India Vocabulary Flashcards
Monsoon
A seasonal wind pattern that causes wet and dry seasons
Sanskrit
The most important language of ancient India
Caste System
The division of Indian society into groups based on rank, wealth, or occupation
Hinduism
The largest religion in India today. The main religion of India; it teaches that everything is part of a universal spirit called Brahman
Reincarnation
The process of rebirth. A Hindu and Buddhist belief that souls are born and reborn many times, each time into a new body.
Karma
In Buddhism and Hinduism, the effects that good or bad actions have on a persons’ soul
Jainism
An Indian religion based on the teachings of Mahavira that teaches that all life is sacred
The Buddha
The “Enlightened One”
Buddhism
A religion based on teachings of Buddah
Nirvana
In Buddhism, a state of perfect peach
Missionaries
Someone who works to spread religious beliefs
Chandragupta Maurya
A military leader in the 320s BC that seized control over the entire northern part of India
Asoka
Chandragupta’s grandson who became king. He was a strong ruler, the strongest of all the Mauryan emperors
Chandragupta II
In 375, Chandragupta II took control of the throne in India. Gupta society reached its high point during his rule. The entire empire continued to grow, eventually stretching all the way across northern India. The empire’s economy strengthened and people prospered.
Metallurgy
The science of working with metals
Hindu-Arabic Numerals
The number system we use today; it was created by Indian scholars during the Gupta dynasty
Inoculation
The practice of injecting a virus to help him or her to build a defense for a disease
Astronomy
The study of stars and planets
