Background:
Indus River civilization (2300 BC)
Harappa [now on Pakistan land]
Very advanced people
Vedic Age (c. 1500 to 800 BC)
Nomadic tribes after Harappan culture
Aryans
Came from Central Asia
Settled plains of Indus and Ganges Rivers
Culture known mostly from the Vedas
Vedas: hymns tell of people, gods, evolution of society and caste system
Still part of Hinduism
Soon followed beginning of Buddhism and Jainism
Mauryas and Guptas (large empires)
Mauryan Empire (322-185 BC)
Beginning: Chandragupta Maurya [warrior king]
East to Northwest
Defeated one of the generals of Alexander the Great
Ashoka (grandson of Chandragupta): greatest Mauryan ruler
Strongly influenced by Buddhism
Broke up into smaller kingdoms
Gupta Empire (4th century AD)
Chandragupta I
Hindu King
“Golden Age”-more than 400 years
No single dynasty for more than a thousand years
Turmoil because of competing powers
Huns overran Gupta Empire and created rule
End of 5th Century AD
Didn’t last long
Southern India was going well
Mughals
Great medieval dynasty
Babur=1st ruler
Descendants ruled for over 200 years
End of 17th century covered most of the country
Aurangzeb=last great emperor (died 1707)
Mughal Empire declined
Soon replaced by the British
Trade with Europe since 14th Century by Arab merchants
Turks control of Constantinople stopped trade
Vasco da Gama
Portuguese
Reached India in 1498
English, Dutch and French followed
British-Indian Colony
Spread control over India
Britain was weakened by World War II and Mahatma Gandhi’s strong leadership and nonviolent resistance led to Indian Independence in 1947
(Chatterjee)

Religion:
Hinduism: 82%
Islam: 12%
Christianity: 2.5%
Sikhism: 2%
Buddhism: 0.7%
Jainism: 0.5%
Zoroastrianism: 0.01%
Judaism: 0.0005%

Hinduism:
Polytheistic Aryan religion changed to Hinduism
Based on the Vedas “Books of Knowledge”
Believes in reincarnation, dharma, karma, ahimsa and moksha

The Caste System
Varna-social class
Brahmans (priests)
Kshatriyas (warriors + rulers)
Vaisyas (commoners)
Sundras (servants)
Pariahs (slaves)
Classes were hereditary
Each had its own duties and occupations
Restrictions on diet, marriage, living and social customs
(Rowe)

Islam:
Introduced in 11th Century
Indian Muslims are in a lower class in society
Muslims ruling families:
Hindu warriors
Descendants of Muslim rulers
Two main sects:
Sunni
Shia
(Daniel)

Christianity:
Introduced about the same time it spread to Europe
St. Judas Thomas converted Indians
Arrived in 52 AD in Kerala
Later there were other saints as missioners
Most Indians converted in 15th Century
Missionaries arrived with European powers
About 30 million Christians in India
Main divisions:
Protestants
Catholics
Most converted by the Portuguese
(Daniel)

Sikhism:
A newer religion
Created by Guru Nanak
Includes other beliefs:
Hinduism
Karma, reincarnation
Islam
1 God
Tried to destory caste system
Everyone has equal rights
Rejects pilgrimage, fasting, superstitions, etc
Readers and singers in temples
Community service and helps the needy
Militant tradition
(Daniel)

Buddhism:
Siddhartha Gautama
Founder of Buddhism
Called “Enlightened One” (Buddha)
Hated Varna class system
Didn’t believe in Hindu gods
Had four noble truths
Followed the Eightfold Path to Enlightenment
1. know the truth 2. resist evil 3. say nothing to hurt others 4. respect life 5. work for the good of others 6. free your mind of evil 7. control your thoughts 8. meditate
Two different branches:
Theravada: Buddha is a teacher
Mahayana: Buddha is a savior
(Rowe)

Jainism:
Same time period as Buddhism
Mahavira (500 BC)
Belonged to warrior caste
Jina “big winner”-name of religion
Similar to Buddhism
Non-violence is the main thing
Believes that everything has life (even non-living things)
Vegetarians
Two philosophies:
Shvetember
Monks wear white clothes
Includes women
Digamber
Monks don’t wear clothes
They don’t leave the temples
Only men
(Daniel)

Zoroasrianism:
Small community (mostly in Mumbai)
6th or 7th Century BC
Followers exiled from Iran (7th Century AD)
Arrived in India
1 God
War between good (light) and evil (darkness)
Fire =light=good
Has big contributions to India
(Daniel)

Judaism:
Divided into many communities
Has its own culture, background and origin
Three main groups:
Bene Israel
Cochini
Baghdadi
(Daniel)

Holidays:
There are many holidays celebrated in India due to the fact that there are many religions. Also more than one religion may celebrate the same holiday, just in different ways.
Three big holidays are:
Holi
Diwali (Deepawali)
Christmas

Holi “Festival of Colors”

Legend of Hiranyakashipu (demon king)
Hiranyakashipu wanted to be king of heaven, earth and the underworld
He was granted a boon: invincibility
He then ordered the kingdom to worship him
His son, Prahalad, continued to worship Vishnu
Hiranyakashipu then asked his sister Holika (who’s immune to fire) to burn Prahalad
Prahalad lived because of his faith in Vishnu, while Holika died
Prahala=good
Holika=evil
This legend is reenacted on Holi-eve

Legend of Krishna (color)
Krishna is a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu
Krishna is the king of Dwarka (an ancient city)
Color and “fun” come from the pranks Krishna and his friends played

Joyous Hindu holiday
Feast of colors
Holi=burning
Bonfires are used to burn evil spirits
Colorful celebrations, bonfires, cultural programs and spring rites
(Holi)

Diwali (Deepawali) “Festival of Lights”:
Can last up to 5 days
Decorate home and work with tiny electric lights or small clay oil lamps
Symbolizes victory of righteousness and lifting of spiritual darkness

Some religions have different ways to celebrate Diwali:
Hindu:
Diwali is one of the most popular Hindu holidays
Celebrates Lord Rama’s return to his kingdom after exile
Goddess Lakshmi (wealth and prosperity) is worshipped
South India celebrates the conquering of Asura Naraka

Buddhism:
Anniversary of Emperor Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism

Jainism:
Anniversary of Mahavira’s achievement of nirvana
Mahavira established central spiritual ideas of Jainism.
Celebrate festival of light in his honor

Sikh:
Celebration of 6th Nanak’s return from detention in Gwalior Fort
Lights, lamps and fire=physical and spiritual aspects of light
(Diwali/Deepavali)

Christmas:
Not only celebrated by Christians
First introduced with the Europeans
Customs and festivals stayed after India’s Independence
On December 25th
People get ready a week before
Midnight Mass
On Christmas Eve and is very important
Churches decorated with Poinsettia and candles
After Mass is a feast
Presents are given to each other
Nativity plays are at many schools and church Christmas morning
Father Christmas (Santa Claus) gives presents to kids from a horse and cart
Christmas Baba-Hindi
Christmas Thaathaa-Tamil
(Christmas)

Indian Food:
Each religion has its own style of cooking
Mughals: exotic spices, dried fruit, nuts and creamy sauces
Kashmir: kormas and rice pulaos
South India: coconut and curry leaves
Hindus: rarely eat beef; vegetarians
Muslims: don’t eat pork

Chutneys and curries are popular
Dosa-thin folded pancake
Idlis-steamed rice cakes
Dal-type of lentil soup
(Chatterjee)

Traditional Clothing:
Color, grace and uniqueness
Women:
Sari=feminism
Silk/synthetic
Embroidered or printed designs
Cloth 5-6 yards
Choli
Short blouse worn with a sari or ghagra
Ghagra
Skirt with pleats
Cottons, silk or synthetic
Salwar-Kameez
Pants and long shirt
Dupatta
Thin cotton or synthetic
Covers head and cest
Men:
Comfort rather than style
Pyjama and Kurta
(Traditional)

Here is some news from early December 2000: DadÂ’s work in Eritrea: Our trip to Eritrea is sponsored by Fulbright. This is an educational exchange through the US State Department. Fulbright funds teaching and research exchanges throughout the world. My work in Eritrea is both teaching and research. As a teacher, I lecture in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Asmara. The faculty in Animal Science is truly international. We have three Eritreans: the Department Head received his PhD at Cornell, and the veterinary pathologist just finished his PhD in the Netherlands. In addition to the Eritreans, we have an Englishman, a Canadian, an Italian, an Indian and an American (dad). The Department has its first group of six graduate students doing Masters of Science project. I am currently advising these students, and some other in our and other departments, on how to design and conduct research projects and on how to write a thesis. It is particularly difficult for the students to obtain up-to-date scientific information, as libraries lack resources and internet service is impractically slow. In addition, I teach a course to undergraduates in research proposal writing and offer nutrition lectures as part of several animal science courses. In my own research, I work with the Ministry of Agriculture and a number of international organizations to develop projects for the livestock industry of Eritrea.

Nicholas, Olivia and Joseph attend the Asmara International Community School. Classes are small. Nick: I have eight classmates, including an Israeli, a German-Eritrean, Saudi-Eritrean, and an Italian. My teacher is Canadian, and our art teacher is Russian. I am taking courses in language arts, social studies, math, reading, and French. My after school activities are soccer (called football) and floor hockey. My closest friends are here because their dads are the Israeli consular and UN deminer from Germany. A deminer works to remove land mines left over from war. I think that school is too easy, but life is so different here that IÂ’m never bored. It seems like there are too many holidays, including 25 days for Christmas. The food is really different, so I am grateful that we recently bought food from Americans who were leaving.