Internet Web Quest on Language and Literature in Ancient India

Internet Web quest on Language and Literature in Ancient India

Learning Question: How did language and writing originate and change over time in Ancient India? How did literature teach and reflect the values of Ancient Indian society?

Directions: Investigate the literature of early India. Where did it come from? Which group of Indo-Europeans came riding over the Hindu Kush mountains, moved into the IndusValley, and subjugated the indigenousDravidian population? Find out the answers to these and the other questions through your web quest.(If you don’t know what these words mean, look them up.) Check your text book as well as the web resources. These writings provide the basis for the Hindu religion. Write down your answers on the right side of your interactive notebook.

Vocabulary: Dravidian, Aryan, Rig Veda, Vedas, Upanishads, Sanskrit, caste, soma

1) Click on this link to find out about the Rig Veda. Read some of the hymns.

• What is the Rig Veda?
• With which group of people did it originate?
• What are the hymns about?
• Who are the gods being praised in these hymns?
• What can we learn about the Aryan culture which assimilated with the Harappan culture,eventually replacing it, from these hymns?

2) Check out this web site for more information on the Vedas and the Upanishads.

• What was soma? What part did it play in religious rituals?
• What are the Vedas? What are they about?
• What are the Upanishads? Who wrote them? What are they about?
• What was the written language developed through this sacred literature? Is this language still in use today?
• Where can we find the first evidence of the development of the caste system?
• Where does it mention the color of skin as part of the caste divisions?
• Which culture group placed themselves in the upper castes? Which culture group was relegated to the lower castes?

3) Click on this link to find out about the Law book of Manu*. Skim through these laws and answer the following questions.

• Make a brief list of the situations covered within these laws?
• What were some of the main concepts contained in these laws?
• How did this law code compare with the law code of Hammurabi?
• Based on these laws how did this early Indian culture view women?
• Can you find evidence of social classes?

*Manu: The primordial father of the human race and sovereign of the earth who first instituted religious ceremonies and devised a code of laws. (according to Indian mythology)