a large land mass, that is part of a continent but is considered either georgraphically or politically as an independent entity.
Indo-Aryans
of, relating to, or being a member of an Indic-speaking people
Deccan Plateau
a vast plateau in India encompassing most of Central and Southern India (where cotton grows)
Khyber Pass
a narrow pass about 3000 km long through mountains on the border between eastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. It has been a trade/invasion route
Mohenjo-Daro
a ruined prehistoric city of Pakistan in the Indus River Valley northeast of Karachi. Dates to 3000 BC
Harappa
a locality in the Indus River valley of the Punjab in Pakistan. Includes remains of a well laid out city that indicates a possible link between Indian and Sumerian cultures. 3rd millennium BC
Hinduism (Hindu)
the predominant religion of India; characterized by a caste system and belief in reincarnation
reincarnation
rebirth of the soul to another body
caste system
social sturcture in which classes are determined by heredity.
Brahman
a member of the highest of the four major castes of thraditional Indian society. Responsible fo studying/teaching the Vedas, officiating a religious rite
Kshatriyas
responsible for upholding justice and social harmony including people in governing and military positions
Vaisyas
comprising farmers, herders, merchants, and businessmen
Sudras
comprising artisans, laborers, and menials
Untouchables or Pariahs
a social outcast; untouchable. Considered unclean and defiling by the Hindu castes
Karma
the effect of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation.
Rajah
a prince, chief, or ruler in India or the Eastern Indies
Maharajah
King of Kings
Vedas
any of the oldest and most authoritative Hindu sacred texts, composed in sanskrit and gathered into four collections (songs and chants of the Hindu religion)
Vedic Age
the time period of which sanskrit was written
Upanishads
any of a group of philosophical treatises contributing to the teology of ancient hinduism, elaborating on the earlier Vedas
Buddha
Indian mystic and founder of Buddhism
Buddhism
the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire -- wisdom and meditation releasing
nirvana
the effable ultimate in which one has attained disinterested wisdom and compassion
Sanskrit
an ancient Indic language that is the language of Hinduism and the Vedas and is the classical literary language of India.
Silk Road
an ancient trade route between china and the Mediterranean Sea
Indus River
an Asian River flows into the Arabian Sea
Ganges River
an Asian river that rises in the Himalayas and flows east into the Bay of Bengal, a sacred river of the Hindus
Mauryas
Indian dynasty founded in 321 BC by Chandragupta Maurya which unified the subcontinent for the first time and contributed to the spread of Buddhism .
Guptas
a Hindu dynasty that ruled most of northern India from 320-520 under which the arts flourished and a unified code of laws were put into effect; This period is regarded as the golden age of Indian culture.
Huns
a member of a nomadic pastoral people who invaded Europe in the fourth and fifth centuries AD
Asoka
King of Magadha who united most of the Indian subcontinent under one rule and was converted to Buddhism, adopting it as the state religion
rajput
a member of any of several powerful Hindu landowning and military lineages inhabiting northern and central India
Himalayan Mountains
a mountain system of south-central Asia extending through Kashmir, northern India, Tibet,Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan
Hindu Kush
a mountain range of southwest Asia extending from northern Pakistan to northeastern Afghanistan
Western and Eastern Ghats
two mountain ranges of southern India separated by the Deccan Plateau
Kashmir
a historical region of northwest India and northeast Pakistan
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