Indian Achievemen

tsChapter 19, Section 5

Main Ideas:1. Indian artists created great works of

religious art.2. Sanskrit literature flourished during

the Gupta period.3. The Indians made scientific advances

in metalwork, medicine, and other sciences.

The Big Idea:• The people of ancient India made great

contributions to the arts and sciences.

Key Terms• Metallurgy- the science of working with metals• Alloys- mixtures of two or more metals• Hindu-Arabic numerals- the numbering system

invented by Indian mathematicians and brought to Europe by Arabs; the numbers we use today

• Inoculation- a method of injecting a person with a small dose of a virus to help him or her build up defenses to a disease

• Astronomy- the study of stars and planets

Religious Art: Temples

• Early Hindu temples were small, stone structures.

• During the Gupta period, temple architecture became more complex.

• Buddhist temples were just as impressive and frequently built them out of mountainsides.

• The most impressive were at Ajanta and Ellnore.

Religious Art: Temples

• Another type of Buddhist temple was the stupa.

• Stupas had domed roofs and were built to house sacred items from the life of Buddha

Religious Art: Paintings and

Sculpture

• Painting was a respected profession in the Gupta period.

• Paintings were signed by the person who paid for them.

• Most paintings were clear and colorful. • Some give a glimpse of daily life and

ceremonies during this time period.

Religious Art: Paintings and

Sculpture • Hindu artists painted hundreds of gods

on temple walls.

• Buddhists covered the walls and ceilings of temples with scenes of the life of Buddha.

Religious Art: Paintings

and Sculptures• Many sculptures were made for

Buddhist cave temples. • They carved statues of kings and

Buddha.

• Hindu temples made statues of their gods. Some walls were completely covered with sculptures.

Sanskrit Literature: Religious Epics

• Two great epics were written in this time period.

• Mahabharata: • Longest piece of literature ever written• Includes long passages about Hindu beliefs.• Famous passage= Bhagavad

• Ramayana:• This is a story of a prince named Rama who is

the god Vishnu in human form and lives a perfect life.

Sanskrit Literature: Other Works

• Writers during this period also created plays, poetry, and other pieces of literature.

• A famous writer named Kalidasa was so brilliant that Candra Gupta II hired him to write plays for the court.

• A collection of stories called Panchatantra contained lessons that praised people for cleverness and quick thinking. • This became popular in Europe when it was

translated.

From Panchatantra:• “The good and bad of given schemes

• Wise thought must first reveal:

• The stupid heron saw his chicks

• Provide a mongoose meal”

-translated by Arthur Williams Ryder

Scientific Advances: Metalworking

• Metallurgy- the science of working with metals.

• They also knew the process of mixing metals.• Alloys- mixtures of two or more

metals.

• They made strong products out of iron.

• Iron Pillar near Delhi

Medicine• Medical sciences advanced during this time

period.• They wrote down what they learned in textbooks. • They described how to use plants and minerals

for medicine.• Inoculation- the practice of injecting a person

with a small does of a virus to help him or her build a defense to the disease.

• They performed surgeries!

Scientific Advances: Mathematics and other

Sciences • Hindu-Arabic numerals- the

numbers that we use today!

Astronomy• Astronomy is the study of the stars and planets. • They knew that there were seven of the nine

planets.• They knew the sun was a star and that the

planets revolved around the sun. • They knew that the earth was a sphere and spun

on an axis.• They could predict the eclipses of the sun and

moon.

Summary of Hinduism:

• Hindus believe in the divinity of the Vedas. • Hindus believe in one supreme creator of the universe.

(Many gods within a larger god)• Hindus believe that the universe has an endless cycles

of creation, life and death.• Hindus believe in karma.• Hindus believe in reincarnation.• Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen

worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments as well as personal devotionals create a communion with these devas and Gods.

• Hindus believe in discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry and meditation.

• Hindus believe in nonviolence.• http

://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Hinduism/2000/06/A-Summary-Of-What-Most-Hindus-Believe.aspx#DTBQzzEOSvxSVHYW.99

Summary of Buddhism:

• Based on the life of Buddha, also called the "Enlightened One.”

• After he became enlightened, he taught that the way to eliminate suffering begins with understanding the true nature of the world (Four Noble Truths about suffering).

• However, the Buddha considered knowledge important only insofar as it remains practical.

• Buddhist should focus on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

• Buddhists are nonviolent and do not want to harm life.