Features of the culture of Ancient India

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

Since many artifacts of the material culture of Ancient India were formed, more than four millennia have passed. Yet one tiny sculpture by an unknown artist still seems particularly relevant. The seal depicts a figure seated on a low platform in a posture familiar to modern practitioners of yoga and meditation: knees apart, feet touching, and arms extended away from the body with fingertips resting on the knees. Forming a symmetrical and balanced triangle shape, the adept's body thus positioned can withstand long sessions of yoga and meditation without the need to change posture.

Harmony with the Universe

The word "yoga" means "togetherness", and ancient yoga was intended to prepare the body for meditation, through which a person sought to understand his oneness with the totality of the universe. After gaining this understanding, people could no longer hurt another living being other than themselves. Today, this practice is regularly used to complement Westernmedical and psychotherapeutic procedures. Documented benefits of yoga and its companion meditation include lowering blood pressure, increasing mental clarity and reducing stress.

However, for the ancient Hindus who developed and perfected these complex mental-physical methods, yoga and meditation were tools for finding inner peace and a harmonious existence. If you look closely, you can find much more evidence of the non-violent, peaceful nature of the early peoples of this region. In short, the most important and interesting thing in the culture of Ancient India during its heyday from 2300-1750. BC e. is the absence of evidence of internal dissent, criminality, or even the threat of war and external conflict. There are no fortifications and no signs of attacks or looting.

Civil Society

This early period also focuses on civil society rather than the ruling elite. Indeed, archaeological evidence suggests that at that time there was in fact no hereditary ruler, such as a king or other monarch, who accumulated and controlled the we alth of society. Thus, unlike other ancient civilizations of the world, whose vast architectural and artistic endeavors, such as tombs and large-scale sculpture, served the we althy and powerful, the culture of Ancient India left no such monuments. Instead, government programs and financial resources seem to have been channeled into organizing society,that would benefit its citizens.

Role of a woman

Another feature that separates the history and culture of ancient India from other early civilizations is the prominent role of women. Among the artifacts that have been unearthed are thousands of ceramic sculptures, sometimes representing them in the role of a goddess, in particular the mother goddess. It is a key element of the religion and culture of ancient India. They are filled with goddesses - supreme and those whose role is to complement male deities who would otherwise be incomplete or even powerless. Therefore, it is not surprising that the symbol chosen for the national independence movement at the beginning of the 20th century and the emergence of modern democracy in India was Bharat Mata, that is, Mother India.

Harrap civilization

The first culture of ancient India, the Indus or Harappan civilization, at its height occupied the region in the northwestern part of South Asia that is now Pakistan. It extended south for 1,500 kilometers along the western coastal regions of Hindustan.

Eventually the Harappan civilization disappeared around 1750 BC. e. due to a combination of adverse natural and human factors. Earthquakes in the upper Himalayas may have changed the course of the rivers that provided vital agricultural irrigation, leading to the abandonment of cities and settlements and relocation to other places. In addition, the ancient inhabitants, not realizing the need to plant trees after cutting them down for use in construction and as fuel, deprived the region of forests, thusthereby contributing to its transformation into today's desert.

Indian civilization left brick-built cities, drainage roads, high-rise buildings, evidence of metalworking, tool-making, and had its own writing system. A total of 1022 cities and towns were found.

Vedic period

The period following the Harappan civilization from 1750 to the 3rd c. BC e., left fragmentary evidence. However, it is known that at that time some of the most important principles of the culture of the ancient civilization of India were formed. Some of them come from Indian culture, but other ideas entered the country from outside, for example, with the nomadic Indo-European Aryans from Central Asia, who brought with them the caste system and changed the social structure of ancient Indian society.

Aryans wandered in tribes and settled in different regions of northwestern India. At the head of each tribe was a leader, whose power after death passed to his closest relatives. As a rule, it was passed on to the son.

Over time, the Aryan people assimilated with the indigenous tribes and became part of Indian society. Since the Aryans migrated from the north and settled in the northern regions, many Hindus living there today have a lighter complexion than those who live in the south, where the Aryans did not dominate in ancient times.

Caste system

Vedic civilization is one of the main stages of the culture of Ancient India. The Aryans introduced a new social structure based on castes. In this system, social status directly determined what duties a person should fulfill in his society.

Priests, or Brahmins, belonged to the upper class and did not work. They were considered religious leaders. Kshatriyas were noble warriors who defended the state. The Vaishyas were considered a servant class and worked in agriculture or waited on members of a higher caste. The Shudras were the lowest caste. They did the most menial work - taking out the trash and cleaning other people's things.

Literature and art

In the Vedic period, Indian art developed many-sidedly. Depictions of animals such as bulls, cows and goats became widespread and were considered important. Sacred hymns were written in Sanskrit and sung as prayers. They were the beginning of Indian music.

Some key scriptures were created in this era. Many religious poems and sacred hymns appeared. The Brahmins wrote them to shape the beliefs and values of the people.

In short, the most important thing in the culture of ancient India in the Vedic period is the emergence of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. The latter religion originated in the form of religion known as Brahmanism. Priests developed Sanskrit and used it to create around 1500 BC. e. 4 parts of the Vedas (the word "veda" means "knowledge") - collections of hymns, magic formulas, spells, stories, predictions and conspiracies, which are still highly valued today. These include writings knownas Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda. These works played such an important role in the ancient culture of India that the era of that time was called the Vedic period.

About 1000 B. C. The Aryans began to compose 2 important epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. To the modern reader, these works provide insight into daily life in ancient India. They tell of Aryans, Vedic life, wars and achievements.

Music and dance have evolved throughout India's ancient history. Instruments were invented that made it possible to keep the rhythm of the songs. The dancers wore elaborate costumes, exotic make-up and jewelry, and they often performed in temples and rajah courts.

Buddhism

Perhaps the most important figure of the culture of the Ancient East and India, which appeared in the Vedic period, was the Buddha, born in the VI century. BC e. under the name of Siddhartha Gautama in the Ganges region in the northern part of Hindustan. Having attained perfect knowledge at the age of 36 after a spiritual quest that involved ascetic and meditative practices, the Buddha taught what has come to be called the “middle way.” He is advocating the rejection of extreme asceticism and extreme luxury. The Buddha also taught that all living beings are capable of transforming from an ignorant, self-absorbed state into a human being, embodying unconditional benevolence and generosity. Enlightenment was a matter of personal responsibility: each person had to develop compassion for all living beings along with a perfect knowledge of their role in the universe.

It is important to note thatthe historical Buddha is not considered a deity, and his followers do not worship him. Rather, they honor and honor him through their practice. In art, he is shown as a human, not a superhuman being. Because Buddhism does not have an omnipotent central deity, the religion is easily compatible with other traditions, and today many people around the world combine Buddhism with another faith.

Jainism and Hinduism

A contemporary of the Buddha was Mahavira, the 24th in a line of perfect humans known as jinn or conquerors, and a major figure in the Jain religion. Like Buddha, Mahavira is not considered a god, but is an example for his followers. In art, he and the other 24 genies appear as highly perfected people.

Unlike Buddhism and Jainism, India's third major indigenous religion, Hinduism, had no human teacher to whom beliefs and traditions could be traced. Instead, it centers around devotion to specific deities, both major and minor, who are part of a vast pantheon of gods and goddesses. Shiva destroys the universe with his cosmic dance when it deteriorates to the point where it needs to be revived. Vishnu is the protector and preserver of the world as he fights to maintain the status quo. Archaeological evidence of Hinduism appears later than Buddhism and Jainism, and stone and metal artifacts depicting many deities, before the 5th century. rare.

Samsara

All three Indian religions share the belief that every living being is subject to a cyclebirth and rebirth for countless eons. Known as samsara, this cycle of transmigration is not limited to humans, but includes all sentient beings. The form one takes in a future birth is determined by karma. The term in modern parlance has come to mean luck, but the original usage of the word refers to actions done as a result of choice rather than chance. Escape from samsara, called "nirvana" by the Buddhists and "moksha" by the Hindus and Jains, is the ultimate goal of each of the three religious traditions, and all human activity should ideally be directed towards improving karma in order to achieve this goal.

Although these religious traditions now have different names, in many ways they are considered different paths or margas to the same goal. In the culture of the individual and even in families, people were free to choose their own path, and today there is no evidence of religious conflict between these traditions.

External contacts

Approximately in the III century. BC e. the combination of the internal evolution of the culture of Ancient India and the stimulating contact with Western Asia and the Mediterranean worlds brought about changes in the Indian regions. Arrival of Alexander the Great in the northwestern region of South Asia in 327 BC and the collapse of the Persian Empire brought new ideas, including the concept of monarchy and technologies such as tools, knowledge, and large-scale stone carving. If Alexander the Great succeeded in conquering Hindustan (mutiny and fatigue of his troops caused his retreat), then you canone can only guess how the history of India might have developed. Whatever the case, his legacy is mostly cultural rather than political, as the routes he blazed across western Asia remained open to trade and economic exchange for centuries after his death.

The Greeks remained in Bactria, located northwest of India. They were the only representatives of Western civilization who accepted Buddhism. The Greeks participated in the spread of this religion, becoming intermediaries between the cultures of Ancient India and China.

Mauryan Empire

A monarchical system of government came along the path established by the Greeks. It spread in the north of India in the rich lands fertilized by the life-giving river Ganges. The most famous of the first kings of the country was Ashoka. Even today, he is admired by the leaders of the country as an example of a benevolent ruler. After several years of wars he fought to establish his empire, Ashoka, seeing 150,000 people captured, another 100,000 killed and more dead after his last conquest, was struck by the suffering he had caused. Turning to Buddhism, Ashoka devoted the rest of his life to righteous, peaceful causes. His merciful rule became a model for all of Asia as Buddhism expanded beyond its homeland. Unfortunately, after his death, the Mauryan Empire was divided among his descendants and India again turned into a country of many small feudal states.

Unparalleled succession

Preservedartifacts and what we know about people's religious and philosophical beliefs suggests that between 2500 B. C. e. to 500 AD e. the culture of ancient India, in short, reached an extraordinary rise, accompanied by innovations and the formation of traditions that are still traced in the modern world. In addition, the continuity between the country's past and present is unmatched in other regions of the world. Modern societies in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, America, and China bear little resemblance to their predecessors for the most part. It is striking that from the early stages of the long and rich development of the culture of ancient India, many of the extant material evidences have had a permanent and lasting impact on Indian society and the whole world.

Science and mathematics

The achievements of the culture of Ancient India in the field of science and mathematics are significant. Mathematics was necessary for the planning of religious buildings and the philosophical understanding of the cosmos. In the 5th century n. e. astronomer and mathematician Aryabhata allegedly created the modern decimal number system, which is based on an understanding of the concept of zero. Evidence of an Indian origin for the idea of zero, including the use of a small circle to represent a numeral, can be found in Sanskrit texts and inscriptions.

Ayurveda

Another feature of the culture of ancient India is the branch of medicine known as Ayurveda, which is still widely practiced in this country. It has also gained popularity in the Western world as a "complementary" medicine. Literally this wordtranslated as "the science of life". The medical culture of Ancient India, in short, in Ayurveda defines the basic principles of human he alth, indicates physical and mental balance as a means of achieving good he alth and well-being.

Policy and the principle of non-violence

In short, the most important and interesting in the culture of Ancient India is the belief in the inviolability of living beings, which is a central part of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. It was transformed into passive resistance advocated by Mahatma Gandhi during the country's struggle for independence from British rule in the early twentieth century. Since Gandhi, many other contemporary leaders have been guided by the principle of non-violence in their quest for social justice, most famously the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., who led the fight for racial equality in the United States in the 1960s.

In his autobiography, King wrote that Gandhi was the main source of his non-violent social change technique during the 1956 bus boycott that ended racial segregation on Alabama city buses. John F. Kennedy, Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama have also declared their admiration for Mahatma Gandhi and the ancient Indian principle of non-violence, and individual empathy for all living beings and a corresponding non-violent stance adopted by vegetarian, animal and environmental groups.

Perhaps there is no greater compliment that could be given to an ancientculture of India than the fact that today her complex belief system and respectful attitude towards life can serve as guides for the whole world.