Review of India and Its Accomplishments

Review of India and Its Accomplishments

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Review Topic #3

Friday, May 2, 2014

The Mauryan Empire

324- 184 BCE

Important Religions in India

Hinduism

Buddhism

- Leader Chandragupta Maurya took over the Magadha kingdom and created the Mauryan Empire

- The kings taxed 1/4 of all of the harvest to support the government and the economy

- Ashoka (Chandragupta's grandson) began military campaigns that extended the empire

- His conquests were so brutal that he felt extremely guilty for all the deaths. He then converted to Buddhism and spread his teachings throughout India.

- After Ashoka, the Mauryan empire was successful until it reached a point of dynastic disputes and became extensively fragmented.

AFTER THE COLLAPSE:

- Roads and trade routes created during the empire remained and Indians prospered in trade

-The Tamil Kingdoms arose and often fought one another

- Created by Siddhartha Gautama

- Centered on an individual

seeking enlightenment

- Teaches pathways for one to

reach Nirvana

2 TYPES:

-Mahayana: follows more

modern changes of Buddhism

- Theravada: strictly follows original

teachings

- Foundation is from the Vedas

- Believe that each deity represents a

certain truth of the world

- Brahmin (priests) were highly regarded

- 2 major gods= Shiva and Vishnu

- Worshipers can reach divine favor by

discipline, special knowledge of sacred

truths, or extreme devotion to a deity

- Many pilgrimages are made the

tirthrayatas (pilgrimages) and there are

many religious festivals

The Mughal Empire

The Delhi Sultanate

The Gupta Empire

1236-1338

-Mongol led group that conquered the Delhi Sultanate

- Akbar (important ruler)

established a government administration and gave land to military officials

- Military mansabs, or ranks, determined how much land an official would obtain

- Prosperous empire with 100 million people who thrived off the production and trade of cotton

- Surat was an important trade point in which they exchanged goods with Europeans

- During the rule there was conflict between the Muslims and Hindus, so Akbar created a religiously tolerant policy

- After Akbar's son's death, the empire decayed as new Mughal territories that were inadequately controlled rebelled

- Centered on the Ganges Plain with capital of Pataliputra

- Created by leader Chandra Gupta who wished to recreate a version of the Mauryan Empire

- Important center of trade, good area for agriculture on the plain, & had rich iron deposits

- Had a form of bureaucracy, but governors were in control of many areas of the empire

- Example of a theater-state: the state is focused on many cultural practices, events and festivals. On the economic end, the subject would aid fund the ruler and in return be supplied with gifts

- After the fall of the Gupta empire, during the fragmentation, Muslim and Turkish warriors invaded India and took hold of Delhi, forming the Delhi Sultanate

- Conquered people were forced to pay special taxes, but the Hindus were oppressed and maltreated

- Certain sultans were tolerant and even accepting of Hindus & non-Muslims, but it was not always the case

- Rulers used terror to keep their people obeying their rules

- Raziya: female ruler who dressed as a man so that she would be respected and treated as one

- Delhi Sultanate had many conflicts leading to its downfall, one of them being that both the Muslims and Hindus began to rebel against the government due to discontent