Indus Valley Study Guide

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.

What are Vedas?

What happened to the Harappan and Mohenjo Daro Civilization?
Who were the Indo-Aryans?
Why did the Indo-Aryans want to migrate into northern Inda?
What was the Vedic Age?
Sanskrit is what?
Why would the Indo-Aryans be considered Polytheist?
Who did the Indo-Aryans worship? Where did they worship at?
What is a Bindi?
Who are the Brahmins? Why are they important to society?
What was the Raja?
What were the major contributions of the Indo-Aryans to ancient Indian society?
The Indus River Valley Civilization is located in what modern day country?
What two features dominate India's climate?
What is a Monsoon?
Where would you be most likely to find a monsoon?
What is a Citadel?
List 3 key facts about Mohenjo Daro
What were some of the reasons people migrated to the Indus Valley?
Inoculation, what is this?
Who was Mohandas Ghandi? What did he do?
How many seasons does India experience? Name them.
What are the two official languages of India?
Indian currency is known as what?
What animal is sacred in India and why?
India has what form of government?
Who were the Indo-Aryan migrants?
The Himalayas, what are they and where are they located?
What influence did the British have in India and why?
What religion is represented in India?
How did India get its name?
What do most Indians do in regards to eating?
How did suttees work? Was this voluntarily or mandatory?
What is the Taj Mahal and why was it constructed?
Explain the importance of Chandragupta Maurya
What happened on Indias Independence Day?
What importance have rivers played in Indias history?
What surprising fact did you discover about Indias media and entertainment business?
What board game was created in India?

Who was Ghandi? Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) is known around the world as
Mahatma, which is an honorific title meaning Great Soul in the ancient Indian language
of Sanskrit. He devoted his life to free India from British rule peacefully and based his
campaign on civil disobedience. His birthday, October 2, is a national holiday. He was
assassinated in 1948.
What are the six seasons India experiences? summer, autumn, winter, spring, summer
monsoon, and winter monsoon.
What are the official languages of India? Hindi and English are the official languages of
India. The government also recognizes 17 other languages (Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati,
Nepali, Manipuri, Konkani, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi,
Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu). Apart from these languages, about 1,652
dialects are spoken in the country.
It is illegal to take Indian currency (rupees) out of India.
Cows can be found freely wandering the streets of Indias cities. They are considered
sacred and will often wear a tilak, a Hindu symbol of good fortune. Cows are considered
one of humankinds seven mothers because they offer milk as does ones natural mother.
India is the largest democracy in the world.
The Himalayasfrom the Sanskrit hima, meaning snow, and alaya, meaning abode
are found in the north of India. They extend 1,500 miles. Several ancient Indian
monasteries are found nestled in the grandeur of these mountains.
Every major world religion is represented in India. Additionally, Hinduism, Buddhism,
Jainism, and Sikhism all originated in India.
The official name of India is the Republic of India. The name India derives from the
River Indus, which most likely is derived from the Sanskrit sindhu, meaning river.
Most Indians rinse their hands, legs, and face before eating a meal. It is considered polite
to eat with the right hand, and women eat after everyone is finished. Wasting food is
considered a sin.
l
India is the birthplace of chess. The original word for chess is the Sanskrit chaturanga,
meaning four members of an armywhich were mostly likely elephants, horses,
chariots, and foot soldiers.
How would you define a Raja? Indo-Aryan Governor, military leader, general, lawmaker,
judge, chief.
India has the worlds largest movie industry, based in the city of Mumbai (known as the
City of Dreams). The B in Bollywood comes from Bombay, the former name for
Mumbai. Almost all Bollywood movies are musicals
Rivers have played a vital role in Indias popular culture and folklorethey have been
worshipped as goddesses because they bring water to an otherwise dry land. Bathing in
the Ganges in particular is thought to take away a persons sins. It is not unusual to
spread a loved ones ashes in the Ganges.
On Indias Independence Day, August 15, 1947, the country was split into India and
Pakistan. The partition displaced 1.27 million people and resulted in the death of several
hundred thousand to a million people
Chandragupta Maurya (340-290 B.C.), a leader in India who established the Mauryan
Empire (321-185 B.C.), was guarded by a band of women on horseback.
The Taj Mahal (crown palace) was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592-1666)
for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631). This architectural beauty has been
called marbled embroidery for its intricate workmanship. It took 22,000 workmen 22
years to complete it.