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77 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Himalayas
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mountains on northern boundary of india
few usable passes, natural barrier between india and rest of asia |
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Karakorum Mountains
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northern boundaries, seal off india from rest of asia
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Hindu Kush
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lower mountain range in north, provides acces through usable passes
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Kyhber Pass
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mountain pass through Hindu Kush
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Indus River
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river in north-western region of india
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Ganges River
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river in northern region of india
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Indo-Gangetic Plain
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two fertile river valleys close by, cradle of indian civilization
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Deccan Plateau
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high plateau south of i-g plain
cultural barrier between north/south india |
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Eastern/Western Ghats
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mountains on either side of the deccan
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Monsoons
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main factor in indian climate
seasonal winds carry most of yearly rainfall timing is essential to crops, crops need rain, but can be destroyed by flooding most rainfall in i-g plain, little inland b/d it is blocked by western ghats |
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The Twin Cities (Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa)
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earliest evidence of indus vally civilization
had infrastructure, social heirarchy, system of taxation, specialized labor, were self-sufficient |
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Citadels
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strong central fortresses built on raised platforms
found in twin cities, evidence of civilization |
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Indus Valley Culture
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twin cities surrounded by farms, utilized cattle and staple crops like rice
evidence of flood control and irrigation manufacturing w/in cities had written language |
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Indo-Aryans
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aryan nomads came thru khyber pass, mingle w/ and add new things to i-v civ. via cultural diffusion
introduce cattle, hinduism, and the caste system |
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Vedas
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early records of indo-aryan religion
introduced concept of universal soul manifested in all things had no code of ethics, wasn't necessary at first |
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Soma
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mushroom drug given to the gods to appease them
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Vedic Age
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period of indian history from 1500BC to 1000BC
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Varuna
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Vedic god of heavens/sky
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Indra
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Vedic god of storm/war
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Sanskrit
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indo-aryan language that the vedas were written in
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Brahmins
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spiritual vedic leaders, highest in caste system
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Rajas
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prince/king ruled independent city-state
often went to war w/ each other |
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Upanishads
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complex interpretation of vedic religion
challenged the vedas + brahmins |
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Epics
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long poems about historical or religious events
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Mahabharata
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about great civil war in delhi
encouraged caste system, following/achieving one's dharma |
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Bhagavad Ghita
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last 18 chapters of mahabharata
"song of the lord," hero dies and kills enemies to fulfill duty, have good afterlife |
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Ramayana
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epic about Rama
exiled prince, fights demon to save wife, ideal couple |
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Rama
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incarnation of vishnu in Ramayana
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Krishna
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human form of vishnu in mahabharata
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Sita
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rama's wife
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Guru
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provided personal interpretation of the Vedas
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Chela
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students of gurus, later became gurus, expanded on/continued guru's parampara
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Parampara
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"lineage" of interpretations of the vedas passed from guru to chela over time
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Heterodoxy
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no strict uniform rules to follow, all paramparas were valid and accepted
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Caste System
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social heirarchy, one ascends/descends the ranks based on fulfillment of dharma in one life
cannot change roles within 1 lifetime |
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Varnas
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classes that compose of the caste system
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Jatti
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smaller subdivisions w/in the varnas
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Brahmin
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at top of caste system
rulers, lawmakers, and priests can only become one after atleast 1 life of achievement |
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Kshatriya
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warrior caste, 2nd highest
"twice born" status |
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Vaishya
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merchants and landowners, 3rd caste
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Sudra
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4th caste
majority, work for others people start there, are born there, hve to move up in next life |
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Parya
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aka "untouchables"
lowest of the low in caste system |
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Hinduism
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complex religion based on Brahmins' interpretation of the Vedas
put forward code of ethics to govern the increasing population |
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Brahma
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universal soul in hinduism, part of him is w/in everyone
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Vishnu
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popular incarnation of Brahma
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Siva the Destroyer
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incarnation of Brahma, destroyed AND renewer of life
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Monism
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belief that there is one god (Brahma) that is manifested partially w/in everybody (Atman)
all things are part of it, makes believers appreciate life |
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Maya
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illusion of pain, life
goal of hinduism is to escape via reincarnation through many lives to reunite w/ Brahma-Atman |
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Samsara
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idea that the sole purpose of life is to reunite w/ Brahma through reincarnation, escape maya
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Dharma
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fulfillment of duty to achieve deliverance, determines what caste they reincarnate as (or if they were in the Brahmin, whether they join Brahma or not)
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Karma
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moral decisions that aren't explicitly explained in dharma
only bad karma, the more of it someone has, the lower they will reincarnate |
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Yoga
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meditative inner search for soul
ignore pain and worldy feelings to become closer to Brahma-Atman |
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Brahminical Strand
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"the long road" to salvation
studying hard and long, inaccessible to the lower castes |
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Meditation
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path to salvation involves finding inner soul via yoga, etc.
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Work/Merit-Making
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path to salvation involces making morally right decisions to reduce karma
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Love (Bhakti)
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escape cycle of reincarnation to join Brahma simply by faith
worship, sacrifices, etc. |
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Siddhartha Gautama
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aka The Enlightened One, or BUDDHA
hindi prince, escaped material world to live as a hermit, had revelation that expanded on hinduism |
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Buddhism
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Siddhartha's new religion
accepted dharma, karma and reincarnation, more accessible b/c he denied caste system added 4 noble truths and 8 fold path |
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The 4 Noble Truths
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1.) all human life has sorrow + suffering
2.) desire for pleasure/personal gain brings sorrow 3.) renounce desire to be free from suffering and attain nirvana 4.) the 8 fold path leads to the 3rd step |
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Nirvana
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perfect peace, final goal in Buddhist cycle of reincarnation
could be achieved by anyone, contradicts hindu's caste system |
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8 Fold Path
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1.) right views
2.) right intentions 3.) avoid lies 4.) right action/honesty 5.) right living, harmony w/ others 6.) work to prevent evil 7.) constant awareness of oneself 8.) right concentration for meditation |
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Bodhisattvas
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result of cultural diffusion as buddhism spread to other religions
other religion's gods were enlightened like Buddha, declined nirvana to help others |
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Therevada
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southeastern asian sect of Buddhism
only accepts Pali Canon multiple but rare human buddhas, most important = sidhartha nirvana is nothingness monasticism is necessary for enlightenment |
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Mahayana
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Buddhism in china, korea, japan, mongolia
many different canons, multilingual buddhahood = common reality nirvana has various forms like western paradise monasticism is important but NOT necessary for enlightenment |
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Mauryan Empire
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powerful empire that ruled and conquered most of india for 150 years
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Chandragupta Maurya
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established Mauryan empire w/ army of 700,000 well-equpped soldiers
conquered all of northern india, united lands created mines, textile centers, used uniform measurement system |
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Pataliputra
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Chandragupta's capital city in western india
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Asoka
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chandragupta maurya's grandson
conquered all of india besides southern tip became a buddhist, scorned bloody war, sent missionaries all over world, tried to reform laws written on stone pilalrs emp. declined after him |
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Gupta Dynasty
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began in ganges, gained land via conquest and intermarriage
ruled india during golden age endorsed hinduism as main religion |
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Chandra Gupta I and II
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ruled india during golden age
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Polygny
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hindi practice allowed a man to have multiple wives
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Suttee
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wives throw themselves onto husband's funeral pyre
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Panchantra
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series of gupta fables
taught good values, popular |
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Stuppa
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hemispherical shrine held artifacts associated w/ buddha
asoka built 84,000 of them |
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Aryabhata
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hindi mathematician
invented arabic digits (1-9) first to solve quadratic equations, understood things like zero and infinity |
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Indian Art
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influenced by greeks and romans that came nearby, later pictures made humans look like alexander the great
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Nalonda
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buddhist university, gave free higher education
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