CORE COURSE II HISTORY OF INDIA FROM PRE – HISTORY TO CE 1206 UNIT I Ancient India: geographical features and their influence – Sources- Indus valley Civilization – Vedic Age – Social life – Position of Women –Emergerce of Jainism & Buddhism – Life History of Buddha and Mahavira – their principles – invasions of Alexander - Gandhara art. UNIT I Ancient India - Geographical features and their influence India is a sub-continent. The vastness of its size was the main reason for the country being divided into several kingdoms. Kings like Asoka, Ala-ud-din Khilji and Aurangazeb established an extensive empire in the land. India is a vast country. The area of independent India consists of 12,27,072 square miles. India is a geographical unit bounded on the North-East and North-West by the mighty Himalayan Mountain chain and on the other sides by the Sea i.e. the Bay of Bengal on the East, the Arabian-Sea on the West and the Indian Ocean on the South. This geographical unity has enabled the growth of cultural unity within the country. Geographically India has been divided into the following four units: (i) Mountainous ranges in the north (ii) Great Indo-Gangetic plain (iii) The Deccan plateau (iv) Coastal ghats. (i) Mountainous Ranges in the North Physically and intellectually India has been greatly influenced by the Himalayas. These are spread over about 1500 miles in length and 200 miles in breadth. In the past the Himalayas was inaccessible; but today it requires national defense. It has many passes which gave way to invaders. Many rivers flow from here which have made our northern plains prosperous. The Aryans, Persians, Kushans, Parthians, Huns, Turks and Mughals came to India through the North-Western passes. The Himalayas give life to the three great rivers, the Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra. (ii) Great Indo-Gangetic Plain This is a very prosperous plain and has been the centre of foreign invasions. All important empires, trade, art, architecture and cities have developed in this plain. This plain has made India rich and centre of knowledge. This plain contains alluvial soil and hence the lands are very fertile. Here the people are easily able to get almost all their requirements and enjoy leisure. Further they are able to think of the problems of life and rise high in civilization. There are two national divisions, namely, Aryavartha or Uttarapada or North India and Dakshinapada or the Deccan or South India. The Vindhyas and Satpura Mountain are the dividing ranges between North India and South India. In ancient times the culture of North India could take shelter in the South. For example when Buddhism was attaining popularity in the North, Hinduism took shelter in the South and thereafter re-established its supremacy even in North India. (iv) Coastal Ghats On the east and the west in South India are situated large sea belts which give rise to the deltas of Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery. It also possesses two parts – Malabar and Konkan. On the western coast there are hill ranges about 700 miles long with Arabian Sea. These ranges are 3000 feet to 8000 feet long. The lands in the Eastern Ghats are low. The inhabitants of both these ghats maintained good relations with Eastern countries like Java, Sumatar, Burma, Siam and Indo-China. Effects on Political History (1) The vast Himalayan mountain and its western and eastern ranges in the north have separated India from the rest of Asia. (2) The passes have given way to may invaders like the Aryans, the Iranians, the Greeks, the Sakas, the Huns, the Turks, the Mughals and others. (3) Himalayas served as a great defence to the people of India. (4) It has divided the country into various territorial divisions. (5) Many of our rivers flow from Himalayas. They have brought us prosperity. (6) Vindhya mountain have divided India into two parts. (7) Indo-Gangetic Plains are the most prosperous region of the world. (8) Due to prosperity people of the plains loved peace and ease. (9) Many empires have developed in our plains. (10) In the field of culture, the contribution of ―North India‖ is supreme Vedic Literature is the most valuable treasure of our country. The art and architecture under Mauryas and Guptas, the Gandhara Art under Kushans, the establishment of Nalanda and Taxila universities are considered as cultural effect of Geography on History. SOURCES Literary and Archaeological records are the two main categories that give evidences of Ancient Indian History. The archaeological source includes epigraphic, numismatic, and other architectural remains. The ancient Indian literature is mostly religious in nature. The Vedic literature contains mainly the four Vedas i.e. Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvanaveda. The Vedas give reliable information about the culture and civilization of the Vedic period, but do not reveal the political history. Six Vedangas are the important limbs of Vedas. They were evolved for the proper understanding of the Vedas. The later Vedic literature includes the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, and the Upanishads. Brahmanas gives a description of Vedic rituals. Puranas, which are 18 in numbers give mainly historical accounts. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are epics of great historical importance. The Jain and the Buddhist literature had been written in Prakrit and Pali languages. The Buddhist books are called as Jataka stories. Dharmashastras were compiled between 600 and 200 B.C. Arthashastra is a book on statecraft written by Kautilya during the Maurya period. The book is divided into 15 parts dealing with different subject matters related to polity, economy, and society. Mudrarakshasha is a play written by Visakha datta. It describes the society and culture of that period. Malavikagnimitram written by Kalidasa gives information of the reign of Pusyamitra Sunga dynasty. Harshacharita, written by Banabhatta, throws light on many historical facts about which we could not have known otherwise. Rajatarangini, written by Kalhana, is the best form of history writing valued by modern historians. His critical method of historical research and impartial treatment of the historical facts have earned him a great respect among the modern historians. The Sangam literature generally describes events up to the 4th century A.D. FOREIGN ACCOUNTS: In the second century A. D., Ptolemy had written a geographical treatise on India. Hiuen-Tsang had given valuable account about Harshavardhana and some other contemporary kings of Northern India. Fa-Hien and Hiuen-Tsang traveled many parts of the country and they have given an exaggerated account of Buddhism during the period of their visit. Herodotus was dependent upon the Persian sources for his information about India. The Greek kings send their ambassadors to Pataliputra. Megasthenes, Deimachus, and Dionysius were some of them. ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOURCES: The archaeological sources played an important role in constructing or/and reconstructing the history of a region. Epigraphy is the study of inscriptions and Numismatic is the study of coins, medals, or paper money. Coins are an important numismatic source that tells us about the Indo-Greek, Saka-Parthian, and Kushana Kings. Inscriptions of Ashoka and Samudragupta provide valuable information about social and political status of the people of that period. The study of these inscriptions reveals the world about Ashoka's views on dharma (religion) and conquests of Samudragupta. The temples and sculptures display an architectural and artistic history of the Indians from the Gupta period up-to recent times. During the Gupta period, the large caves i.e. Chaityas and Viharas were excavated in the hills of Western India. The Kailasa Temple of Ellora and Rathas at Mahabalipuram have been carved out of rocks from outside. Indus Valley Civilization (Harappa Civilization) 1. Civilization is belongs to Bronze Age (Chalcolithic Age). 2. The known extent of this civilization in the west is up to Sutkagendor in Baluchistan; Alamgirpur (Uttar Pradesh) in the east; Daimabad (Maharshtra) in South; and Manda (Jammu & Kashmir) in the north. 3. Civilization was dominated by the peasants and merchants and thus also called as an agro-commercial civilization. 4. It is also called as Harappan Civilization because site was first discovered through excavation in 1921 under the supervision of Daya Ram Sahni. 5. Indus Valley Civilization can dated around 2500-1750 BC on the basis of radiocarbon dating. 6.Town Planning was the most distinctive features of the civilization. Town were divided into two part- Citadel (Occupied by ruling class) & Lower Town (Inhabited by common people) 7. Dhaulavira is the only site of the civilisation where city was divided into three parts. 8. Chanhudaro was the only city without a citadel. 9. Systematic town planning was based on grid system; burnt bricks were used to construct houses; well-managed drainage system; fortified Citadel; highly urbanised; absence of iron implements. 10. Indus people were the first who produces cotton, which Greeks termed as Sindom (derived from Sindh). 11. They produced wheat and barley on large scale. The other crops grown were pulses, cereals, cotton, dates, melons, pea, seasum and mustard. 12. Animals known were oxen, sheep, buffaloes, goats, pigs, elephants, dogs, cats, asses and camels. 13. Humpless bull or Unicorn was the most important animal. 14. Well-developed external and internal trade but the mode of payment was Barter System. 15. People of the civilization had developed their own kind of weighing and measurement system which was the multiple of 16. 16. Dead Bodies were buried or cremated in North-South Orientation. 17. The greatest artistic of the Harappan culture were the seals, made of steatite. Harappan script is pictographic but yet to be deciphered. The script was written from right to left in the first line and left to right in the second line. This style is called Boustrophedon.