India
Caste System
1. Brahmin 2. Kshatrijas 3. Vaishya 4. Sudra 5. Untouchables (Dalitas): a social class that a person belongs to by birth.
Himalyas
A high mountain range that extends through northern India, southern Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan.
subcontinent
A large landmass that juts out from a continent
Mohandas Gandhi
A leader who used nonviolence to oppose the British rule of India.
missionary
A person who spreads his or her religious beliefs to others
convert
A person who turns from one religion or set of beliefs to another
Avatar
A representation of a Hindu god or goddess in human or animal form.
Brahman
A single spiritual power that Hindus believe lives in everything
Monsoon
A strong wind that blows across East Asia at certain times of the year
Harappan Civilization
Ancient Indian culture, dating back to 2500 B.C., that included the people of the entire Indus River region.
Chandragupta Maurya
Indian military leader who first unified India and founded the Mauryan Empire
Mahenjo-Daro
Largest of the cities of the Indus Valley civilization; Had water systems, citadel, grain house, and sewage systems
Nirvana
The lasting peace that Buddhist seek by giving up selfish desires
Dharma
The religious and moral duties of the Hindus
meditation
To focus the mind inward in order to find spiritual awareness
migrate
To move from one place to settle in another
the Buddha
a founder of Buddhism, born an Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama
Aryan
a member of an Indo-European people who crossed into India around 1500 B.C.
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
alloy
a mixture of two or more metals
Jainism
a nonviolent religion based on the teachings of Mahavira
Hinduism
a religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms.
Buddhism
a religion that began in India and is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama
seal
a stamped image with images of humans and animals
Siddhartha Gautama
an Indian prince who founded Buddhism; also known as Buddha.
Sanskrit
ancient India's most important language, on which the Hindi language is based
Indus Rivers
flows from the Himalayas and is located mainly in present-day Pakistan, is one cradle of ancient Indian civilization.
Marhavira
founder of Jainism who taught four basic nonviolent principles to follow
Fasting
going without food
Karma
in Hindu belief, the sum of a person's actions in this life, which determine his or her fate in the next life. The law of cause and effect
Sikhism
monotheistic religion founded in India in the 1400s
Ahimsa
nonviolence
Samskara
rites of passage to prepare a person for an event or next stage in life
Chandra Gupta II
ruler who brought great prosperity and stability to India
Guru Nanak
teacher whose ideas became the basis of the religion called Sikhism
nonviolence
the avoidance of violent actions
Asoka
the greatest Maurya king, whose reign began in 269 B.C.
Hindu-Arabic numerals
the numerals used in the U.S. and western Europe, which originated in India.
Reincarnation
the rebirth of a soul in another living being most often another human being.
metallargy
the science of working with metals
astronomy
the study of stars and planets
The Ganges River
used for transportation, and today it is an important source of hydroelectric power.
