1-12-07

Vedas
Puranas
Banbhatta, 6th c. ad
Harsh-Carita
Kalhana, 12th c. ad
Rajatarangni

 4 major geographical regions of India

o Mountian regions
 Himalayans
• Average elevation 19,000 ft. 1600 miles from end to end
• No single natural pass
 Hindu Kush Mountain
• Average elevation 15,000ft
• Khyber Pass- natural pass through the mountains
o Almost everyone entered through this pass
 Open about 4 mo/yr; snow bound. This is India’s lifeline
 Burmese Mountians
• People could cross these mountains but it was very tough (WWII
Japan last ones to really cross)
o Broad Norther Plains
 Many rivers and systems
 3 major river systems
• Indus (HUGE system)
o No bridges. Only way to cross is by a ocean type boat/ship
o Home of the I.V.C.
• Ganges (large and important river in India)
o India’s agricultural heartland (bread-basket, ect…)
 All of India’s capital (including current) located along the
Ganges
o Ganga is India’s name for the river (mother (mata) Ganga)
• Brahmaputra
o Merges with the Ganges at it’s end
o Named after father god Brahma
 River is Brahma’s son (Brahamaputra= “Son of Brahma)
o Central Region
 Deccan Plateau: bridge between north and south
 Divided by Vindhya Hills (north)
 Southern division by Ghat hills (south)
o Tamil Peninsula
 Surrounded by Bay of Bengal (west), Arabian Sea (south), and Indian
Ocean (east).
 Darkest skinned people on India live here. Very smart, intellectual,
relaxed (children of Tamil), socially conservative.
 Tamil is their language, food, clothing, way of life, ect.
 Monsoons!
• Rains form about mid December
• Mid February heavier rains
• Gets weaker as it move north across the country
• Reaches the Himalayans in June and unable to cross so they head
south again
• In monsoon fails, famines occur
• The monsoon is VERY important to the survival, economy, ect….of
India.