India Geographical features Impact on History

3 major geographicaldivisions
Himalayan Mountains
Indo Gangetic Plains
southernPeninsula

HimalayanMountains
length 42560km averagebreadth of 240 320 Km
highestpeak mount Everest 8869m

protects us from cold Siberian winds

Natural barrier against invasions but passes usedfortraffic
Alexander invaded from Surat Valley
Passes facilitated trade culturalrelations withcentralAsia

Indo GangeticPlains
irrigated by 3 sivers Indus Ganga Brahmputra
most
fertile productive because of the alluvial soil
Punjab plains benefitted byIndus
Thandesert Aravali Hills b w Indus Gangaplains MountAbu
is the highestpoint in Aravali

Ganga tributaries Cromati Sarayu Gehagra Gandak

Rise of urban centres attraction
for foreign invaders
 of for foreign
Indus
valley Harappan culture flourished
Gangeticplains Vedic culture flourished Banaras Agra
Delhi etc

Southern Peninsula
Deccan Plateau South of Vindhya mountains volcanic rock

easyto cut hence more sock cut monastery temples

Denseforests of Vindhya mountains isolate SouthIndia from
north India
Indo Roman
PalghatPass Kaveri valleyto Malabar Coast trade
Anairmudi Dodabetta highest peaks
Narmada Tapi from east to west
Othermajor rivers west to east fertile soil for rice
bone
RaichurDoab Krishna Tungbuadra of contention for
major kingdoms
In the East Mariners reached Jawa Sumatra Cambodia
Burma trade spread art religion culture etc

India Land of Unity in Diversity

The pre Aryans Indo Aryans the Greeks thinas Tusks etc
made India their home contributed their
mightto making
of Indian culture
 Of

AncientIndia witnessed the birth of Hinduism Jainism

Buddhism
Ancientpoets philosophers writers viewed the countryas an

integral unit This kind of political unity attained at

least twice during Mauryan Gupta period
Effortsfor the linguistic cultural unity were madethrough
the ages In 3rd centuryBc Prakritserved as linguafranca

Asoka's inscriptions in Prakrit

India has emerged as multi religious multi cultural society
 Pre Historic India Harappan culture

pre Historic No written records but archaeological remains

like stone tools artifacts metal implements

dating is done using radio carbon dating or dendrochronology

classified into 3 periods

Basis Paleolithic Mesolithic Neolithic

Period before10,000Be 10,0006000Bc 6000 4000BC

lived in rockshelters rockshelters mud brick

caves caves grass
huts

stone tools hand microliths polished stone

Tools sized I flaked off 5cmhandtools tools axes
use bow
Largepebbles arrow
of

hunting ofsmall agriculture domest

huntingoflarge animals fishes ofanimals manifa
Activity animals attempts
to domesticateanimals domestication of
ofpottery
crudepots growplants animals horticulture
primitivecultivation
dog deer boar sheepgoats
Animals ostritch cattle

boomvalley potwar Lalgany in Guy Kashmirvalley

Sites Plateauon NWIndia Adamgarh in Mp chirandin Bihar
all hills
 sirvalik hills g BelanvalleyinUP
Rajasthan
Bhinsbetka in MP up severalplacesof
Adamgarh hills inNarmada Bihar Deccan
valley Karnataka Masks
Kurnool in AP Brahmgisi Hallen
Attirapakkam in Chennai Kodekal
TN Payampalli
AP Uthur

littleknowledgeabouttheir begantendency emergenceofvillage

communities
Mise language communication to settle for
improvementimages
longerperiods
used coeton woolen
clothes

Age Chalcolithic copperstone Iron age

use of copper bronze Iron frequentlyreferred
Harappan culture in Vedas
south India valleyof Godavari a
Megalithicburials
Krishna Tungabhadra Pennon burialpitscovered with
Kaveri weresettled
by farming largestones
communities oKarnataka Halbur Masks
AP Nagarjuna Konda
TN Adichohanallure
Black red pottery iron
artifacts smallweapons
found in burial pits

TheHarappanciation Earliestexcavations intheIndusvalleywere

doneat Harappain WestPunjab Mohengodaro in Sind
9mp sites
KotDigiinSind Kalibangan in Rajasthan Reipasin Punjab BanawaliinHR
Lothal Surkotada Dholavira in GJ
Mohenjodaro is the largest of all Induscities
evolution
Origin 7 four importantphases
PseHarappan location East Baluchistan nomadicpeoplebegin
to lead a settled agsi life
Early Harappan peoplelived inlarge villages gradualgrowthof
towns transitionfrom rural to urban sitesAmri KotDigi
 Mature Harappan greatcitiesemerged elaborate town planning
at Kalibangan site
Late Harappan Declineof Indusculturestarted Lothalwithits
port emporium of trade blurHarappans remainingOndia

Djculture Occupation of Mohenjodaro b w2300 1750 Bc

SI Wulture
ToionP inge 7 on the lines of gridsystem
Harappa Mohenjodaro Kalibangan had citadel built on
ahigh podium of mud bricks
lower townof brickhousesoccupiedbycommonpeople
Largescale use of burnt bricks
underground drainagesystem
Greatbath 39ftX 23ftx 8ft ritualbathing site
largestbuilding is granary 150ftx50ft

a great progressin
agsi industry crafts trade
main crops wheat barley sesame mustard cotton
Surplus storedin granaries
Animals sheep goats buffalo domesticated Horsesx
Pottery remainsplain but red blackpaintedpottery
Internal trade extensive foreigntrade mainlywith
Mesopo amia
Afghanistan Iran etc
Main imports Gold Silver copper tin etc
Main exports wheat barley oilseeds cottongoodsbeadsetc
Trade was mainly bartertype

SOCII 2 piecedresses
forboth men women
Beads worn by men women
GoldSilver Copper Bronzeornamentswere common
fishing was regular occupation
Hunting Bull fighting were otherpastimes
Numerousspecimens of weaponsof warfound

Arts Highdegreeof workmanship highdegreeof proficiencyattained

the sculptor
byJars
pots were with variousdesigns colours
painted
Painted pottery was of betterquality

Script Not yetcompletelydeciphered Dravidian language wasused

byHarappans
 by 1 afI
Region Chiefmaledeity was Pasupati Shiva representing inseals
surroundedby 4 animals elephanttiger shiur buffalo
Chieffemale deity was mothergoddessrepresentedinterracotta
figurines
linga Nature worshipalsothere
Burialmethoots Completeburial post cremation burial popularat Mohen
wooden or brick coffins

De Naturalcalamitieslikerecurringfloods
drying up of rivers decreasingfertilityof the soil occasional
earthquakes
Acc to somescholars finalblow was delivered by the invasion ofAryans
 Inevedicure
Introduction Harappan culture declined by 1500BC
Aryansinvasion entered NW IndiafromIndo Iranianregion
movedinto Indo Gangetic plains they were mainly caltle keeping
people
ByGooBe theyoccupiedwholeof the NorthIndia Asyavarta
Rig Vedicperiod 1500 1000Bc LaterVedicPeriod 1000GooBe

Vedictiterature 7 Veda signifiessuperiorknowledge

Four Vedas
Rig Ueda 1028hyms earliestUedato praisediffgods
Yajurveda detailsof rules related to sacrifice
SamaUeda trueforthe purposeofchantingduringsacrifice
Atharvaveda detailsfor the rituals
Brahmanas treatiesrelated to prayers sacrificialceremonies
Upanishads philosophicaltextsdealingwiththetopic like soul origin
of world books
etc
dealwithsites rituals sacrifices
Aranyakas forest

Basis Rig Vedic Period 1500 1000Bc LaterVedicPeriod o

i oo GooBD

location AryansmostlyconfinedtoIndusregion SatapathaBrahmna expansionof

Sattasindhu 5riversofPb1Indus1 Aryansto east Gangeticplains
Saraswati Growthof largekingdoms
Kuru Panchalakingdomsinthe
beginningthen Kosala Kasi
Videla
Indiadividedin 3 Asyavarta N
desha c Dakshinapath s
Madhya

political Basic unit was Kula or family Largerkingdoms wereformed

organization severalfamilies village orgrama ManyJanasmergedtoform
leaderofgrama gramani Janapadasor Rashtra
Groupof villages vise headed VariousceremonieslikeRajasuy
consecrationceremony Asvame
by vishayapati
Thehighestpolitical unit Jana or ha horsesacrifice
Vajpeya
Tribe headedbyRajan orking Cchariotraced
Hereditarypositionof king likeRaja
KingassumedtitlesSamrat
king assisted by Purohit senani visvajanan Ekrat etc
commanderof
army Large of
no new officials like
a 2
popularbodies Sabha Councilof treasuryofficer tax collector
elders Samiti assemblyof all royal messengeretc
 blyof soy ger

Social life patriarchalsociety Patriarchal society

head of family grahapati Power of grahapatiincrease
Polygamyonlyinroyalfamilies women status degraded
womengivenequalopportunities consideredinferior sub
in spiritual intellectual develop ordinate
No child marriage or Sati childmarriagesbecomecommon
wheat barley milk products a Varna
system was thoroughly
fruits vegetables established
Cow's meat banned
Horseracing dancingmusic
pastimes
social divisions were notrigid

Religion worshipped the natural forces Prajapati creator Vishnu

like earth fire wind rain etc protector Rudra destroyer
Indra was mostpopularthenfire becameprominent
Femalegods like Aditi Usha sacrifices still important
No temples no idolworship more elaborate
Ghee milk grains asoffering importance of prayers1
sacrificesIn
Priesthoodbecamea
hered
profession tary
strongreactionagainst priestly
domination sacrifices
 J ddhism
Causes B religious unrest in GooBo India
sacrifices not acceptable to commonpeople
complex rituals
sacrificialceremonies were expensive
mantras
superstitious beliefs confused the people
Teachings of Upanishads alternative to sacrifice were highly
philosophical
Social factors
Rigid castesystemgenerated tension in the society
Certain rightsdenied to lower castes t
Kshatriyas had resented the domination hence
priestly they
began to support J B

Varina 539 467Bed

24thTirthankara born at Kundagrama to Kshatriyaparents
Siddhartha Trisala
He married to Yasuda gavebirth to a daughter
At the ageof 30 he became an ascetic wandered for 12years
in the13thyears he attainedthe highestspiritual knowledge
called Kerala Gnana
He was called Mahavira Tina hisfollowers were called Jains
He died at 72 near Rajagsiha

teachingsofMahavir Threeprinciples of Jainism called

Tsiratnas
Right faith Right knowledge Right conduct
Observance 5 vows
belief in the teaching acceptanceof the of
of Mahavira fact that thereis not toinjure lie steal
no God acquireproperty to
lead immoral life
All objects animate or inanimate have souls
Rejected the authority of Vedas objectedto Vedic rituals
Practice of agri considered sinful
practice of starvation nudity otherfours of self torture

spreadofjain.rs Mahaviraorganised Sanghatospreadhisteachings

Admitted both men women
spread rapidly in WestIndia Karnataka
ChandraguptaMaurya Kalinga ruler Kadambas Chalukyas
Rashtrakutas patronised the Jainism
Division of Jainism By the end of 4thcenturyBC seriousfamine
in Ganga Valley Many Jain monks led by Bhadra bagu
Chandragupta came to Karnataka
Thosewho stayedback in North India were led byStrulabahu
who changed the conduct formonks
Hence ledto division
Svetambaras white clad
Digambara Sky clad or naked
first council was convened at Pattiputra by Sthulabahu