SS8 – Asia01
- India
India
India is a large country that occupies most of a peninsula called the Indian subcontinent, sometimes called “South Asia”
India has been home to civilizations for over 3000 years and today is one of the world’s most populated countries.
Buddism is an Indian religion derived from Hinduism
India has a long history of conquerors and kings
Each conqueror of India has left its mark on its people and civilizations
It was the Aryans conquerors who introduce the caste social ranking system which is still used today
Greeks, Persians, Chinese and British have all ruled over part or all of the Indian subcontinent at one time.
SS8 – Asia01
- India
India
Directions: Read the attached article “India – A Brief History” by Bill Trickey and answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper.
1. Provide definitions for the following vocabulary words;
Caste SystemConvert LegacyCivil Disobedience
2. Answer the following questions using COMPLETE SENTENCES;
- What was the name of the Greek that invaded India in 325 B.C. and how did he influence India? (2mks for quality of response and inclusion of details)
- In your own words, describe the differences between the Hindu religion and Buddism. (2mks for quality of response and inclusion of details)
- Where did the Muslims come from and what is their legacy? (2mks for quality of response and inclusion of details)
- Who is Mohandis Gandhi and what did he do for the people of India and the rest of the world? (2mks for quality of response and inclusion of details)
- Use the map found on page 341 of your text or the internet to help you complete the attached map.
You will be marked out of 10 for your ability to label all of the major countries and water bodies of the Indian subcontinent, and for the quality of your work.
Total: ____/22
- On the map provided, label the following countries and major water bodies. You will be marked out of ten for accuracy and quality of work
Indian Subcontinent Countries
Afghanistan / Pakistan / China
Nepal / Bangladesh / India
Major Water Bodies
Arabian Sea / Indian Ocean
SS8 – Asia01
-India – A Brief History
India – A Brief History
The modern day country of India lies on the Indian subcontinent. India’s neighbours on the subcontinent include Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and off the southern tip of India is Sri Lanka.
India has been home to people and civilizations since 3000 B.C.. The first civilization on the subcontinent was called the Harappan Civilization and it lasted until around 2000 B.C.. The Harappans were mainly farmers, but created large cites, used a form of hieroglyphic writing and used bronze as a tool and for weapons.
After the Harappan civilization ended, India was invaded by land by first the Aryans in 1500 B.C. and then most notably by the Macedonian/Greek, Alexander the Great in 325 B.C.. Alexander didn’t stay very long though, he stayed a couple of years and then left for home, dying along the way in Babylon. Alexander did however, have a lasting effect on India. Alexander had left several thousand soldiers to keep an eye on the Indians and a number of these soldiers were educated scholars, writers, artists and sculptors. They built cities in Afghanistan and in the Indus Valley in India . Both the Greeks and Indians learned a lot about each other’s cultures during this time.
After Alexander, a man called Chandragupta, and his son created the Mauryan Empire. Chandragupta’s grandson Ashkota eventually inherited the empire, and it was Ashkota who is credited with converting the majority of Indians and others throughout South Asia at that time, to the ancient religion of Buddism. Although most Indians would turn back to Hinduism after Ashkota’s death and the collapse of the Mauryan Empire, Buddism is still followed by millions in Asia.
For the next 1000 years India was divided and ruled by a number of smaller kingdoms. The Guptan Kingdom was the largest and had the most influence at this time until the Muslims invaded in 1100 A.D.
The Muslims took control of most of northern India. Often when a conqueror comes to a new land, they often also bring their religion. History is also full of examples of how rulers enforced or try to convert the local people to their religious belief. This was perhaps one of the longest lasting legacies of the Persian Muslim invasion of the Indian subcontinent, the entrenchment of the Islamic faith. Modern day Islamic countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan can trace their roots back to the Muslim invasion of the Indian sub-continent in 1100 A.D..
The Muslims were to have the greatest influence in the Indian subcontinent until the arrival of the Europeans. First, with the Portuguese in 1502 and then eventually by the British who took controlling influence over India from the Portuguese in 1612. It was the British who would claim India as part of the British Empire and would control most of its peoples either directly or through smaller, regional kings.
India gained its full independence from foreign rule in 1947. Under pressure from the spiritual and political leadership of Mohandas Gandhi, the British surrendered control of both India and Pakistan. The British influence on India and Pakistan can still be seen today in their adoption of parliamentary democracy and by still being part of the British Commonwealth of Nations, along with Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Mohandas Gandhi was a great leader. Originally trained in London as a lawyer, Ghandhi eventually returned to India and through a philosophy of non-violence, won independence for India and its peoples. Today, Ghandi’s teachings of non-violence are followed by many and set the standard for peaceful civil disobedience around the world.