Ancient India Vocabulary

Match the following

• channel

• a strong wind that brings heavy rain to southern Asia in the summer

• monsoon

• a flat area of land that is elevated, or raised, above the land around it

• subcontinent

• a large landmass that is smaller than a continent

• citadel

• a fortress built to protect a city

• plateau

• a passage dug into the earth, through which liquids flow

Match the following

• Aryans

• India’s first civilization, located along the Indus River

• Indus valley civilization

• an early civilization, known for its advanced culture, that developed in India

• Mohenjodaro

• one of the first major settlements in ancient India that became a center of the Indus valley civilization

• Harappa

• a group from Central Asia who moved into India and established Vedic society

Match the following

• Buddhism

• the religion founded by Siddhartha, which teaches that life brings suffering that one can escape by seeking nirvana through enlightenment

• Sikhism

• a monotheistic religion founded by Guru Nanak that promotes honesty and equality

• Jainism

• a religion founded in India propagated by Mahavira that promotes nonviolence

• Hinduism

• a religion that developed in India over many centuries; it traces its roots to older traditions, such as Vedic beliefs and Brahmanism

Match the following

• Ahimsa

• a concept found in Hinduism and other Indian traditions about how the good and evil done in a past life determines what happens to one’s soul in the next life

• Monism

• the Hindu concept that people are born with a set of skills that help them serve one of the four general needs of a functioning society

• Karma

• a belief found in Hinduism and other Indian traditions that a person has a duty or obligation to live an honorable life

• Dharma

• the idea that all existing things in reality come from one original source

• Varnas

• nonviolence and respect for living things

List the eras of ancient Indian history in chronological order

• Gupta Empire

• Indus Valley Civilization

• Mauryan Empire

• Vedic Period

Match the following

• Meditation

• a state of peace that is free from suffering and desire

• Sanskrit

• focusing one’s mind on spiritual ideas

• Vedas

•  a social order that has determined one’s place in Indian society

• Nirvana

• language of Ancient India

• Caste System

• a collection of religious poems, myths, and hymns that influenced Hinduism