Called the vedic and epic ages

Classical India:

The Framework for Indian History: Geography and a Formative Period. Important reasons

as China, the subcontinent was nevertheless set apart within Asia. The most important

agricultural regions are along the two great rivers, the Ganges and the Indus. During its

Indian development during its classical era did not take on the structure of rising and falling

dynasties, as in China. Patterns in Indian history were irregular and often consisted of invasions

of the Mauryan emperors was Ashoka (269-232 B.C.E.). The Guptas did not produce as

dynamic a leader as Ashoka, but they did provide classical India with its greatest period of

example, did not require a single language for all of their subjects. The development of a rigid

caste system lies at the heart of this characteristic. In its own way, the caste system promoted

Hinduism, the religion of India’s majority, is unique among world religions in that no central

figure is credited for developing it. Hinduism encouraged both worldly and mystical pursuits

work in science and mathematics. The Gupta-supported university at Nalanda taught religion,

medicine, and architecture, as well as other disciplines. Indian scientists, borrowing ideas from

Economy and Society. India developed extensive trade both within the subcontinent and on the

ocean to its south. The caste system described many key features of Indian society and its

In Depth: Inequality as the Social Norm. The Indian caste system, like the Egyptian division

between noble and commoner and the Greco-Roman division between free and slave, rests on

individuality, but in both civilizations, it was largely expected that rulers should come from

society’s elites. In nearly all societies throughout most of human history, few challenged the

a characteristic of Indian governments.

China and India. China and India offer important contrasts in politics and society, yet they

while Indians ventured into mathematics for its own sake. Indian merchants played a greater

societal role than their Chinese counterparts. Both, however, relied on large peasant classes in

Buddhism is one of the few truly world religions. Indian influence was especially important in

southeast Asia. Placed between the great empires and trading networks of the Mediterranean and

Maurya dynasty

Ashoka

Sanskrit

Upanishads

Tamils

Buddha

Jati

Indra

Brahma

Reincarnation

Stupas