Key Concept

  • South India : famous for gold, spices ,especially pepper and precious stones.
  • Pepper was  known as black gold.
  • Muvendar:3 chiefs of 3 rulling families : the Cholas, Cheras, and Pandyas. became powerful in south India around 2300 years ago.
  • Two centers of power: One inland and one on the coast.
  • 2 Important cities of South India: (1.0) Puhar or Kaveripattinam : the power of the Cholas , (2.0) Madurai : Capital of the Pandyas.
  • Around 200 years later , Satavahanas dynasty became powerful in western India.
  • Most powerful ruler of Satavahanas was Gautamiputra Shri Satakarni.He and other Satavahana rulers were known as lords of the dakshinapatha.
  • Techniques of making silk were 1st invented in China around 7000 years ago.
  • Chinese rulers sent gifts of silk to rulers of Iran and West Asia.
  • Around 2000 years ago, wearing silk became the fashion amongst rulers and rich people in Rome.
  • The best known of the rulers who controlled the silk route were Kushanas, who ruled over central asia and north west Insia around 2000 years ago. Their two major centres of power were Peshawar and Mathura.Taxila was also included in thier kingdom.
  • During their rule, Silk route extended from central asia down to support at the mouth of the river Indus,from where silk was shipped westwards to the  Roman Empire.
  • The most famous Kushana ruler was Kanishka. He ruled around 1900 years ago.
  • Kanishka organised Buddhist Council, where scholars met and discussed important matters.
  • Ashvaghosha , a poet who composed a biography of the Buddha, the Buddhacharita, lived in his court.
  • A new form of  Buddhism, known as a Mahayana Buddhism developed.
  • Buddha statues mostly made in Mathura and in Taxila.
  • Second change was a belief in Bodhisattvas. There were persons who had attained enlightenment. Lived in isolation  and mediate in peace.
  • Bodhisattvas became very popular , and spread throughout Central Asia, China , and later to Korea and Japan.
  • Buddhism also spread to western and southern India,where dozzens of caves were hollowed out of hills for monks to live in. Traders  probably halted  in these cave monasteries during their travels.
  • The older form of Buddhism is  known as a Theravada Buddhism. This was more popular in Southeast Asia, Thailand , Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
  • Pilgrims: who undertake journeys to holy places in order to offer warship.
  • Chinese Buddhist pilgrims who came india to visit places associated with the life of Buddha and famous monasteries:
    • Fa Xian, came India around 1600 years ago.
    • Xuan Zang came around 1400 years ago.
    • I-Qing  came around 50 years after Xuan Zang
  • Bhakti : Bhaj :- to divide or share. ( a two way relationship between deity and the devotee.)
  • Appar: A devotee of Shiva in Tamil. 1400 years ago.Appar was a vellala.
  • The word" Hindu" is derived from the river Indus.
  • Christianity emerged in west asia around 2000 years ago.
  • Jesus Christ was born in Bethalehem. ( a part of Roman Empire ).