First known urban culture in India – Harappan culture: 2700BC
in north western part of India
Stages of writing dried palm leaves, the bark of the birch tree, plates of copper, stone pillars and tablets made of clay
Pali and Prakrit are two extinct languages
Harappan civilization notable achievements: Great bath Earliest cities with town planning, sanitation, assemblies etc Excellent potters with great knowledge in metal alloying First to cultivate cotton Trade activities of Harrapans Agriculture was the main occupation in rural areas In cities, internal and external trade with other cibilizations such as Mesopotomians Worship Worshipped animals and a male god resembling Shiva and other goddess Humped bull, rhino and elephant are believed to be worshipped
By 1800 BC, this civilization began to decline
The start of Aryan culture Started a few centuries after harappan declined Settled on the banks of Indus and Saraswati They composed 4 vedas: Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharvana (So the name- Vedic culture) Timeline of vedic literature Rig- brahmanas- aranyakas- Upanishads----Ramayana- Mahabharatha- Purana
Rig veda is composed of praisings of lord Indra and Agni. Agni is
considered as intermediary between humans and gods.
Society in Aryan culture
The family was the smallest social unit; several
families (kula) made a village (grama) and several villages formed a vis. A number of villages formed a tribe or jana which was ruled by a chief called rajan. His chief function was to protect the tribe from external attack and maintain law and order. He was assisted by the members of two councils called sabha and samiti. The Purohita performed religious functions while the senani looked after military activities. There was no concept of the state or kingdom at this stage. Although the post of Rajan had become hereditary, he could be removed from power if found weak and inefficient or cruel.
Also, outsiders in the society were regarded as untouchables.
4 Stages of life - Chaturashrama
Bramhacharya – period of celibacy, education
Grihastha – family life Vanaprastha – a stage of gradual detachment Sanyasa – Spiritual pursuit
These are not applicable to women and lower varna people
Status of women
Well respected, enjoyed freedom
Had access to education Swayamvaram Sati and Purdah were NOT prevalent
Religious practices
Moksha was seeked
Initially forces of nature : Indra, Agni, Maruthi, Varuna were worshipped Later, the trinity: Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma took their place Sanskrit mantras, monopoly of brahmins, became essential part of religious practices As a result, brahmins became very powerful and rich Participation in these religious practices was restricted to upper 3 varnas