Aryan Culture
1. Cattle rearing (
horse)
2. War chariots
Early Vedic Period: 1500-1000 BCE
Administration:
 Tribal chief, No full monarchy
 Every tribe ruled by elder called Pramukha/
Jyestha, his title = Rajan.
 Tribal chief also called as janasya gopa
 Rajan waged wars to protect cattle.
 No taxation system
Economy:
 Horse, goats, sheep are mentioned
 Cattle most important
 Gau, ga or Go prefix: cattle raids war
 Gavsthi = war for cow
 Gaveshana:
 Goshu:
 Gavya:
 Primitive Agri: Vap= to sow, Krish= to
cultivate
 Phala, Langala, Sira = words for plough (
wooden)
 Hoe: kudali, Sickle: darat, srini
 Axe: parashu, kulisha
2. Later Vedic Age: 1000 - 500 BCE
Polity:
 emergence of monarchical structure
 Rajan in LVA is leader in battle and also
protector of settlements and of people
especially Bhramanas
 Rajan= custodian of Rashtra
 Hereditary kingship was emerging
 Ritualized kingship: Ashvamedha, vajapeya
sacrifice, rajasuya sacrifice
 Vidhata completely disappeared, sabha
and smiti changed
 Sabha members to be chosen by king
Administration terminology:
+PATI
 Purohita: next to rajan
 varajapati= in charge of pasture
land
 Purapati = in charge of forts
 Jeevgaribha or ugrs: police for
law and order
 Spasa= intelligence officer spy
 Warriors, hunters, barbers
 Chariot, cart, carpentry, metal
working, bows and bowstrings,
sewing, weaving, and grass mats
making
 No coin, no currency only barter
 dasa and dasi given as gifts
Administrative Terms:
 Baghadugha: tax collector
 Sangrahitri: Treasurer
 Stapati: Governor or chief justice
 Purapati: In charge of forests
and cities
 Mahishi: Chief Queen
Admin institutions:
 Sabha= tribal elites
 Samiti =all tribal memb
presided by rajan
 Vidhata= assembly with
diverse functions
Society:
 household terms: durona,
kshiti, dam/dama, pasta,
gaya, griha
 patriarchal society
 refers to various marriages:
monogamy, polygamy,
polyandry
 Relative freedom to women:
Gargi, Viswavara, Apala,
Swayamvara, Lopmudra
Economy:
 Agri and use or Iron
 Cereals: barley (yava), wheat
(godhuma), rice (vhiri)
 Land was occupied by
extended families
 Clan had general rights on
land
 Various kinds of artisans:
Carpenters, chariots, bow and
arrow, metal, potters makers
 Wagon+ oxen =
  Tax collection transportation mode
 Tax deposited with an officer: Sangrahitri  Horses, elephants, Boats
 Bagha : 1/10th to 1/6th of kings share  Still no coinage, barter only
Society:  Kshetra: most fertile
 Varna system  Gapatasarah: Pasture land
 Social descrimination  Khila : waste land
 Subordination of women  Vasti: Habitable land
 Words like stri, yosha, and jaya were  Aparahata: Forest Land
closely associated with wifehood and
motherhood
Grihpati: male
Changing Mileu:
Iron used  forest cleaned of norther plains  eastward expansion agri improvement State formation ( complex
societies)  Rise of Janpadas and Mahajanpadas

Mahajanpadas:
 Ruled by monarchy who were Kshatriyas: some were monarchy and some were Republics
 Taxes were opposed on trade, occupation etc. which were absent in vedic age
 Standing Army
 Republic Mahajanpadas:
o Kuru
o Panchala
o Kamboja
o Vajji
o Malla
 Monarchy: Magadha, Kashi, Avanti,

Rise of Magadha(Monarchy, Ganges plains) :

Magadha, Kosala, Vatsa and Avanti were more powerful. These fought among themselves about 100 year’s 
Magadha victorious.

;
Economic Milieu: Social Milieu:
 600-300 BCE population in ganga plains   Household terms: Gihi,
 Punch marked coins: Kahapana, Nikkha, Gahattha, and Ajjhavasati,
Kamsa, Pada, Masaka, and Kakanika Gahapati
  Emergence of idea of private property  Society consisting of 3 strata:
 Emergence of urban centers o Khattiya
 Pura meant town with fortification o Brahmana
 Nagra= fortress o Gahapat
 Nigama = market town associated with  Khattiya: aspires for power and
commercial activities territory
 Nagaraka = Small town, Mahanagara = Big  Brahmana: Mantra and Yanna,
Town brahmaloka
 Mahanagra: Champa, Rajagriha, Shravasti,  Gahapati= Kamma (work), Sippa
Saketa, Kaushambi, and Varanasi (Craft)
 King employed: Yodhajivis (soldiers), Foot
soldiers, archers, cavavlry, elephant corps,
chariot wings etc
 Ministers = Mahamachachas
 Governors= Ratthikas
 Estate managesr: pettanikas
 Elephant trainer = hattirohas
 Policemen= raja-bhatas
 Jailors = bandhanagarikas
 Accounting = Ganana

Trade Routes: during mahajanpadas

 Uttarpath was major trade route in Northern India


Ajivika:
 Makhali Gosala its important leader
 Ajivika’s central belief: everything is
predetermined by fate, or niyati hence
human actions has no consequences.
 Ajivika wore no clothes
 The sect reached its peak during Ashoka’s
father Bindusara’s time

Buddhism
 Buddhist Terms:  Parinibana= used for death of
 Ariya Sachchani: Four noble enlightened being sa Buddha
truths  Pravrajya= person from home
 Samudya: Cause to homelessness
 Dukha  Upasakas= male followers
 Atthanga Magga= 8 fold path  Upasikas= female followers
 Nibana= blowing out Arhat= layperson becoming
 Vimutti: Dying out follower
 Arahatta: extinction
Buddhist Council
1st Buddhist Council: 2ND Buddhist Council: 3RD Buddhist Council:
 In 486 BCE after Mahaparnirvana near  386 BCE @ Vaishali after 100  250 BCE at patliputra
Rajgir years of Buddha’s death  Organized= Ashoka
 Organised by Ajatshatru and presided by  Organized by Kalashoka  Presided= Moggaliputta Tissa
Mahakassapa  Presided by Sabakambi  Compilation of Abhidhamma
 For compiling Buddhist teachings  Relaxation of some rules for Pitaka- Philosphhy doctrine of
 Sutta pitka= Buddha teaching monks Buddha’s teachings
 Vinaya pitka= Rules for a monk  Split into 2  Ashoka sent missions to:
1. Orthodox Sthaviravadin= Srilanka, Kanara, Karnataka,
Thiravada school Kashmir, Burma, Afganistan
2. Unorthodox mahasangikas
4th Buddhist Council:
 1st BCE at Kundalvana Kashmir
 Organised: Kanishka
 Presided: Vashumitra and Asvaghosha
 To settle differences between 18 sects of
Buddhism
 Compilation of all discussions
 Copper Plate Inscription
 Division of all sects into 2;
1. Mahayanists- Sarvastivadin ( Kashmir
and Mathura region)
2. Mahasanghikas Hinayanists-
Staviravdin
Theravada: Mahayana Buddhism: ( Great
 Most ancient branch of Buddhism today vehicle)
 Developed in srilanka and then spread to  Spiritual liberation of both monks
rest of SE asia and ordinary followers
 Goal= Arhat as Buddhahood attainment is  Boddhisatvas = help others to
impossible attain nirvana
 Teachings compiled in Pali  Buddha= God
 Emphasis on four noble truths and  Spread to N, E, China, Korea,
meditation Japan, Mongolia, Bhutan, Tibet
 Idol worship

Prominent Buddhisatvas: Prominent Buddhisatvas: Prominent Boddhisatavas
1. Avalokiteshwara: 2. Vajarpani: 4. Maitreya
 Protective deties around Buddha  Also depicted in Ajanta caves  A future Buddha who will
 Holds lotus flower, also called Padamapani appear on earth, achieve full
 Paintings found in Ajanta Caves 3. Manjusri enlightenment, and teach pure
 Most acknowledged Boddhisatvas dharma
 Appears in Theravada Buddhism in  Also in Ajanta  Laughing Buddha is
combodia under name lokesvara caves incarnation of maitreya
 Depicted as female,  Male Buddha
 Sword in
hand
Hinayana Buddhism:
 Lesser Vehicles
 Orthodox faction
 Focused on strict discipline and mediation for
Nirvana
 Buddha a great teacher not god
 Spread to south and west india, Indo-china
and Sri Lanka
 Worship of Buddha through Symbols

Jainism:
 Jaina means followers of Jina  There are 24 tirthankaras in
 Jina means victor each half cycle of time
 Jina= a person who has attained infinite  Rishabha Deva= 1st Tirthanka..
knowledge and teaches others how to attain  Neminatha= 22nd= Saurashtra
moksha Gujrat
 Tirthankara= another word for Jina which  Parshavantha=23rd=Benaras
means ford builder= one whou build ford to  24th = Vardhmana also known as
help people across the ocean of suffering Mahavira
 Jaina consists endless sequence of half  Symbols:
cycles called ustrapinis and avsarpinis Rishabha = Bull
Prasavdeva = Hooded Snake
Mahavira = Lion
Vardhamana Mahavira Doctrine: Samyag Councils:
 Born 540 BC in village in Kundagrama near 1. Triratna means three gems =  First: 3 BCE
Vaishali to Jnatrika clan chief Siddhartha Right faith ( samyagg darshana), o At patliputra
and mother Trishala right knowledge ( samyg-jnana) o Leader: sthulabahu
 Lead a married life, later abandoned his right conduct ( samyag charitra)  2nd: 5 CE
family o At Valabhi Gujrat
 Attained supreme knowledge under Sal tree 2. Five great vows: aims to achieve o By shwetambars
in village jrimbhikagrama, Muzzafarpur inner purification o Compilation of 12 angas
 Travelled from places to places: o Panch Mahavrata for and 12 upangas
o Koshala monka and nun
o Magdha o Ahimsa :
o Champa o Satya / Sunrita
o Mithila o Asteya: not steal
 His followers formed a sect = Nirgrantha o Bhramcharya
 Died by starvation (Sallekhana) at Pava ( o Aparigraha: non
near Rajigarha) in 468 BCE possession of anything
3. Ahimsa is central to Jainism
4. Four main form of existence:
o Deva ( Gods)
o Manushya ( human)
o Naraki ( Hell being)
o Tiryancha ( animal and
plants)

Digambhara and Shevatambra: both agrees Spread of Jainism:

that mahavira moved naked
 Digambara: no clothes, monk can carry
broom ( rajoharna), Kamadalu ( lota)
 Shwetavambara: wore white clothes,
practiced anuvratas
 became first Thera ( chief
 Mahavira had 11 disciples
known as Gandharas or head of
schools
 Arya Sudharma only Gandhara
who survived Mahavira and
preceptor) of Jaina order.
 Arya died 20 years after
Mahavira’s death
 In the days after Nanda King,
jain order administered by two:
o Sambhutavijya
o Bhadrabahu
 Udyan = successor of Ajatsatru
 Jain monks were seen on
banks of Indus river, when
alexander invaded india
 Chandragupta maury was
Jainism follower and he
migrated with bahadrabahu to
south to spread Jainism
 Mathura and Ujjain = great
center of jainism