Development of Ancient Hinduism

HARRAPAN CULTURE & THE ARYANS

• Aryans invaded the ancient civilizations of the Indus Valley
• Harrapan culture- archaeological discoveries made at this sight
• Harrapa is a good example of city planning
• Harrapa was one of the largest cities in the Indus Valley

GANGES RIVER

• runs for 1500 miles from Himalayas to Bengal
• represents life, purity, and acts as a goddess to the people of India; cleanses soul
• provides irrigation for crops
• some Hindus thought life was incomplete if you did not bathe in the Ganges at least once
• Hindu families keep water from river in house

SANSKRIT

• Harrapan culture developed Sanskrit
• not able to decipher because liguists have not found any bilingual inscriptions
• 400 symbols make up language

VEDAS

• sacred text for Hindu people
• four vedas: Rig, Sama, Yajur, Atharva
• contain hymns, rituals, and incantations
• one of most ancient religious texts still in existence
• "sacred lore, knowledge"

GODS

• 3 expressions of Brahman:
• Brahman-creator, Vishnu-protector, Shiva-destroyer
• believe in one powerful being who is creator and destroyer
• don't know if they are polytheistic or monotheistic
• Ganesh: goddess Parvati, wife of Shiva, created a boy...turned into an elephant

BASIC TENETS OF HINDU FAITH

• life is cyclic
• universe built and destroyed many times
• karma
• reincarnation
• temples and inner worlds

continued...

• yoga guided by Satguru
• compassion and noninjury
• respect for other faiths
• one all persuasive divinity

CASTE SYSTEM

• Brahmins: priests/teachers
• Kshatriya: warriors/rulers
• Vaisyas: farmers/traders
• Sudras: laborers
• Untouchables: do dirty work