hinduism
four main denominations
- Divine Hierarchy of Mahadevas
- savism
- shaktism
- vaishnavism
- smartism
- they have been formed over eons of time
- not physically there
- spirits that help guide, protect, and open new doors for mankind
Beliefs
- most believed in a Supreme God who possess qualities that are seen in multiple deities that come from him
- they believe in a cycle of rebirth, or reincarnation, which is governed by Karma
- there is no single founder of Hinduism
- Barhma, the least worshiped god is depicted with four heads, from these four heads supposedly came the Cedas, the most ancient religious texts for the Hindus. While Brahma created the universe, the other two deities are responsible for the preservation and destruction
- Vishnu is the second Hindu deity, put in charge of the Preservation and restoration of the universe. They believe that Vishnu has been reincarnated 9 times already, and that he will only be reincarnated once more, near the end of the world
- Shiva, the third Hindu deity, or god, is the god put in charge of destruction of the universe so that it may be re-built. According to Hindu beliefs, Shiva's destructive powers are at work even today, destroying illusions and imperfections so that our lives may e more constructive. It's believed that Shiva's relationship with his wife kept him balanced
Gods
- Brahma the creator
- Vishn the preserver
- associated with the sun
- worshiped in northern India
- shiva the destroyer
- worshiped in southern India
Priests
- the priests controlled the religion and its beliefs
- invented reincarnation
- as a priest, they may read, recite, the holy texts to those present, however, any reincarnated Hindu can perform these readings
They had multiple holy holidays
Places of worship
- in their home you will find a decorated shrine that serves as an altar for worship
- temples were made of stone or bricks
- normally you visit the temples during festivals and special functions
- the temple is led by a priest and his helpers
Buddhism
Development
- Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism
- he looked for enlightenment, wisdom, in the forests for six years
- he meditated for 49 days
- then was called Buddha- the enlightened one
- for noble truths
- 1- the way to overcome such desires and attain enlightenment is to follow the Eightfold Path, called the Meddle Way between desire and self denial
Beliefs
- reincarnation
- world is created and destroyed repeatedly
- Nirvana-release from selfishness and pain
- monks
- Buddhism was spread across Asia- into India
- Hinduism was more popular to Buddhism
- Buddhism affected trade
- Buddhism had different forms
- some Buddhists worshiped Buddha as god
Theravada
- the teaching of the elders, or the ancient teachings
- oldest surviving branch of Buddhism we know of. It is also closest to the original Buddhism than any other form.
- it is the main religion of Sri Lanka, about 70%
- there is about 150 mil Theravada Buddhist in the world
Stupas
- temples
- means heap
- symbolized elements
- are buildings that look like a dome
- contained artifacts and stuff about Buddhism like ashes of dead people
- people meditated in Stupas
- different types that contained different things like scripture or stuff that belonged to the Buddha
Buddhism and Hinduism Art
Hinduism Art
- focused on spiritual concepts
- simplicity
- lots of drawings of their gods especially Shiva
Hinduism Architecture
- Gupta people built an iron pillar near New Delhi that was 23 ft 8 in tall and weighed 6 tons
- built statues and sculptures of their gods
Stupas/architecture
- one of the oldest buddhist ex. of art and architecture
- they are holy monuments
- "stupas are filled with sacred images,mantras and the relics of holy beings"
- it is believed that by walking by or by looking at a stupa you will be purified of a lifetime of mistakes
- relic- a part of a deceased holy person's body or belongings kept as an object of reverence
Buddhism Art
- originated on the Indian subcontinent
- in India it was the age of Buddha
- the Indian artists used, wood bamboo, brick, and thatch to make their sculptures
- the human image of Buddha was very popular in the art of the Indians
- at first Buddhism was not represented by a human form
- this made Buddhism art have paintings such as a footprint, and empty seat, or a stupa
- when Buddha was born art now had a human figure to sculpt
- they started painting and making sculptures of him
- over years Buddhism started to change and so did the figure of Buddha
- went from simple to complicated
Military
India Military
- used elephants, chariots, infantry and archers in their military campaigns
- in 327 bc Alexander the great invaded and conquered parts of India
- after his death in 323 bc Selcucus Gains power of India
- the Magdha king Chandragupts Maurya buys the land form Seleucus for 500 elephants
Gupta Military
- relied a lot on archers and infantry
- were very disciplined, and had good commanders
- have a prominent reputation for steel weapons
- maintained a navy so they could use the coastal waters
- had knowledge of siegecraft, catapults, and other war machines
- used longbow effectivly
Mauryan Military
- had 4 main parts infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots
- had shields that were made of leather from ox-hide or tiger skin
- shields of wood or metal would also be around
- used spears maces and swords
- were covered by gold and jewels
- mauryans used scale coats for armor in their military
Shishunaga Military
- third ruling dynasty of Mahahda
- expanded to include most of Bengal
- battled all its neighbors and used weapons that they had not access to like chariots with fixed iron blades
Nada Military
- consisting of 200,000 infantry, 80,000 Calvary, 8,000 chariots, 6,000 war elephants
- extended from Bengal in the east to Punjab in the west and as far south as Vindhya range
- some say they were the first empire builders in history of India
Weapons
- War elephants- were heavily armored and would carry extra weapons and supplies and some archer would stand on them and shoot down at the enemies
- Bamboo Bow- the most dominated weapon in the Indian army because of its long range and effectiveness
- Indian Khanda- equal to the samurai sword and was used by cavalry
Kalidasa- Indian poet and author that belonged to the Gupta empire
Aryabhata- guy that was a very much math mention that started to come up with the variable for pie
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