Indian Civilization (Indus Valley/

Harappan)
2500-1500BC
 Background
• Dated 3100-1500BC
• Lower-Large triangular peninsula enclosed by water
• Upper- marked from the rest of Asia by Himalaya
mountains

• Below mountains stretches fertile plains watered by

large stream rivers with their source in Himalaya
Mountains that is R. Ganges

• Physical features of southern areas is a large plateau

separated by Vindhyan mountains
 Background
• Ancient India Civilization is classified into two:
• Pre-Harappan- Harappan
– Started in present day Pakistan
– Deciphered- undecoded
– Cities- Mohenjadaro, Harappa

• Harappan – Indo-Aryans (Indo-Europeans)

– Started in 1750 BC
Economic Activities
By 3100- new means of survival:
– Farming and herding along the Indus Valley
– Crops - wheat, barley. Sesame, melon, dates,
peas cotton
– Animals - sheep, goats & oxen, water buffaloes,
elephants
Other Economic Activities:
– Pottery
– Developed tools- saws, axes, knives & spearheads
(bronze
– Textile industry
– Traded-copper and cotton- Arabia
Economic Activities
Other Economic Activities:
Pottery
Transportation-used camels, oxen and elephants
to travel of land
• Carts with wooden wheels
• By 2500 other cities had develop along the
Indus Valley-Punjab (North), Mohenjadaro
(South), Mehgarh
Pre-Harappan : Socio-Political System
Government:
State level society – hierarchical rule
Theocratic government
Close link between ruling elite & priests who
controlled the economy

Social structure- gave power & prestige to women

Matrilineal & matriarchal
Women allowed to accumulate wealth & enjoy
high status
Pre-Harappan : Socio-Political System
Religion
Worshipped fertility goddesses &
Cow considered to be the most sacred animal

Water – important in ancient Indian religious life

Little rain during summer & crop failure
resulted to famine
Water – purifying shrines households &
worshippers
 Foreign Invasion: Harappan
1750- Harappa- Indo-Aryans (Indo-Europeans)
Lived in Russia (plains of Central Europe)
Pastoralists & intermittent agriculturalists

• Impact:
Cities destroyed & abandoned, writing abandoned
Beginning of Dark age
Introduced new social system & family structure
• Caste system & joint family
New political system
• Republic & Monarchy
 Foreign Invasion: Harappan
New Religion
• Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism

Writing was developed & History of Indian recorded

in Epic poem
– Mahabharata
– Ramayana
– Arthasastra

•
 Social Structure- Caste System
Aryans introduced- Patriarchal society
– Wives moved to husbands family
– Women paid substantial dowry
– Accept husband’s authority

• Caste (Varna):
Initially it implied classification by color
Conquerors (Aryans) & Conquered (Dasas)
Later introduced into the socio-economic
distinctions
Hence – social grouping by birth
Social Structure- Caste System
Brahmins (Priests)

Kshatriyas (Warriors & Nobility)

Vaishyas- (Merchants, Carpenters,

traders, landowners)

Untouchables (Sudras) & land cultivators)

Harijans
 Social Structure- Caste System
Early history (1500-1000)- Brahmins & Kshatriyas-
equal
Religious rituals introduced- made distinction
Caste sub-divided into sub-caste-
more distinction in the castes
Allow new comers fit in society
Upper class made vedas & interpreted laws
Sudras: lived in segregation
Rules:
– No intermarriage & eating
– Punishment depended on social class
– No change of Caste- born –into it
Today- over 100 sub-castes
 Social Structure- Joint Family
Family smallest unit- many families with a common
ancestor= village
• Chiefs & eldest male ruled the village,
hereditary
• Property- sons & extended family- property
owning unit
• Male-child- highly prized- bring honor
• Women- subordinate- sub-caste of the father
• Marriage
– Sub-caste of the father
– No property inheritance
– Paid dowry not own
– Restricted in religious activities- home rituals
 Political System
Before 1500:
– Society loosely organized into tribes- clans-families
– Tribe headed by Rajas (Kings/chief) – elected
cycles
– Council of elders & assembles shared power- Kings
Aryans: Republics & Kingdoms
Republic- retained tribal institutions- council of
elders
Oligarchy rule by small elite class (aristocrat)
Father headed the family
 Political System
Dynasties
Mauryan dynasty (321-185BC)
Incorporated all India into one kingdom through wars
Period of war ended reign of Asoka –ruthless
Introduced Ahimsa (Non-violence)
First to adopt vegetarian diet
Dynasty marked by Guptas- medicine (Ayurveda)

• Kingdoms:
– Power of Rajas increased at the expense of
councils & assemblies
– Became Monarchy thus hereditary
Developed administrative systems headed by
chief priest & military leaders
New political set up gave support to the caste
 New Religion
• Pre-Harappa people worshipped goddesses and gods
attributed to their way of life
– Veneration of animals
• Worshipped great god Shiva- Lord of the Beast
– Mother goddess- Ga mata

• Aryans introduced gods from the North-

– Gods of thunder & sun _ Indra
– Gods of war-Agni
– Lord of endless big sky-Varuna
– Sacrificed these gods including human sacrifices
 Hinduism
Beliefs & Rituals:
– Cow most sacred
– Lived along the mountains- gods- rivers, monkey,
snakes
– Gods- Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (preserver), Shiva
(destroyer)
– Everything in nature- soul & self
– Belief in eternal universal spirit
• Life after death in which one is reborn- Reincarnation
(Upanishad)
• Posistion of soul after rebirth- depended actions (Karma)
• Karma dictated by law (actions)
 Hinduism
Beliefs & Rituals:
Freedom from being reborn (Moksha)
To attain Moksha which was desirable- people disciplined
their body & mind
End human suffering- process of rebirth- Yoga (meditation)
 Buddhism
Founded by Kshatriya prince- challenge caste
Founded Siddhartha Guatama (Buddha) 563 BC-
Enlightened one-
• Search- why do people suffer
• Meditation (59 days)- tortured, fasted, meditated &
Yoga
• Causes of suffering- wealth, success & power
• Ignorance of causes of suffering kept people from
liberation (Nirvana)
• Nirvana could be attained-8-folds:
• Right belief, compassion, honesty, resolve, speech,
Action, Effort and Meditation
 Buddhism
Deep meditation –define the right things
Rejected caste system, dhrama, vedas & rituals
People master of their own afte
Believed- reincarnation & need for Nirvana
(Liberation)
Vows- poverty, chastity & non-violenc
Missionaries- brae-foot, clothed saffron & beginning
bows
Spread- Nepal, Tibet, China, Japan, Korea, Sri-Lanka,
Vietnam and Cambodia
S. India became the place of pilgrimage for Buddhist
monks
 Jainism
Originated with Kshatriyas :
Challenged the socio-religious order based on the
caste system (500BC)
Founded Mahavira Buddha
All souls have self & soul- equal
Mosksha – all have potential to atain it
Universe governed by natural laws
Respect for all persons- killing crime
Every person responsible for their actions & have
eternal soul
Vegetarian
Believe in non-violence and do not take meat acquired
by cruelty
 Contributions
Indian Literature::
– Epic poems – Mahabharata & Ramayana
– Arthasastra
• Mahabharata-
– Reflects of Aryan age of chariot fighters and
kinship loyalties
• Ramayana-
– Romantic story of Prince Rama of settlement in
Ganges states
• Arthasastra-
– Ruthless times of territorial state-building
 Contributions
• Social institutions- caste system & joint family
• Natural hierarchy of human society
• Philosophy- map of life by which are set forth the
meaning of life & the means of attaining its goals
(Moksha- freedom from rebirth)
• Belief systems- Buddhism and Hinduism
– Buddhism attempts to organize human society with
emphasize on the dark state of life in the world
• Literature- vedas, thousands of hymns
• Writing- Harappa writing which is still undeciphered