3.2 Kingdom of the Ganges

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3.2 Kingdom of the Ganges
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• I. Aryan Civilization
• A. Aryans Indo-European people who migrated
  across Europe and Asia to find water and pastures
• 1. early Aryans left no statues, built no
  cities
• 2. we know about them because of Vedas
  collection of prayers, hymns and other religious
  teachings
• a. Aryan priests memorized the Vedas for 1000s
  of years before they wrote it down
• b. According to the Vedas, Aryans were
  warriors who fought in chariots with bows and
  arrows. They loved eating drinking, music and
  dice games. Valued cattle because they provided
  them with food and clothing

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• II. Aryan Society
• A. According to the Vedas, Aryans were divided
  by occupation.
• 1. 3 basic groups
• a. Brahmins (priests)
• b. Kshatriyas (kuh SHAT ree yuhz, warriors)
• c. Vaisyas (vis yuhz, herders/farmers,
  artisans and merchants)
• 2. Priests had ultimate power
• a. claimed the Brahmin alone could conduct
  ceremonies needed for the gods

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• B. Aryans felt superior to the Dravidians
  (people they conquered)
• 1. Aryans separated the Dravidians and
  non-Aryans into a 4th group called Sudras
• a. Sudras also included the lowest level of
  society servants, laborers and farmworkers
• C. their class system was a complex system of
  caste (social groups into which people are born
  and which they cannot change)

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• III. Aryan Religious Beliefs
• A. polytheistic worshipped gods of natural
  force (sky, sun, storm and fire)
• 1. Fierce Indra (god of war) was the chief
  Aryan deity
• B. some moved towards one god Brahman, resided
  in all things
• C. move towards mysticism mystics devoted their
  lives to seeking spiritual truth
• D. they used meditation and yoga to seek direct
  communication with divine forces

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• IV. Expansion and Change
• A. Aryan tribes were led by chiefs called rajahs
• 1. most skilled war leader
• 2. elected by assembly of warriors
• 3. ruled with advice of council of elders
• B. Aryans mingled with conquered people and
  eventually gave up nomadic life and settled to
  farm and breed cattle
• C. colonized the Ganges Basin
• D. learned to make iron tools

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• E. tribal leaders fought to control trade and
  territory
• F. rajahs became powerful and made rule
  hereditary
• 1. walled their cities
• G. by 500 BC a new Indian civilization emerged
  and it consisted of many rival kingdoms
• 1. people had a shared culture in both Aryan
  and Dravidians traditions
• 2. by this time, Indian priests had developed a
  written language, Sanskrit and they began
  writing down sacred texts

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• V. Epic Literature
• A. still had a strong oral tradition and
  memorized
• B. 2 epic poems
• 1. Mahabharata is Indias greatest epic
  100,000 verses and depicts battles
• 2. Ramayana hero Rama and his beautiful bride
  Sitashes kidnapped and its the story of her
  rescue

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• VI. Aryan traditions are the basis of Indian
  civilization and their religious beliefs evolved
  into Hinduism and Buddhism