HIST 135 Eastern Civilization
Exam I Review
Historical Periods:
Indus River Valley civilizations (Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro)
Vedic Period (Aryan invasions)
Maurya Dynasty (Alexander the Great, Megasthenes, Chandragupta, Ashoka)
Shunga (stupas, chaitya halls/cave monasteries)
Kushan (Kanishka, the Silk Road, Hellenistic images of the Buddha)
Gupta Dynasty (Chandra Gupta, meditative images of the Buddha, Fa Hsien)
Medieval Period (Southern dynasties and temple cults, decline of Buddhism [generally], absorption into Hinduism)
Muslim Conquests (Sindh, the Dehli Sultanate)
Mughal Empire (Babur, Akbar, Shah Jahan, Auranzgeb)
The British "Raj" (the East India Company, the Sepoy Rebellion)
The Nationalist Movement (Indian National Congress, Mohandas Gandhi
Hinduism:
Indra
Shruti
Vedas
Upanishads
Samsara
Karma
Moksha
Brahman-Atman
Darsan
Dharma
Churning of the Ocean (creation myth)
Caste/Varna/Jati
Trimurti
Lingam - Yoni
Shakti
Mudra
Yoga
Bhakti movement
Ishtadeva
The paradox of world affirmation - world renunciation
Ashrama
Purusartha
Literary / Visual / Performing Arts:
Smriti
Ramayana
Bhagavad-Gita
Devotional poetry
Hindu / Buddhist sculptural conventions
Hindu temple architecture and symbolism
Natyashastra
Bharata Natyam
Principles of classical Indian music
Buddhism:
Siddhartha Gautama
Buddha
Chaitya hall
Stupa
Four Noble Truths
Dana
Sila
Theravada Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhism
Bodhisattva
Nirvana*** You should have a basic familiarity with the Indian film Earth (characters, plotline, etc.)
Essay Question Pool
1. Why does ancient Indian culture seem to demonstrate a lack of indigenous historical documentation? If this is the case, then through or by what means have we learned about it? What dynastic periods of ancient Indian history stand out in this respect?
2. In what ways can Hinduism be described as an ongoing creative tension between "world affirmation" and "world renunciation?" How and why are both present? What examples of this tension can you provide from Hindu literature, thought and practice? Explain how these examples apply.
3. What is "Bhakti Yoga?" Describe its devotional characteristics and historical roots, as well as how it continues to function today.
4. Outline and explain the development of Buddhist devotional images in India. What kinds of changes did they go through? What cultures and sociopolitical events influenced their stylistic development?
5. Beginning with the creation of the East India Company,
describe/explain the factors that led to the formal establishment of the British
(i.e., Crown)
"Raj."