Mahayana priests guide believers into the teachings of
Buddha. Hinayana has no priest group. Buddhist
believers number about 300 million today.