| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Aryans | Indo-Europeans who migrated to India |
| Ashoka | great ruler of Mauryan Empire; pillars of laws, spread Buddhism to Asia |
| Bhagavad Gita | Hindu scripture |
| Brahmin | priests or rulers of Hindu society; highest caste |
| Caste System | rigid Hindu social system |
| Chandra Gupta | founder of the Gupta Empire |
| Chandragupta Maurya | drove out remaining Macedonians & established the Maurya Empire |
| Dharma | the path of righteousness, duties and responsibilities (Hinduism); teachings & methods of Buddha (Buddhism) |
| Dravidians | inhabitants of central India prior to Aryan arrival |
| Eightfold path | path of righteousness; process to achieve nirvana (Buddhism) |
| Enlightenment | state of perfect wisdom or understanding (Hinduism, Buddhism) |
| Four Noble Truths | four main ideas understood by Buddha in his enlightenment |
| Gupta Empire | second centralized empire in India; yielded a golden age |
| Hinduism | ancient Indian religion |
| Harappa | large city on the Indus river; gave its name to Indus civilization |
| Jainism | religion that developed out of Hinduism (all living things are sacred) |
| Karma | sum essence of one's life based on good or bad deeds |
| Kshatriyas | warriors in Hindu society; 2nd level of caste system |
| Mahabharata | Aryan epic poem describing Hindu gods |
| Mahayana Buddhism | sect of Buddhism that incorporated new ideas of salvation to all and popular worship |
| Mauryan Empire | first centralized empire in India |
| Moksha | Hindu enlightenment; the goal |
| Monsoon | seasonal winds; Spring brings rains & Fall brings cool dry air |
| Mohenjo Daro | ancient city on Indus River |
| Nirvana | Buddhist enlightenment |
| Ramayana | Aryan epic poem portraying Aryan ideals |
| Reincarnation | cycle of life, death and rebirth |
| Sanskrit | the language of the Aryans |
| Sati | Aryan ritual in which wives commit suicide by throwing themselves on their husband's burning funeral pyre |
| Siddhartha Gautama | founder of Buddhism (the Buddha) |
| Shudras | laborers in Hindu society; |
| Stupa | stone tower housing Buddhist relics |
| Sub-continent | large physically isolated landmass below Asia |
| Tamil Kingdom | kingdom on the southern tip of India |
| Theravada Buddhism | sect of Buddhism focusing on strict spiritual discipline & original teachings of the Buddha |
| Untouchables | lowest in Hindu society; |
| Upanishads | Hindu teachers' interpretive dialogues of the Vedas |
| Varna | "color", the divisions in the caste system |
| Vedas | sacred literature of the Aryans; Hinduism |
| Vaishyas | peasants & traders in Hindu society; 3rd level of caste system |
Combine with other sets
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