Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Discovered in 1921
Belonged to the bronze age
An area of about 1.3 mn sq km
Existed between 3300-1600 BC in three phases: early, mature and late phases
Sites
Town planning
o Grid system
The Indus people were the earliest to produce cotton
Aryans
Male dominated
Pastoral
Rig veda Consists of 10 mandalas (books): Book 1 and 10 are relatively new
Earliest specimen of Indo-European language: 2200 BC inscription in Iran. Later in the Hittite
inscriptions in Anatolia
Used ploughshare
Rajan king
Jainism
24 tirthankaras.
23rd: Parshavnath
Five doctrines: Do not violence, steal, lie, acquire property and do observe brahmacharya
Buddhism
1. Right observation
2. Right determination
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
6. Right exercise
7. Right memory
8. Right meditation
Do not
Used Pali
Gandhara Art
Kingdom Capital
Kapilavastu Piprahwa
Lichchhavis Vaishali
Mahajanpadas
Anga Champa
Kashi Varanasi
Koshala Shravasti
Mallas Kushinara
Vatsa/Vamsa Kaushambi
Avanti Ujjain (North)/ Mahishamati (South)
Magadha Rajgir (Girivraja)
Chedi/Cheti
Kuru
Panchala
Matsya
Surasena Mathura
Ashmaka
Gandhara
Kamboja
Vriji/Vajji Mithila
Satvanahanas Paithan
Pandya Madurai
Chola Puhar (kaveripattanam)
Chalyukyas Badami (Bijapur)
Pallavas Kanchi
Kadambas Vijayanti
Gangas Kolar
Literature
North-West India
Menander (Milinda) was the most famous Indo-Greek ruler.
Shakas
Parthians
Followed Shakas
Famous king: Gondophernes
o St. Thomas came during his reign
Kushans
Deccan
Satavahanas
South
Pandya
Chola
Cheras
Chalukyas
Badami (Bijapur)
Pulakesin II was the important ruler
Court poet Ravikirti wrote his eulogy in the Aihole inscription
Pallavas
One of the major revolt in the south was the Kalabhras revolt. It was so widespread that it could be
put down only through the joint efforts of the Pandyas, the Pallavas and the Chalukyas
Foreign Invasions
Major events
Book Author
Mudrarakshasa (play) Vishakhadatta
Indika Megasthenes
Milind Panho Buddhist literature of questions of Manender to
Nagarjuna
Buddhacharita Ashvaghosha
Saundarananda (Sanskrit kavya) Ashvaghosha
Mahavastu (Buddhist-hybrid Sanskrit)
Travelers
Philosophy
Six schools
Mauryan officers
Rajukas a class of officers appointed by Ashoka for administration of justice
Dhammamahamatras officers of Ashoka for propagating dharma among various social groups
Sangam was an assembly of Tamil poets held under royal patronage in Madurai
Compiled around 300-600 AD
Can be divided into two groups: narrative and didactic
Narrative: Melkanakku (or Eighteen Major Works)
Didactic: Kilkanakku (Eighteen minor works)
Silappadikaram and Manimekalai are Tamil epics
Misc
Guptas
After the fall of Kushans and Satvahanas in mid 3rd century AD
Perhaps of Vaishya origin
Chandragupta 1- Samudragupta Chandragupta II Kumargupta - Skandagupta
Capital: Patliputra
Chandragupta I
o Started the Gupta era in AD 319-20
Samudragupta (aka Napoleon of India)
o Delighted in violence and conquest
o Court poet: Harishena
Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) [375-415 AD]
o Exercised indirect influence over the Central Indian kingdom of Prabhavati through
his daughter
o Ujjain was his second capital
o Navratnas
o Kalidasa, Varahmira and Amarsimha were at his court
o Fa-hsien visited India
Royal seal: Garuda
Decline in long distance trade
Emergence of priestly landlords
Position of shudras improved
Subordination of women
Buddhism did not receive royal patronage
Golden age of ancient India
o Ajanta Paintings <not by Guptas but mostly during their period>
o Nalanda university flourished
o 13 plays written by Bhasa
o Mrichchhakatika Shudraka
o Kalidasa
o Plays were mostly comic
o Ramayana and Mahabharata compiled
o Development of Sanskrit Grammar
o Aryabhatiya Aryabhatta
o Romaka Sidhanta book on astronomy
Was poor in architecture
Huna invasion made the empire weak
Harshavardhana
After the fall of Guptas
Capital: Kanauj
Banabhatta: court poet (wrote Harshacharita)
Ran the administration on similar lines as Guptas
Law and order: not well maintained
Nalanda flourished as a centre of Buddhist learning
Became a great parton of Buddhism (was a Shaiva earlier)
Convened a grand assembly as Kanauj to widely publicise the doctrines of Mahayana
Authored three dramas: Priyadarshika, Ratnavali and Nagananda