Danielle Steussy

Spring Quarter, 2010

“The Story of India”

Questions and Answers

In dus Valley

1. What have archaeologists found at Harrapa and Mohenjo-Daro that indicate that the cities were part of an advanced
civilization?
In 1921, British and Indian archaeologists searched the dried-up tributary of the Indus River only to find indications of
industry, trade, and high-level organizations. They estimated that this economy was booming around the time of the
building of the pyramids in Egypt, indicating a quite advanced civilization for the time.

2. While the monsoon winds are an essential part of Indian trade and agricultural history, what problems can they cause?
The monsoons actually created civilization in India; however, when the monsoons failed, so did the civilizations. When
the seasons would go without monsoons, the rivers that the agriculture depended on so heavily would dry up, drying up
all civilizations along with it. For India and the rest of the world, the environment and climate shape the human story in
the long run.

3. In ancient times, climate change may have caused Indus Valley cities to have been abandoned. What changes to civilizations
and cities might modern climate change bring?
As mentioned earlier, the environment and climate shape the human story in the long run. It was evident how much
native Indians depended on the environment in the past and that dependence on the earth has not changed. In modern
times, we are experiencing climate changes that are shaping how the earth is managed for human survival. Ocean levels
are rising are wiping out islands and engulfing land. Massive droughts are drying out the land, making agriculture suffer.
These climate changes are changing society’s mindset on its dependence on the earth.

The G anges Ri ver

1. Why did the Ganges River become such an important part of Hinduism? How do Hindus show their reverence for the
Ganges River?
Varanasi, the holy city of Hinduism is located along the Ganges River, which in turn has given the Ganges River
significant religious importance to Hindu practitioners. For Hindus, the river is much more than a river. It is culture, a
goddess, and a healer. Many Hindus show reverence for the river by scattering the ashes of their loved ones in the river. In
addition, most bathe in the river at least once in their lifetime to shed themselves of sin and to heal ailments.

3. How are Hinduism and the caste system connected? While India outlawed the caste system at independence, why do
problems persist?
In Varanasi, the holy city for the Hindu religion (as well as for Buddhists and Jains), Hinduism was the core of the caste
system. The caste system fixes where you belong to create a mutually sustaining system—everyone has their role in the
system and depends on everyone else in their own ways. In the system, order is vital to maintain a functioning society and
people must know their order. Problems still persist because the caste system plays such an important role in Hinduism.
As long as the Hindu religion remains present in India, the caste system will be nearly impossible to eliminate.

Tam il Nad u

1. Why did the British find the region so valuable?

Marco Polo called Tamil Nadu the “most splendid province on Earth.” It deserved this title through its bountiful
production of rice. The region was able to produce three crops a year. In addition, the region was plentiful in spices,
another desire of the Europeans.

2. What did the Romans trade with Tamil Nadu?

In exchange for spices like pepper and ginger, peacocks, rice, and silk, the Indians received gold.
Ed icts of Ash ok a

1. What purposes did the Ashokan pillars play during Ashoka’s rule? Why do you think they would have been effective?
The edicts, spread all across India, protected all living things including animals. They promoted world peace and
acceptance of all religions. Inscribed on each, however, were the Buddhist beliefs of morality. Ashoka ruled with reasoned
morality. Ashoka erected the pillars after a series of wars. Ashoka earned himself the name of “Ashoka the Great” and was
well-known for torturing people. After the wars, Ashoka felt remorse and renounced war and consequently turned to
Buddhism. At this point, people were frightened of the man for his actions during war and were much more willing to
listen to his ideals. He captivated them and people respected his authority as a result. Respect lead to effective leadership
and a time of peace in the country. The pillars constantly reminded people each day of the peace that ensued across India.

3. In light of India’s many religious traditions, why do you think Buddhism suffered a sharp decline in India after Ashoka?
Ashoka was a figure that everyone respected and looked up to. After his death, no one was there to lead the people with
an emphasis on Buddhist morality as much as Ashoka. In order for a religion to survive in a society, there was to be a
leader to influence the followers or else the followers will simply turn to someone else to follow.

Agric ult ure

1. What role have the monsoon winds played in Indian history?

The winds directed traders from Africa, the Mediterranean, and India back and forth to promote imports and exports
from each civilization. The winds made trade for India possible and profitable.

Vara nasi

1. Why are pilgrimages so important in India? What is the important of the pilgrimage sites in Hinduism, Jainism, and
Buddhism?
The pilgrimage is a cultural identity and Hindus, Jains and Buddhists who want to keep their identity with the past by
keeping in touch with the past of all humanity. This allows them to connect on a spiritual level with the origins of their
beliefs. Pilgrimages are a very rich tradition for these religions.

Litera ture

1. How did Indians preserve their literature and customs over the centuries? In modern times, how do we ensure our records
will be preserved for years to come?
Early on, Indians preserved literature and customs through oral tradition, mostly through poetry form because it was
easier to memorize. Today, our literature is documented in written form. It is physically archived in books which are
distributed worldwide. In the most recent decades, records are preserved in digital archives on the Internet, which are
backs up the records on servers across the world.

2. Despite all of India’s modernizations, why will it be likely to be difficult to do away with all aspects of the caste system?
The caste system is so heavily rooted in tradition and in the Hindu religion. Unless Hinduism is eliminated or radically
changes its values, the caste system is unlikely to change. Hinduism is quite unlikely to change so radically, and
purposefully trying to eliminate the religion, aside from being completely unethical, would be impossible without starting
a major conflict or war.

Religion

1. Why is a secular constitution important to the stability of India? Do you think that Indian stability would have been
threatened with a religion-based government?
A secular religion is incredibly important to the stability of India because there are so many different religions represented
in India. Even within these religions, people worship many Gods, several of them different from person to person. If the
government were to be ruled by religion, it would not be democratic at all because everyone believes in something entirely
 different and religious beliefs vary dramatically. Government does not run effectively on religious beliefs. Indian stability
would have been most certainly threatened with a religion-based government because of its diversity in beliefs.

Amrits ar

3. Compare the basic tenets of Sikhism and Akbar’s universal religion. Can you make a connection between the two?
The basic principle for both Sikhism and Akbar’s universal religion is equality. Sikhs believe that all people are equal and
there should be no discrimination based on gender, caste, etc. Akbar’s religion believed that all religions were equal and
that no one religion can claim absolute authority. With this belief, Akbar sought to find the common ground of all
religions.

Taj Mahal

1. What was the Taj Mahal built to represent?

Inspiration came from Mughal architecture and it’s thought that the design may go back to Sufi saints. It’s believed to be
the mystic map of Sufi’s dream.

2. What architectural aspect do you find most impressive?

My personal favorite aspect is the World Paradise Garden. I think the long entrance into the building is elegant and
spectacular. The architectural detail of the dome on the tomb is quite impressive as well.

Fateh p ur Sik ri

1. What do the large number of monumental buildings tell us about the power and rule of Akbar?
Such infrastructure indicates that Akbar was one of the world’s greatest powers of the time. He was the man that changed
the relationship between Islams and Hindus and embraced all of the world’s religions. He ruled with rationality and
Indians respected him. He was able to build a society through his style of rule.

2. What aspects of Akbar’s rule do we still value today?

We still value the separation of church and state in the United States. Although religion has made its way into politics
over the course of American history, many still see that religion has no place in the arena of politics because of
controversy. I think we would like to value rationality more in politics, however, as extremism is becoming more
prevalent, it’s difficult to say that we still value rationality.

3. Do you think Akbar’s idea of universal religion (Din-i-Ilahi) could work in modern times? Why or why not? Why did it not
grow under the rule of Akbar?
Unfortunately, I don’t think that Akbar’s idea of universal religion could work in modern times because people’s devotion
to their own religion. Although many areas of religions overlap, there is not enough consistency to push people towards a
common religion that everyone could believe in. As is evident by how many sects of Christianity exist today, we see that
many people are only happy and comfortable in their own religion that encompasses everything they believe in. This is
most likely similar to the issues Akbar encountered during his rule. Hindus’ beliefs are different from Muslims’, which are
different from Islams’, which are different than Buddhists’. Common ground is resisted when it comes to religious beliefs
and especially organized religion.

4. Compare the achievements of Akbar and Ashoka. What attributes did they share?
There were definitely many similarities between Akbar and Ashoka and their ruling styles. First, they were highly
respected by the Indian citizens. As a result, the two rulers were able to accomplish political feats, particularly when it
came to peace within the nation. Also, the infrastructure achievements that they were able to accomplish helped the
country progress and was a daily reminder for citizens of the rulers’ ideals.