Chapter 9 India Flashcards
Kingdom of magadha
By 500 BCE it was the most important state in ne India
Megasthenes
Ambassador for and representative of the selucid empire
Chandragupta Maurya
In late 320 BCE he laid the foundation for the Mauryan empire, first state to bring central gov to India
Mauryan empire
First empire to bring unified rule to India
Ashoka
Chandraguptas grandson brought Mauryan empire to its highest point
Bactria
Thriving commerce center established in 3rd century BCE
Kushan
Nomadic conquers attacked Bactrian empire
Chandra Gupta
Established the Gupta empire in 320 BCE
Gupta empire
Left gov in hands of allies, split in 5th century CE due to nomads
White Huns
Nomads that provided defense for Gupta empire, took resources and weakened the empire
Caste system
Social ranking based on standards
Jati
Sub castes based on occupation
Jainism
Belief that vardharna abandoned his worldly goods and taught detachment from the world. Believed that everything had a soul
Siddhartha Gautama
Born in 563 BCE left comfort to live holy, aka the Buddha
Buddhism
Idea that decay is eminent and one should live without worldly things so they can reach nirvana
4 noble truths
Idea that in order to end suffering, one must give up desire
Noble eightfold path
Called individuals to reject devotion to luxury and regimes of extreme acetism
Nirvana
State of perfect spiritual independence
Dharma(Buddhist)
Basic doctrine shared by Buddhists
Stupas
Shrines holding relics of Buddha
Bodhisattva
Individuals that reached nirvana but stayed behind to help
Mahayana Buddhism
Believed to carry more people to enlightenment
Theravada Buddhism
Strict Buddhism
Mahabharata
Poem depicting civil war for control of north India
Bhugavadgita
Song of the lord, depicts expectations of Hinduism
Dharma(Hinduism)
Obedience to religious and moral laws
Kama
Enjoyment of pleasure
