IndiaStudyGuide

Subcontinent:alargelandmassthatformsadistinctpartofacontinent
IndusRiverandGangesRiver:ProminentriversintheIndusValley
EasternGhats:MountainrangeonthesoutheastoftheIndianPeninsula
MohenjoDaro:Harappaadvancedcitywithapptstylehouses,plumbingsystems,andgridlike
cityformat.
AsianSteppes:
Brahmins:HighestcasteinIndiasCasteSystemwithpriests
CasteSystem:Basedonoccupationanddeterminedroleinsociety.Dictatedwhomonecould
marryandwhomonecouldinteractwith.4groups(Aryans)
Upanishads:InterpretationsoftheVedas
Brahma:aHinduGodthecreator
SiddarthaGautama:FounderofBuddhism/Buddha,bornintoawealthyfamilybutwishedto
seekmorethroughenlightenment.
Dharma:Religiousandmoralduties,obeyDharmaresultsinmeritfornextlife.
ChandraguptaMaurya:MauryanEmpireleader,Indianmilitaryleaderandseizespower.
ClaimedlandfromMaghadatotheIndusRiver.
Seleucus1:FormalgeneralofAlexandertheGreatandtriedtoreestablishMacedoniancontrol
overIndusValley,butisdefeatedbyChandragupta.
ReligiousToleration:DuringAsokasreign(Chandraguptasgrandsonandbest)
Matriarchal:Tamilregionwasrunbythefemale
Aryabhatta:
HinduKush:NorthernmountainsinIndia
GangesRiver:WesternprominentriverinIndia
WesternGhats:MountainchaininsouthwesternIndia.
DeccanPlateau:CentralplateauinsouthernIndia
Karakorum:
Himalayas:largestmountainchainintheworldinnortheasternIndia

Kalidasa:famouspoetforChandraGupta,wroteShakuntala
Monsoons:Seasonalwindsthatbringwindandrain.
Harappa:cityinHarappanCivilizationakaIndusValleyCivilizationknownforadvancedcity
planning
Aryans:IndoEuropeansthatoriginatedbetweentheBlackandCaspianSeaandmigratedfor
unknownreasonstotheIndusValleypastoral
Kshatriyas:secondtierintheCasteSystemmadeupofwarriors
Untouchables:notpartofthecastesystemviolatorsofcasterulesbecameoutsidersmadeupof
butchers,gravediggersandtrashcollectors.
Moksha:goalofHinduism,unionwithBrahminandfreethemselvesfromselfishdesires.
Vishnu:godinHinduism,thepreserver
Enlightenment:InBuddhism,astateofperfectwisdomwhereoneunderstandsthebasictruths
abouttheuniverse.
Jatakas:SacredliteratureofBuddhismincludingFourNobleTruths,EightfoldPath,Three
Jewels
ChandraGupta:King,marriedintoroyaltyandestablishesGuptaEmpiresonSamudra
Kalinga:
Tamil:alanguageofsouthernIndiaalsothepeoplewhopeakthelanguage.
Bodhisattvas:attainingenlightenmentbutrefusingtoenterNirvana,choosetohelpendothers
sufferingsandteachBuddhistlessons
SilkRoads:asystemofancientcaravanroutesacrosscentralAsia.
HarappanCivilizations:anothernameforIndusValleyCivilizationthatarosealongtheIndus
Rivercharacterisedbysophisticatedcityplanning.
Vedas:MostsacredtextsofAryansthatcontainedacollectionofprayers,spells,andinstructions
forrituals.
Vaishyas:ThirdtierinCasteSystemmadeupoftradersandlandowners,
Mahabharata:
Reincarnation:InHinduismandBuddhism,theprocessesbywhichasoulisreborncontinuously
untilitachievesperfectunderstanding.

Shiva:HinduGod,thedestroyer
EightfoldPath:apathtoachievetheFourNobleTruthsandendsuffering.
Stupas:amoundedstonestructurebuiltoverBuddhistrelics.
ChandraGupta2:DefeatedShakastothewestandallowedtradetoMediterraneanregion
StonePillars:policieswerewrittenonthese(similartoHammurabi'sCode)andguaranteedfair
treatment,builtroadstocommunicateandreligioustolerant.
Mahayana:LessstrictinterpretationofBuddhism.
KhyberPass:
CityPlanning:
RigVeda:MostimportantcollectionofhundredsofhymnstoAryanGods.Originallypassed
downorally.
Shudras:fourthtierofcastesystemmadeupofpeasantsandworkers
Hinduism:Grewoutofoverlappingbeliefsofdiversegroups.
Karma:allactionsofapersonslifethataffecthis/herfateinthenextlife
Buddhism:foundedbySiddharthaGautama,striveachievenirvanaandendsufferingcausedby
desiresthroughDharma(teachingsthathumanscanovercomesufferingbyaprescribed
lifestyle).
Nirvana:theendofsuffering.
MauryanEmpire:firstempireinIndiafoundedbyChandraguptaMaurya,Bureaucratic
Government.
Asoka:MostcapableleaderofMauryanEmpire(32years)
AndhraDynasty:
Patriarchal:maleleadfamily(GuptaEmpire)
Theravada:strictinterpretationofBuddhism.