History of

India
By Kenzy Ali
 Harrapan Civilization
Ancient India is often called the Harappan Civilization because one of the ancient cities was called
Harappa. Harappa was just one of 1500 cities in the Indus River Valley.  Another well-known city is called
Mohenjo-Daro.  

Historians estimate Ancient India to be the biggest of all four early civilizations.  

This civilization was not discovered until the 1920 BC, and much of this civilization remains a mystery.  One
reason the Indus Valley civilization is so mysterious is because historians have not been able to translate
their complicated written language called Indus Script.  There are thousands of artifacts with 400-600
different written symbols.  Most of these symbols were pressed into soft clay with seals.  

The archeologist have found the remains of cities to be incredibly well planned out.  Historians estimate

that each major city could support as many as 80,000 people, so Ancient India was by far the largest early
civilization.  The buildings were made from mud-bricks that had been fired in a kiln to make it harder. 

City planners started by digging water wells and water drainage systems with main roads and small roads
laid out in a square grid.  Finally homes were built along the roads, sometimes with multiple stories.  It
appears that most urban homes had water drain systems in the their home--a technology that wouldn't be
matched in history for over 3000 years.  However, most people didn't live in the urban areas.  Most people
lived in farming villages in rural areas.
 How the Caste system came to Existence

 Around 1500 BCE, Indo-European people migrated to India. The Indo-Europeans first settled along
the Indus River, in the same place where the Indus Valley people had lived. They settled down and
mixed with the local Indian people. They lived there and eventually expanded throughout the Indo-
Gangetic Plain. It was at this time that the caste system got started in India. It is believed that the
Indo-Europeans had a similar division of their society, but historians don’t agree about how the
caste system originated. The caste system is the division of people into certain levels within society.
These castes were based on the jobs people did though it carried on from family later like the son of
brahmin will be a brahmin even if they choose not to be priests.

Castes were very important to people's identities (back then). 

 There were four castes, but there was another group below the four castes known as Dalits
or Untouchables. Untouchables usually did the worst jobs, like cleaning up people's poop from the
gutters, collecting garbage, and dealing with dead bodies. 
 The lowest of the castes was the Sudras - the servants and farmhands who did not own their own
business or their own land, and who had to work for other people. The largest number of people
belonged to this caste.
  Above them were the Vaisyas, or farmers and traders, who owned their own farms or businesses.  
 Above these people were the Kshatriyas, or warriors. 
 The most powerful caste was the Brahmins (pictured below), the priests and other leaders.  

  There were also dozens of smaller groups within each castes. People who came from  different
castes could not eat together. Usually people from one caste did not marry or make friends with
people from another caste. Today, the caste system is outlawed by the modern Indian constitution,
and in urban areas most people ignore the caste traditions. 
 Mughal Developments
  When the Mughals took over, they presented  Persian ideas that were combined with
already existent Hindi customs.
 A Persian language was mixed with Arabic and Hindi to create Urdu. 
 This combination of multiple cultures helped establish a tolerance for different types of
peoples and cultures. 
 The introduction of Persian art and culture helped establish a new style of architecture that
helped construct one of the 7 wonders of the world, The Taj Mahal.
  A brand new system of education was introduced to India that took account of pupil's needs
and cultures. 
 Akbar established a new state religion called the Divine Faith ("Dīn-i-ilāhī") that
incorporated elements of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and  Christianity.             
 Shah Jahan built the famed Peacock Throne which was studded with pearls, diamonds,
rubies, and emeralds.
 Development of
religions in India
 It was during 4th century B.C that Siddhartha Gautama gave up his title as a prince
to search for truth and an end to the suffering.  He gave up his royal life and started a
quest to find real truth.   After years of searching, he achieved “enlightenment” and
became known as the Buddha or “enlightened one”. The Buddha traveled throughout
South Asia and taught others his new ideas—these teachings became known as the
religion of Buddhism. 
 Another religion called Jainism also developed during this time.  
 These new religions were a rebellion against cultural ideas such as the caste system
and importance of priests in religion.  Some of the first significant architecture in
South Asia also came from these new religions.  Since many of the building of the
Indus Valley have been lost to erosion, Buddhist architecture has become India's
most famous architecture. Today Buddhist monuments can be found all over China,
Japan and Southeast Asia.
 Islam first arrived at India through Arab traders  as early as the 7th century CE.
 Hinduism originated in India too and today 80% of the country's population is Hindu
while 14 % is  Muslim and 6% consists of other religions.
 As you can see a  very diverse population consider themselves Indians and this
started very early on, we are proud of this .
 Mathematics and
Science in Ancient
India
 In mathematics, the scholars of ancient India clearly
understood the Pythagorean theorem, that the square
of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is
equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. 
 The religious texts of the Vedic period contain
examples of simple Pythagorean triples, such as, “The
rope stretched along the length of the diagonal of a
rectangle makes an area which the vertical and
horizontal sides make together.”
 A medical treatise called the Sushruta Samhita (6th
century BCE) describes
 1120 illnesses,
 700 medicinal plants,
 a detailed study on anatomy,
 64 preparations from mineral sources
  57 preparations based on animal sources
 Cataract surgery was known to ancient Indian
physicians , and was performed with a specially
designed curved needle to loosen the lens and push the
cataract out of the field of vision.
 Art and Architecture
 Apart from figurines from the Indus Valley civilization, the earliest
examples of the art of ancient India which have come down to us are
from magnificent cave temples in central India. The spread of such
temples – either located in natural caves which have been shaped to
create a religious space, or entirely carved from rock – was originally a
Buddhist innovation, which Hindus later adopted.  Here, stone carvings
and painted frescoes dating from ancient times have come down to us,
the earliest dating from the Mauryan empire, or just after. The most
famous early cave-temples are found at Ellora, in central India.
 Another Buddhist innovation was the stupa, a dome-shaped monument
in which religious relics were stored. The earliest of these date from
Mauryan times, with the Great Stupa at Sanchi being the most famous.
 Apart from cave temples, ancient Indian buildings – secular and
religious – were largely made of wood and bricks. Unfortunately none
have survived from this early period of India’s history. Apparently they
incorporated rounded arches atop their windows and doors – in which
case they preceded arched architecture in the West by several centuries.
 Vedic Civilization
 The Vedic period (Vedic age) c. 1500 – c. 600 BC is a period in the
History of the Indian subcontinent between the end of the Indus valley
civilization, and about c. 1200 BC.
 It gets its name from the Vedas, which are religious texts. They do
contain some details of life during this period. They are the main sources
for understanding this period.
 The Vedas were composed and orally transmitted by speakers of an Old
Indo-Aryan language. They had Migrated into the northwestern regions
of the Indian Subcontinent early in this period. The associated Vedic
culture was tribal and Pastoral until c. 1200 or 1100 BC, and centered in
the Punjab.
 The society then spread eastward to the Ganges plain, becoming more
agricultural and settled. The Vedic period saw the emergence of social
classes, and developed into kingdoms known as the Janapada.
Archaeological cultures show phases of Vedic culture such as the
Ochre Colored Pottery culture, the Gandhara Grave culture, the Black
and red ware culture and the Painted Grey Ware culture.

 The Ramayana and Mahabharata were the two great epics of this period.
 NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF BRITISH RULE:

 No decision making : During British rule, Indians had no decision-making or political power in
any area. India lost its self-identity and once known for its rich culture, became the slave to
Britishers.
 Disruption of harmony: British used ‘divide and rule’ policy to make the Indians fight with other
so they can use them for their self-interest. While Indians fought with each other, Britishers used
the opportunity to conquer Indian places to extend their political influence. They made Indian
rulers redundant.
 Religious differences: Britishers for the first time started the hatred of communism between the
Hindus and Muslims of India which later led to the division of the country into India and
Pakistan.
 High taxation: India under British rule struggled with high taxation rules which were almost
impossible for craftsmen to pay to lead to the all time decline of Indian handicrafts which was
world famous before Britisher’s invasion to India.
 No economic growth : India made zero growth economically during Britishers rule from 1857-
1947 as there were no opportunities for growth.
 British rule was one of the toughest time India faced as the country. India got affected in many
ways during British colonial rule but there was a positive side too, which cannot be denied
either. 
 POSITIVE EFFECTS OF BRITISH RULE:
 Transportation and Communication System: The means of transportation in India, was bullock carts and other
pack animals, before the coming of the British. The British, for their benefits of transportation of Raw
materials from their place of origin to the ports,  established a wide network or roadways and railways.
 Educational System & The English Language : India being a country of different languages spoken in different
regions, the people remained divided. However, the British introduced compulsory English in the Educational
system throughout the country with the aim of getting clerical staff among Indians. This helped them reduce
the cost of administration.  They also believed, the Indians educated through their system would gradually
come to believe in their ideology. However, this benefited the Indians in a totally different manner. India had a
common language for communication. Indians began to have a better outlook of the world, society and
systems. It overall helped to modernize the people of India.

 Architecture and Construction : The Britishers left behind a large number of public buildings proud of it
architectural splendor. The Rashtrapathi Bhavan, The Parliament House, Gateway of India and many more
buildings. They also introduced the modern methods and means of construction to the country.
 Culture, Fashion and Cricket : They left behind a culture that we even are influenced in our every day life
today. The dressing fashion, the pants, tie, suits etc. we wear today are the leftovers of the British Rule.
Another important influence being, the Cricket. (It is more of a religion in India) 50% of the people love
cricket and another 30% are addicted to it. This was a game introduced by the Britishers to our country.
 Modern Technology and Ideals : India took the ideas of liberty, equality, human rights, science and technology
from the Britishes. Together with a well planned education system, this paved the way for modernization in the
country. A country that was unaware of the modern developments that was happening in the world.
 Irrigation and Agriculture (dams): Agriculture in India was commercialized, with the introduction of crops like
tea, coffee, opium, indigo, cotton, sugarcane etc. Many of the dams and canal irrigation systems, that we use
even today were built during the British Era.