History of India
[Sometimes if you click on the bolded words, it will take you the link!]
The history of India begins with evidence of human activity of Homo sapiens as long as 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including Homo erectus from about 500,000 years ago. The Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from c. 3300 to 1300 BCE, was the first major civilization in India. A sophisticated and technologically advanced urban culture developed in the Mature Harappan period, from 2600 to 1900 BCE. This Bronze Age civilization collapsed before the end of the second millennium BCE and was followed by the Iron AgeVedic Civilization, which extended over much of the Indo-Gangetic plain and which witnessed the rise of major polities known as the Mahajanapadas. In one of these kingdoms, Magadha, Mahavira and Gautama Buddha were born in the 6th or 5th century BCE and propagated their śramanic philosophies.
Almost all of the subcontinent was conquered by the Maurya Empire during the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. It subsequently became fragmented, with various parts ruled by numerous Middle kingdoms for the next 1,500 years. This is known as the classical period of Indian history, during which India has sometimes been estimated to have had the largest economy of the ancient and medieval world, controlling between one third and one fourth of the world's wealth up to the 18th century.
Much of northern and central India was once again united in the 4th century CE, and remained so for two centuries thereafter, under the Gupta Empire. This period, witnessing a Hindu religious and intellectual resurgence, is known among its admirers as the "Golden Age of India". During the same time, and for several centuries afterwards, southern India, under the rule of the Chalukyas, Cholas, Pallavas, and Pandyas, experienced its own golden age. During this period, aspects of Indian civilization, administration, culture, and religion (Hinduism and Buddhism) spread to much of Asia.
The southern state of Kerala had maritime business links with the Roman Empire from around 77 CE. Islam was introduced in Kerala through this route by Muslim traders. Muslim rule in the subcontinent began in 712 CE when the Arab general Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Sindh and Multan in southern Punjab in modern day Pakistan,[1] setting the stage for several successive invasions from Central Asia between the 10th and 15th centuries CE, leading to the formation of Muslim empires in the Indian subcontinent such as the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire.
Mughal rule came from Central Asia to cover most of the northern parts of the subcontinent. Mughal rulers introduced Central Asian art and architecture to India. In addition to the Mughals and various Rajput kingdoms, several independent Hindu states, such as the Vijayanagara Empire, the Maratha Empire, and the Ahom Kingdom, flourished contemporaneously in southern, western, and northeastern India respectively. The Mughal Empire suffered a gradual decline in the early 18th century, which provided opportunities for the Afghans, Balochis, Sikhs, and Marathas to exercise control over large areas in the northwest of the subcontinent until the British East India Company gained ascendancy over South Asia.[2]
Beginning in the mid-18th century and over the next century, India was gradually annexed by the British East India Company. Dissatisfaction with Company rule led to the Indian Rebellion of 1857, after which India was directly administered by the British Crown and witnessed a period of both rapid development of infrastructure and economic decline. During the first half of the 20th century, a nationwide struggle for independence was launched by the Indian National Congress and later joined by the Muslim League. The subcontinent gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, after being partitioned into the dominions of India and Pakistan.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_India
LOCATION
- Relative location: South-west of China.
-Exact Location: North 22 degrees, East 78 degrees.
-Both Ancient India and China are located in present Asia. India is located near the south area of Asia. The large size of India is why it is called a sub continent(a country smaller than a continent but separate from the continent). Ancient India is located near the Indus River Valley Area and spread more to the Middle-South, East, and West but below the Himalayas mountains. Though China is large, it is not a subcontinent because it is directly connected to Asia unlike India which has a separate tectonic plate. China is located near the east of Asia, in the middle. Most of Ancient China is focused in Middle and Eastern China. Both are located in the Eastern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere and are close to each other.
PLACE
-Human Feature: Taj Mahal
-Natrual Feature: Himalayas
The most important natural feature of Ancient India is the Indus river. It is where the first civilizations and important civilizations like Harappa started .The Indus River Valley is located in Pakistan today. Another important river Ancient Indians used is the Ganges River. It is the second largest river(1,560 miles and it rises in the Himalayas.) in India and is located in Eastern India. Like the Tigris, Euphrates, and Nile river they deposits silt that helps the crops grow better. The Himalayas are also located in Ancient India they are the tallest mountain range in the world, it includes in Mt.Everest the tallest mountain above sea level at 29,029 ft. India has mountain ranges called the Eastern and Western Ghats. There is also the Thar Desert on the Northwest area. India has many high areas on the south called plateaus including the large Deccan plateau.
-Manmade features include large and well built cities like Mohenjo-Daro built by the Harappan civilization. But after the Aryans invaded the area that the Harappan civilization built they created small towns. Many temples were built in Ancient India by skilled artisans to worship Hindu or Buddhist gods including the Temples of Bhubaneswar also called the City of Temples. There were originally 7000 temples and 500 are still standing. Other temples include the Temples of South India which had a lot different architecture then the rest of India and were started building in AD 600. The temples could be split into 4 periods by kingdom. The architecture included rock cut temples, then pyramid like sides with dome roofs, then numerous angled precisions, and the temples are concentric sequence of rectangular enclosure walls having gopuras(monumental tower) in the center.
MOVEMENT
-China is India's largest trade partner
-India's traders came to the Silk Road to trade with others from around the world.
-In Ancient India first civilizations started around the Indus(and Ganges)rivers. The civilization around the Indus River were called Harappans. They had built well and precise cities like Mohenjo Daro and Harappa. After that Aryan civilization moved from Central Asia to the Indus River Area. They built small cities and didn’t have any real ruler, but had local leaders(called Rajas)They created Sanskrit(Ancient Indias most important language). Hinduism evolved from a religion called Brahmanism which came from Brahma one of 4 major castes, or groups in Aryan society. Some people didn’t agree with this religion so some people started Jainism that centered around peace. A prince named Siddhartha also didn’t agree with Hinduism so he taught new ideas called Buddhism which centered around reaching Nirvana(state of perfect peace)and enlightment.
REGION-
- Home to the largest mountain range ( Himilayas)
HUMAN-ENVIROMENT INTERACTION
-Built canals
-The rivers flood, and provided fertile soil
-Most people can’t live in the mountainous Tibet or Himalayas or other mountain ranges areas because there isn’t any fertile land to farm with nearby. Like China and other important civilizations the Indus and Ganges river provided silt to the land to make land fertile. But there is a lot of fertile area in the middle and south. They trade and transport with boats made of reeds/woods and their life depended on these resources. The monsoons affected them because the heavy floods and droughts affected their harvesting and so they had to be controlled with canals and dams. The deserts also made crossing difficult.
The history of India begins with evidence of human activity of Homo sapiens as long as 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including Homo erectus from about 500,000 years ago. The Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from c. 3300 to 1300 BCE, was the first major civilization in India. A sophisticated and technologically advanced urban culture developed in the Mature Harappan period, from 2600 to 1900 BCE. This Bronze Age civilization collapsed before the end of the second millennium BCE and was followed by the Iron AgeVedic Civilization, which extended over much of the Indo-Gangetic plain and which witnessed the rise of major polities known as the Mahajanapadas. In one of these kingdoms, Magadha, Mahavira and Gautama Buddha were born in the 6th or 5th century BCE and propagated their śramanic philosophies.
Almost all of the subcontinent was conquered by the Maurya Empire during the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. It subsequently became fragmented, with various parts ruled by numerous Middle kingdoms for the next 1,500 years. This is known as the classical period of Indian history, during which India has sometimes been estimated to have had the largest economy of the ancient and medieval world, controlling between one third and one fourth of the world's wealth up to the 18th century.
Much of northern and central India was once again united in the 4th century CE, and remained so for two centuries thereafter, under the Gupta Empire. This period, witnessing a Hindu religious and intellectual resurgence, is known among its admirers as the "Golden Age of India". During the same time, and for several centuries afterwards, southern India, under the rule of the Chalukyas, Cholas, Pallavas, and Pandyas, experienced its own golden age. During this period, aspects of Indian civilization, administration, culture, and religion (Hinduism and Buddhism) spread to much of Asia.
The southern state of Kerala had maritime business links with the Roman Empire from around 77 CE. Islam was introduced in Kerala through this route by Muslim traders. Muslim rule in the subcontinent began in 712 CE when the Arab general Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Sindh and Multan in southern Punjab in modern day Pakistan,[1] setting the stage for several successive invasions from Central Asia between the 10th and 15th centuries CE, leading to the formation of Muslim empires in the Indian subcontinent such as the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire.
Mughal rule came from Central Asia to cover most of the northern parts of the subcontinent. Mughal rulers introduced Central Asian art and architecture to India. In addition to the Mughals and various Rajput kingdoms, several independent Hindu states, such as the Vijayanagara Empire, the Maratha Empire, and the Ahom Kingdom, flourished contemporaneously in southern, western, and northeastern India respectively. The Mughal Empire suffered a gradual decline in the early 18th century, which provided opportunities for the Afghans, Balochis, Sikhs, and Marathas to exercise control over large areas in the northwest of the subcontinent until the British East India Company gained ascendancy over South Asia.[2]
Beginning in the mid-18th century and over the next century, India was gradually annexed by the British East India Company. Dissatisfaction with Company rule led to the Indian Rebellion of 1857, after which India was directly administered by the British Crown and witnessed a period of both rapid development of infrastructure and economic decline. During the first half of the 20th century, a nationwide struggle for independence was launched by the Indian National Congress and later joined by the Muslim League. The subcontinent gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, after being partitioned into the dominions of India and Pakistan.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_India
LOCATION
- Relative location: South-west of China.
-Exact Location: North 22 degrees, East 78 degrees.
-Both Ancient India and China are located in present Asia. India is located near the south area of Asia. The large size of India is why it is called a sub continent(a country smaller than a continent but separate from the continent). Ancient India is located near the Indus River Valley Area and spread more to the Middle-South, East, and West but below the Himalayas mountains. Though China is large, it is not a subcontinent because it is directly connected to Asia unlike India which has a separate tectonic plate. China is located near the east of Asia, in the middle. Most of Ancient China is focused in Middle and Eastern China. Both are located in the Eastern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere and are close to each other.
PLACE
-Human Feature: Taj Mahal
-Natrual Feature: Himalayas
The most important natural feature of Ancient India is the Indus river. It is where the first civilizations and important civilizations like Harappa started .The Indus River Valley is located in Pakistan today. Another important river Ancient Indians used is the Ganges River. It is the second largest river(1,560 miles and it rises in the Himalayas.) in India and is located in Eastern India. Like the Tigris, Euphrates, and Nile river they deposits silt that helps the crops grow better. The Himalayas are also located in Ancient India they are the tallest mountain range in the world, it includes in Mt.Everest the tallest mountain above sea level at 29,029 ft. India has mountain ranges called the Eastern and Western Ghats. There is also the Thar Desert on the Northwest area. India has many high areas on the south called plateaus including the large Deccan plateau.
-Manmade features include large and well built cities like Mohenjo-Daro built by the Harappan civilization. But after the Aryans invaded the area that the Harappan civilization built they created small towns. Many temples were built in Ancient India by skilled artisans to worship Hindu or Buddhist gods including the Temples of Bhubaneswar also called the City of Temples. There were originally 7000 temples and 500 are still standing. Other temples include the Temples of South India which had a lot different architecture then the rest of India and were started building in AD 600. The temples could be split into 4 periods by kingdom. The architecture included rock cut temples, then pyramid like sides with dome roofs, then numerous angled precisions, and the temples are concentric sequence of rectangular enclosure walls having gopuras(monumental tower) in the center.
MOVEMENT
-China is India's largest trade partner
-India's traders came to the Silk Road to trade with others from around the world.
-In Ancient India first civilizations started around the Indus(and Ganges)rivers. The civilization around the Indus River were called Harappans. They had built well and precise cities like Mohenjo Daro and Harappa. After that Aryan civilization moved from Central Asia to the Indus River Area. They built small cities and didn’t have any real ruler, but had local leaders(called Rajas)They created Sanskrit(Ancient Indias most important language). Hinduism evolved from a religion called Brahmanism which came from Brahma one of 4 major castes, or groups in Aryan society. Some people didn’t agree with this religion so some people started Jainism that centered around peace. A prince named Siddhartha also didn’t agree with Hinduism so he taught new ideas called Buddhism which centered around reaching Nirvana(state of perfect peace)and enlightment.
REGION-
- Home to the largest mountain range ( Himilayas)
HUMAN-ENVIROMENT INTERACTION
-Built canals
-The rivers flood, and provided fertile soil
-Most people can’t live in the mountainous Tibet or Himalayas or other mountain ranges areas because there isn’t any fertile land to farm with nearby. Like China and other important civilizations the Indus and Ganges river provided silt to the land to make land fertile. But there is a lot of fertile area in the middle and south. They trade and transport with boats made of reeds/woods and their life depended on these resources. The monsoons affected them because the heavy floods and droughts affected their harvesting and so they had to be controlled with canals and dams. The deserts also made crossing difficult.
