Ancient India Flashcards
Himalayas
They are the highest mountains in the world.
Subcontinent
It is a large landmass that is smaller than a continent.
Indus
It is the river which provided life for India’s civilizations.
Monsoon
Are seasonal wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons.
Seal
They are stamped images that show pictures of humans and animals.
Vedas
Are a collection of poems, hymns, myths, and rituals that were passed down orally and later written down
Vedic
Is the time period around 2000 BC
Raja
Is a king who rules a village and the land around it.
Grama
Is a group of families that live in a community.
Sanskrit
It is the most important language of ancient India.
Brahman
Is the force behind everything.
Atman
Is the soul or self of an individual.
Brahmins
They are the priests.
Kshatriyas
They are the rulers and warriors.
Vaisyas
They are farmers, craftspeople, and traders.
Varna
Is the social class divisions.
Caste system
Is the division of Indian society into groups based on a person’s birth, wealth, and occupation.
Untouchables
The group that was the lowest in the caste system.
Hinduism
It is the most practiced religion in India, it is based on the vedas, the upanishads, and other vedic texts.
Brahma
Is the creator god in Hinduism
Shiva
Is the destroyer god in Hinduism.
Vishnu
Is the preserver god in Hinduism
Reincarnation
Is the process of rebirth.
Karma
It is the effects that good or bad actions have on a person’s soul
Dharma
It is the set of spiritual duties to fulfill, it is the guidelines for living according to Hinduism.
Moksha
It is the release from the cycle of life.
Yoga
It is a series of physical and mental exercises in Hinduism.
Sanskaras
They are the rites of passage to prepare a person for a certain event or for their next stage in life.
Jainism
It is an ancient religion that was made up of the teachings of Mahavira.
Non violence
It is the avoidance of violent actions
Guru
It is a spiritual teacher
Sikhism
t is a monotheistic religion, the ultimate goal is to be reunited with God after death.
Fasting
It is going without food
Meditation
It is the focusing of the mind on spiritual ideas
Buddha
He is the Enlightened one
Buddhism
It is one of the major religions of India, it follows the teachings of Buddha
Nirvana
It is a state of perfect peace.
Missionaries
They are people who work to spread their religious beliefs
Vassa
It is the rainy season
Ramayana
It is a great epic poem about Rama and Sita
Mahabharata
It is a great epic poem about the struggle between two families for control of the kingdom. (The Great Story of India)
Panchatantra
It is a book with a collection of stories intended to teach life lessons.
Metallurgy
It is the science of working with metals
Hindu-Arab numerals
It is a number system based on Hindu numbers taken to Europe by the Arabs.
Inoculation
It is the injection of a small dose of a virus to help people build up defenses to a disease.
Astronomy
It is the study of the stars and planets.
Harappan
It was the civilization in India
Aryans
Group of people that arrived to the Indus valley from central Asia and spoke an Indo-European language.
Mahavira
He was an Indian prince who gave up his luxury to become a monk.
Siddhartha Gautama
He was the founder and religious teacher of Buddhism. He is also known as “Buddha” which means “awakened one”
Chandragupta Maurya
He was a great military leader in 320 BC, he conquered northern India, and was the founder of the Mauryan empire.
Asoka
He was the grandson of Maurya, he was a strong ruler, he extended the Mauryan Empire.
Chandra Gupta II
He led the Gupta Empire in 375 during its height.
The similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism
Buddhism and Hinduism agree on karma, dharma, moksha and reincarnation.
The differences between Hinduism and Buddhism
They are different in that Buddhism rejects the priests of Hinduism, the formal rituals, and the caste system. Buddha urged people to seek enlightenment through meditation.
Name the social hierarchy of Ancient India.
There were four classes in the caste system: Brahmins (priests and scholars), Kshatriyas (kings, governors, and warriors), Vaishyas (cattle herders, agriculturists, artisans, and merchants), and Shudras (laborers and service providers).
