Ancient- Go Prep

8/11/2019 Ancient- Go Prep

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Indus Valley Civilization

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

Early (pre-Harappan) Mature (Harappan) Late phase (post-urban)

Harappa

Mohenjodaro

Chanhu-daro

Lothal

Kalibangan Kalibangan

Banawali Banawali (Hissar)

Sutkagendor (Pakistan)

Sukotada (Gujarat)

Dholavira (Kutch) Dholavira Dholavira

Rakhigarhi (Ghaggar) Rakhigarhi Rakhigarhi

Bhagwanpura

Manda (Jammu); Chandigarh,

Shangol (Punjab); Daulatpur,

Mitthal (Haryana); Alamgirpur.

Hulas (West UP)

Site Remarkable Feature

Sutkagendor Surkotada Marked by a citadel

Mohenjo-daro Great Bath;

Large granary

Impressive drainage system

Piece of woven cotton

Mother GoddessSeal of pashu-pati

Kalibangan Grain and plough

Town planning

Grid system

The Indus people were the earliest to produce cotton

Aryans


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Male dominated

Pastoral

Horse was a significant animal

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

1500 BC came to India

Sindhu is the river par excellence for them

Saraswati is the best of the rivers in Rig Veda

Panchajana five tribes into which Aryans were divided

Used ploughshare

Land did not form a well-established type of private property

Metal working was known

Rajan king

Samiti, sabha, vidatha,gana tribal assembly

Jainism

24 tirthankaras.

First: Rishab Dev

23rd: Parshavnath

Mahavir (599 BC 527 BC) or (540 BC 468 BC)

In Kundagrama near Vaishali

Father Siddartha (Jnatrika clan)

Mother Trishala (sister of Lichchhavi chief Chetaka)


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Died at Pavapuri near Rajgir

Five doctrines: Do not violence, steal, lie, acquire property and do observe brahmacharya

Did not condemn the varna system

Triratna: right knowledge, right faith, right action

Spread to Kalinga in first century BC. King Kharavela

Used Prakrit language. Literature written in Ardhamagadhi

Prepared the grammar of Apabhramsha

Contributed to the growth of Kannada

Buddhism

563 483 BC Lumbini, Kapilavastu, Nepal. Shakya family.

Suddhodan and Mahamaya

Death: Kushinagar (Kasia in Deoria distt of UP)

Eight-fold path (for end of misery)

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

1. Covet others property

2. Commit violence

3. Lie

4. Use intoxicants

5. Indulge in corrupt practices

No god or atman exists


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Used Pali

Main elements of Buddhism: Buddha, Sangha, Dhamma

Brahamana ruler Pashyamitra Shunga persecuted the Buddhists

Mihirakula (Huna king) killed Buddhists

Buddhist text: Suttanipata

Gandhara Art

First human statues worshipped

Barabar hills: Caves for monks

Territorial States

Kingdoms and Capitals

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


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Surasena Mathura

Ashmaka

Gandhara

Kamboja

Vriji/Vajji Mithila

Satvanahanas Paithan

Pandya Madurai

Chola Puhar (kaveripattanam)

Chalyukyas Badami (Bijapur)

Pallavas Kanchi

Kadambas Vijayanti

Gangas Kolar

First Magadhan Empire

Dyansty Ruler Remark

Haryanka Bimbisara Contemporary of Buddha

Ajatsatru

Udayin Built fort on the confluence of

Ganga and Son at Patna

Shishunagas - Destroyed the power of Avanti

Nandas (most powerful rulersof Magadha)

Mahapadma Nanda

Mauryas (Patliputra)

Mauryas had a very elaborate

bureaucracy

Chandragupta Maurya Megasthenes visited during

his time

Bindusara Links with Greek princes

Ashoka Buddhism

ShungaPushyamitra Shunga Destroyed the Mauryan

empire. Killed Maurya king

Brihadratha

Balisadhaka tax collectors during the times of Nandas

Shaulkiki or shulkadhyakshas were also toll collectors


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Greek ambassador Heliodorus set up a piller in honor of Vasudeva near Vidisa.

Appointed governors called strategos

Deccan

Satavahanas

Succeeded Mauryas in Deccan

Brahmana rulers

Gautamiputra Satkarni (AD 106-130)

Vashishthiputra Pulimayi: Capital at Paithan

Started the practice of granting tax-free villages to Brahmanas and Buddhist Monks

Yajna Sri Satakarni

Chaityas (Buddhist temples) and Viharas (monastaries) were constructed during their

times

Most famous Chaitya at Karle in Deccan

Show trace of matrilineal social structure

Administration

Ahara district

Officials amatyas or mahamatras

Gaulmika head of a small military regiment and look after administration in rural

areas

Three grades of feudatories: raja, mahabhoja, senapati

Language: Prakrit

South

Pandya

Sent embassies to the Roman emperor Augustus

Chola

Elara conquered Sri Lanka

Karikala founded Puhar aka Kaveripatnam which was their capital

Cheras

Kerala and parts of TN

Senguttavan is the greatest king


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Roman influence: Muziris. Also built a temple of Augustus

Vellalas rich peasants

Arasar ruling class

Pariyars agricultural labourers

Shrent artisan guilds

Chalukyas

Badami (Bijapur)

Pulakesin II was the important ruler

Court poet Ravikirti wrote his eulogy in the Aihole inscription

Pallavas

They succeeded the Ikshvakus

Kanchipuram was their capital

Came in conflict with kadambas

Mayurasharman had founded the Kadamba kingdom (Capital: Vijayanti/Banavasi)

Nasrimhavarman occupied the Chalukya capital Vatapi in 642 AD

Assumed the title of Vatapikonda

Constructed a number of temples Ratha temples at Mahabs built by Narsimhavarman who founded Mahabs

Pattadakal: Papanatha temple and Virupaksha temple

Kailashnath temple at Kanchi

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

Three types of villages: Ur (commoners), Sabha (Brahmans), Nagaram (traders etc)

Foreign Invasions

Major events

326-325 BC Alexanders invasion


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Literature

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)

Divyavandan (Buddhist-hybrid Sanskrit)

KamsutraVatsyayana

Charaksamhita Charaka

Gathasaptasatti (Prakrit book)Hala (Satavahana king)

Tolkkappiyam (deals with grammar and

poetics)

Silappadikaram and Manimekalai are Tamil

epics

Natural History (Latin)Pliny (Roman writer)

MrichchhakatikaShudraka

AbhijnanashakuntalamKalidasa

AmarakoshaAmarasimha

Romaka Sidhanta (Astronomy)

Harshacharita

Banabhatta

Priyadarshika; Ratnavali; and Nagananda

(plays)

Harshavardhana

AstadhyayiPanini

MahabhashikaPatanjali

SuryasiddhantaA treatise on astronomy. Authorship disputed.

Brihatsamhita Varahmira (5th

CE)


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SushrutsamhitaSushrut (2ndCE)

CharaksamhitaCharak (2ndCE)

Travelers

Traveler During time of Work

Megasthenes (ambassador of

Seleucus)

Chandragupta Maurya Indika

Fa Hein Chandragupta Vikramaditya

Hsuan Tsang Harshavardhana

Pliny wrote Naturalis Historia

Philosophy

Six schools

School Philosophy Major proponent

Samkhaya Materialistic. No god. Later

turned spiritualistic.

Prakriti-Purusha. Salvation

through knowledge acquired

through pratyaksha, anumana,

shabda

Kapila

Yoga Slavation through meditation

and physical application

Nyaya System of logic. Salvation

through acquisition of

knowledge.

Vaisheshika Discussion of material

elements or dravya. Atom

theory. (beginning of physics).

Belief in god.

Mimansa Vedas contain the eternal

truth. Reasoning provided for

vedic rituals. Perform vedic

rites for salvation.

Vedanta Brahmasutra. Brahma is the

reality. Atma is identical with

Brahma.

Shankara (Advaita) born in

Kerala

Ramanuja (Vishistadvaita)

Shuddhadvaita (Vallabha)


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Lokayata Materialistic philosophy. Charavaka

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

Tirthas important functionaries

Samaharta highest officer for tax assessment

Sannidhata chief custodian of the state treasury

Sangam literature

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

Shataka was a special type of cloth made at Mathura

Artisan guilds were called shrents

Uttarapatha was a sea route most frequently in use

Gomat wealthy person

Guptas

After the fall of Kushans and Satvahanas in mid 3rdcentury AD

Perhaps of Vaishya origin

Chandragupta 1- Samudragupta Chandragupta II Kumargupta - Skandagupta

Capital: Patliputra

Chandragupta I

Started the Gupta era in AD 319-20

Samudragupta (aka Napoleon of India)


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Delighted in violence and conquest

Court poet: Harishena

Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) [375-415 AD]

Exercised indirect influence over the Central Indian kingdom of Prabhavati

through his daughter

Ujjain was his second capital

Navratnas

Kalidasa, Varahmira and Amarsimha were at his court

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

Ajanta Paintings

Nalanda university flourished

13 plays written by Bhasa

Mrichchhakatika Shudraka

Kalidasa

Plays were mostly comic

Ramayana and Mahabharata compiled

Development of Sanskrit Grammar

Aryabhatiya Aryabhatta

Romaka Sidhanta book on astronomy

Was poor in architecture

Huna invasion made the empire weak

Vishti forced labour by peasants for the army officials

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)


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Convened a grand assembly as Kanauj to widely publicise the doctrines of Mahayana

Authored three dramas: Priyadarshika, Ratnavali and Nagananda

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