WYAMS - Ancient India

English	Photos
monsoon	strong winds that blow across the region at certain times of the year
subcontinent	a large landmass that juts out from a continent
citadel	a fortress in a city
migrate	to move from one place to settle in another area
caste	a social class of people
Indus River	location of the first major civilization on the Indian subcontinent
Himalayas	large mountain range that separates India from the rest of Asia
Harrapa	One of the major ancient cities from this region
Aryans	people who migrated from central Asia to the Indian subcontinent.
Vedas	Religious books of the Aryans and are an important text in the religion of Hinduism.
brahman	a single spiritual power that Hindus believe lives in everything.
avatar	a representation of a Hindu god or goddess in human or animal form.
reincarnation	the rebirth of the soul in the body of another living being.
dharma	the religious and moral duties of Hindus
ahimsa	the Hindu idea of non-violence
yoga	physical exercises Hindus believe free their souls from the cares of the world
Om	Hindus believe this is the sound of the universe; it is also the symbol for Hinduism
Brahma	The Hindu creator god
Vishnu	The Hindu god that protects humans
Shiva	The Hindu god of destruction
meditate	to focus the mind inward in order to find spiritual awareness or relaxation
nirvana	the lasting peace that Buddhists seek by giving up selfish desires
missionary	a person who spreads his or her religious beliefs to others
Buddha	Name given to Siddhartha Gautama after he became enlightened; means "the enlightened one"
mountain pass	opening in a mountain that allowed the Aryans to enter South Asia
Upanishads	One of the religious texts of Hinduism
Ganges River	River in South Asia that is sacred to the religion of Hinduism
Maurya	Indian empire founded by Chandragupta, beginning with his kingdom in northeastern India and spreading to most of northern and central India.
convert	to change one's beliefs; in particular, to change from one religion to another
tolerance	freedom from prejudice
Asoka	leader of the Maurya Empire that converted to Buddhism; brought great peace to his empire
stupa	Buddhist monument
Chandragupta	founder of the Maurya empire.
The Eightfold Path	Buddha developed this eight-step plan to end suffering
The Middle Way	The Buddha developed this plan to end suffering; also known as the Eightfold path
elephant	animal used by the Mauryan empire to terrorize their enemies.