Ancient India By Joey Jen Patrick Ancient India

Ancient India By Joey Jen & Patrick

Ancient India social structure and daily life Gods and Goddesses Priests and Scholars The Rajas and Their Noblemen Merchants, Farmers, Land owners, and Craftsmen Servants, Workers, Wage earners

• Gods and Goddesses v The gods didn't really have a part in community life. • Priests and Scholars v They and they were the ones who made the offerings to the gods. • The Rajas and Their Noblemen v The Rajas were the people who ruled the city and would give the Priests gifts so that they would teach them the Vedas. v The Noblemen were the people who were sent by the Rajas to guard the city. • Merchants, Farmers, Land owners, and Craftsmen v These were the people who supplied the people with food clothing and other goods. • Servants, Workers, Wage earners v These were the people that served and did the jobs that nobody else wanted to. These classes were called varnas.

Social level at home • Men were the head of the house. • The children would be treated very unfairly. • They had no say in what happened to them or anyone in the family, and they could be treated any way by their parents, especially their father. • The girls were unwanted, and the boys were treated better, and with more respect. • Others would pray at a temple that their friends and relatives would have boys.

Daily life in The Gupta Empire • It was the time of peace and prosperity which led to greatest achievements in the every walk of life. • They had religious freedom. • Criminals were never put to death. Instead, they were fined for their crimes. • Rewards of money were given to writers, artists, and scholars to encourage them to produce wonderful work, and they did. • People were paid by the state for welfare projects like building of roads and other public works. • Food was vegetarian and non- vegetarian but influence of Jainism and Buddhism saw people eating more vegetables, fruits, cereals, breads, and drink milk. • People used to play chess, polo and cards. Martial arts including fencing, wrestling was very popular among people. They went for hunting as well.

Buddhism • is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, a philosophy, and a lifeenhancing system of psychology. • Buddha was born in Lumbini (now in Nepal), and that he died aged around 80 in Kushinagara (India). • Eventually, Indian Buddhism became virtually extinct, except in parts of Nepal • Southern Buddhism, or Theravada , or Pali Buddhism - practiced mainly in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and parts of Malaysia, Vietnam, China and Bangladesh (Southeast Asia) • Eastern Buddhism, or East Asian Buddhism, or Chinese Buddhism, or Sino-Japanese Buddhism - practiced predominantly in China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Singapore and parts of Russia • Northern Buddhism, or Tibetan Buddhism, or Tibeto. Mongolian Buddhism - practiced mainly in Tibet, Mongolia, Bhutan and parts of Nepal, India, China and Russia.

The Four Noble Truths/ The Noble Eightfold Path • • The Four Noble Truths The Buddha taught that in life there exists in the following places sorrow / suffering which is caused by desire and it can be cured (ceased) by following the Noble Eightfold Path. This teaching is called the Catvāry Āryasatyāni, the "Four Noble Truths". Suffering: Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering. The cause of suffering: The desire which leads to renewed existence (rebirth) (the cycle of samsara) The cessation of suffering: The cessation of desire. The way leading to the cessation of suffering: The Noble Eightfold Path is the way to the cessation of suffering, the fourth part of the Four Noble Truths. This is divided into three sections : Sila (which concerns the physical bodily actions), Samadhi (which concerns the 'Conscious' mind) and Panna (which concerns the 'Unconscious' mind).

Architecture: • Mughal architecture used by Persians as well as Islamic • Mughal architecture began in 1526 during Mughal dynasty under the rule of emperor Babur • during this time that the Taj Mahal was constructed (1648) in Agra, India and Shalimar Gardens • characteristics of Mughal architecture: -perfect radial or bilateral symmetry -marble used for surface -garden surrounding the building or temple -indentures and carvings on the outer surface of marble stone • Historical Significance: • many mosques and Islamic and Persian structures built using Mughal architecture • descriptive carvings leave behind detailed history of what life was like in ancient India during the 16 th century under Mughal reign