Ancient India Vocabulary Notes Climate & Geography Monsoon Seasonal wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons. Subcontinent Large landmass that is part of a continent but considered a separate region. (Below Asia, separated by mountains.)

HimalayasHighest mountains in the world which stretch along India, separating India from China and the rest of Asia. Hindu KushMountain range to the northwest of India.

Harappan Ancient civilization that developed along the CivilizationIndus River. SanskritMost important language of Ancient India.

Society Caste SystemSocial class a person belongs to by birth. KarmaThe effects of good or bad actions on a person’s soul. ReincarnationRebirth of a soul in another body; the only way to improve caste is to have good karma and then be reborn into a higher level. BrahmanismEarly religion of the Aryans.

HinduismDeveloped from Brahmanism and has grown into the third largest religion in today’s world. AryansPeople who invaded India from central Asia and developed the caste system and a belief system, Brahmanism, which led to Hinduism. BuddhismReligion that began in India and is based on the teachings of Siddhartha.

SiddharthaFounder of Buddhism also known as the GautamaBuddha, or “enlightened one”. NirvanaState of perfect peace.. DharmaCollective teachings of Buddha, often represented by a wheel.

AsokaGreatest Maurya king who began rule in 272B.C. AhimsaNonviolence Mohandas Ghandi20 th century Indian who helped lead his country to indenendence using nonviolence to resist British colonial rule.

Indian Achievements Hindu-ArabicNumerals we use today that originated in NumeralsIndia and were brought to the west by Arab trade. MetallurgyMetal Working InoculationInjecting a person with a small dose of a virus to help build up defenses to a disease. AstronomyThe study of the stars and planets.