Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 1 Chapter 9 State, Society, and the Quest for Salvation in India

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 2 The Mauryan and Gupta empires 321 B.C.E.-550 C.E.

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 3 India Before the Mauryan Dynasty 520 BCE Persian Emperor Darius conquers north- west India Introduces Persian ruling pattern 327 Alexander of Macedon destroys Persian Empire in India Troops mutiny, departs after 2 years  Political power vacuum

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 4 Kingdom of Magadha Most significant remaining kingdom after Alexander’s departure Central Ganges plain Economic strength  Agriculture  Trade in Ganges valley, Bay of Bengal Dominated surrounding regions in north-eastern India

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 5 Chandragupta Maurya Took advantage of power vacuum left by Alexander Overthrew Magadha rulers Expanded kingdom to create 1 st unified Indian empire  Mauryan Dynasty

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 6 Chandragupta’s Government Advisor Kautalya Recorded in Arthashastra, manual of political statecraft Foreign policies, economics Domestic policies  Network of spies Legend: Chandragupta retires to become a monk, starves himself to death

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 7 Ashoka Maurya Grandson of Chandragupta Represents high point of Mauryan Empire, r BCE Expanded empire to include all of Indian subcontinent except for south Positive rulership integrated Indian society

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 8 Decline of the Mauryan Empire Economic crisis follows death of Ashoka High costs of bureaucracy, military not supported by tax revenue Frequent devaluations of currency to pay salaries Regions begin to abandon Mauryan Empire  Disappears by 185 BCE

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 9 Regional Kingdom: Bactria Northwestern India Ruled by Greek-speaking descendants of Alexander’s campaigns Intense cultural activity accompanies active trade

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 10 Regional Kingdom: Kushan Northern India/Central Asia C CE Maintained silk road network

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 11 The Gupta Dynasty Based in Magadha Founded by Chandra Gupta (no relation to Chandragupta Maurya), c. 320 CE Slightly smaller than Mauryan Empire Highly decentralized leadership

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 12 Gupta Trade: Gupta era is a time of prosperity due to the succession of powerful and efficient kings Trade was predominantly managed or regulated by the government such as: mines and crown land. Earned staggering profits in commercial dealings: location, location, location! Large private sector also exists. Money economy (2 nd c. BCE) copper and gold leads to banking system Barter still a common practice.

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 13 Gupta Decline Frequent invasions of White Huns, 5 th c. CE Gupta Dynasty disintegrates along regional fault lines Smaller local kingdoms dominate until Mughal Empire founded in 16 th c. ationalMuseum.htm&usg=__slfE0yJCETiWfcyV-z- q9YRPo_k=&h=900&w=703&sz=149&hl=en&start=3&tbnid=lmVBn1XcZiPlBM:&tbnh=146&tbnw=114&prev=/ images%3Fq%3DKushan%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en- US:official%26sa%3DGArtifacts

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 14 Economy: Towns and Manufacturing Manufactured goods in big demand Developed in dense network of small workshops Trade intense, capitalizes on trade routes across India

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 15 Long-Distance Trade Persian connection since Cyrus, Darius Massive road-building projects under Persian rule Alexander extends trade west to Macedon Trade routes through Kush mountains, the silk roads

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 16 Trade in the Indian Ocean Basin Seasonal sea trade expands  Spring/winter winds blow from south-west, fall/winter winds blow from north-west Trade from Asia to Persian Gulf and Red Sea, Mediterranean

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 17 Society: Gender Relations Patriarchy entrenched Child marriage common (8 year old girls married to men in 20s) Women encouraged to remain in private sphere

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 18 Social Order Caste system from Aryan times  Brahmins (priests)  Kshatriyas (warriors, aristocrats)  Vaishyas (Peasants, merchants)  Shudras (serfs)

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 19 Castes and Guilds Increasing economic diversification challenges simplistic caste system Jatis formed: guilds that acted as sub-castes Enforced social order  “outcastes” forced into low-status employment

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 20 Wealth and the Social Order Upward social mobility possible for Vaishyas, Shudras Wealth challenges varna for status

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 21 Religions of Salvation in Classical India Social change generated resentment of caste privilige  e.g. Brahmins free from taxation 6 th -5 th c. BCE new religions and philosophies challenge status quo Charvakas: atheists Jainists, Buddhists

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 22 Jainism Vardhamana Mahavira, BCE Abandoned privileged family to lead ascetic life Promotes 7 th c. movement based on Upanishads Emphasis on selfless living, concern for all beings

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 23 Ahimsa Principle of extreme non-violence Jainists sweep earth, strain water, use slow movements to avoid killing insects Ahimsa continues to inspire modern movements (Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr.)

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 24 Appeal of Jainism Rejected caste, jati distinctions Obvious appeal to underprivileged groups But asceticism too extreme to become a mass movement

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 25 Early Buddhism Siddhartha Gautama, c BCE Encountered age, sickness, death, then monastic life Abandoned comfortable life to become a monk

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 26 Gautama’s Search for Enlightenment Intense meditation, extreme asceticism 49 days of meditation under bo tree to finally achieve enlightenment Attained title Buddha: “the enlightened one”

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 27 The Buddha and his Followers Begins teaching new doctrine c. 528 BCE Followers owned only robes, food bowls Life of wandering, begging, meditation Establishment of monastic communities

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 28 Buddha and his Disciples

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 29 Buddhist Doctrine: The Dharma The Four Noble Truths  all life is suffering  there is an end to suffering  removing desire removes suffering  this may be done through the eight-fold path  (right views, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration)

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 30 Appeal of Buddhism Less dependence on Brahmins for ritual activities No recognition of caste, jati status Philosophy of moderate consumption Public service through lay teaching Use of vernacular, not Sanskrit

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 31 A Buddhist Monastery

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 32 Ashoka’s Support of Buddhism Personal conversion to Buddhism Disillusioned after violent war with Kalinga Banned animal sacrifices, mandated vegetarianism in court Material support for Buddhist institutions, missionary activities

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 33 Changes in Buddhist thought 3 rd c. BCE – 1 st c. CE  Buddha considered divine  Institution of Boddhisatvas (“saints”)  Charitable donations to monasteries regarded as pious activity

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 34 Spread of Mahayana Buddhism Mahayana (“greater vehicle”), newer development – competed with the concept of salvation (good works)  Buddha seen as religious figure creation of religion  India, China, Japan, Korea, central Asia Hinayana (“lesser vehicle,” also Theravada), earlier version – traditional, considered for the wealthy (personal behavior – a philosophy)  Ceylon, Burma, Thailand

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 35 Nalanda Buddhist Monastery Quasi-university: Buddhism, Hindu texts, philosophy, astronomy, medicine Peak at end of Gupta dynasty Helped spread Indian thought  E.g. mathematical number zero

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 36 Emergence of Popular Hinduism Composition of epics from older oral traditions  Mahabharata  Ramayana Emphasis on god Vishnu and his incarnations

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 37 The Bhagavad Gita “Song of the Lord” Centuries of revisions, final form c. 400 CE Dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna during civil war

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 38 Hindu Ethics Emphasis on meeting class obligations (dharma) Pursuit of economic well-being and honesty (artha) Enjoyment of social, physical and sexual pleasure (kama) Salvation of the soul (moksha)

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 39 Popularity of Hinduism Gradually replaced Buddhism in India Gupta dynastic leaders extend considerable support

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 40 India and Islam Islamic introduction into India in the 8 th C. Indian pirates/Apology/ Iraq/Sind 711 – then to Punjab Pg. 242 Second wave of Islam due to Turkic speaking people – Mahmud of Ghazni (map pg 243) Mahmud = a strong ruler but turned off Hindu followers losing a lot of wealth in the process

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 41 India and Islam 12 th C – 1200’s Muslims held power in the form of Delhi sultanates Extends over Northern India Doesn’t immediately gain control over Deccan Plateau and surrounding area as they are fighting the Mongols under the rule of Genghis Kahn By 1320 – 1413 Sultanates in power until the rise of Tamerlane a Mongol khanate

Copyright © 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Permission Required for Reproduction or Display. 42 Islam and Indian Society Hinduism tolerated; however, non-Muslims paid a tax (common practice in other locations as well) Assignment: Briefly do a Venn Diagram comparing Islam to Hinduism