Medieval India. Medieval Indian Dynasties Gupta Era: 320-550 ce Huna Invasion: 455-528 ce Kushan Era: 5 th -7 th c. ce Hindu Dynasties: 3 rd -15.

Medieval India

Medieval Indian Dynasties

Gupta Era: 320-550 ceHuna Invasion: 455-528 ceKushan Era: 5th -7th c. ceHindu Dynasties: 3rd-15th c. ce

Rajputs: Western India 7th -12th c. ceMuslim Invasions: 7th-11th c. ceDelhi Sultanate: Northern India 12th-16th cMongols under Tamerlane sack Delhi 1398-99Vasco da Gama reaches India: 1498Mughal Empire:1526-1858

HinduismSanatana Dharma“The Everlasting

Way”

OMthat which hath no beginning or end

Hinduism:all-embracing structure of

thought

All creation linked in huge web of being

Transmigration of souls through various life forms

Proper behavior linked to purgation and renewal

Dharma: the duty of the believer

Monotheism

• God is Infinite. • The Infinite manifests in billions of ways. • Hinduism believes not only in One God, but also in His

Supreme Personality. • This personality is manifested in different forms

around us and within us perpetually. Therefore, the Infinite manifests in billions of ways to help mankind visualize the Divine Being.

• This belief of Hinduism is often confused with polytheism.

• That the Supreme can be worshipped in any form is a unique concept in Hinduism.

• Hinduism recognizes multiple forms of the one God.

Hindu Concept of Time

The transcendence of time is the aim of every Indian spiritual tradition.

Time is often presented as an eternal wheel that binds the soul to a mortal existence of ignorance and suffering.

"Release" from time's fateful wheel is termed moksha.

Hindus believe that the universe is without a beginning or an end . 

The universe is projected in cycles. Each cycle is divided into four yugas

(ages of the world). Shiva dancing

BRAHMAN: Universal Power

ATMAN: Individual Manifestation of the

Universal SpiritBrahman is the indescribable, inexhaustible, omniscient, omnipresent, original, first, eternal and absolute principle who is without a beginning, without an end , who is hidden in all and who is the cause, source, material and effect of all creation known, unknown and yet to happen in the entire universe.

Major Hindu Manifestatio

ns BRAHMAN: divine source

of all being Brahma/Sarasvati, the

creator Vishnu/Lakshmi, the

preserver: benevolence, forgiveness, love

Shiva/Kali, the destroyer: disease, death, the dance

Ganesha, god of wisdom, writing, elephant-headed

BrahmaThe

CreatorHis 4 heads represent the four Yugas or cycles of time in Hinduism.

At the end of these cycles of time the Universe is ripe for destruction and must be created again.

The God Shiva will then destroy the universe so that it can be created again.

The Lord has in his four hands a water-pot (kamandalu), a manuscript (Vedas), a sacrificial implement (sruva) and a rosary (mala).

Vishnu the Preser

ver Protector of dharma

(righteousness) and the guardian of humanity.

His particular task is the conservation or preservation of the Divine Order in the world.

Vishnu has 10 avatars or incarnations. He assumes these and comes down to earth in order to help humanity.

Lord Vishnu lies on the universal waters with Goddess Lakshmi massaging His feet. From His navel sprouts a lotus flower on which Lord

Brahma is born.

Rama

and Sita

• Rama is the 7th avatar of Vishnu.

• Lord Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, is one of the most adored gods

• He is always holding a bow and arrow indicating his readiness to destroy evils.

• More commonly he is pictured with his wife Sita, his brother Lakshmana and his devotee Hanumana

Krishna

• Krishna is the 8th avatar of Vishnu. • The mythology around Krishna is the most colorful and the

richest in lyricism, adventure and in love in all its forms.• Krishna is central to the Mahabharata, the Sanskrit epic

that is eight times longer than the Iliad and the Odyssey put together.

• Krishna is a loyal ally of humans and always helps his friends. His worship is popular all over India and there are many sacred shines to him.

• In Hinduism there is a concept known as Bhakti. Bhakti is the emotional attachment and love of a devotee for his or her personal god. This is common in the worship of Krishna.        

Krishna

Shiva the

Destroyer

Lord of the Dance

He performs the dance of

destruction so that the world can be

recreated.

Shiva is the acknowledgment that everything that comes

to birth comes ultimately to death and from death comes new

life.

He is cruel and yet tender, wrathful and

merciful, unpredictable and yet ever the same.

The Great Goddes

sParvati and Uma are the benign aspects of the goddess; the destroyer goddesses Kali and Durga are in turn all aspects of the Devi, or the Great Goddess.

Kali is the negative aspect of the Goddess and symbolizes death. In this form she is sometimes considered the presiding deity of famine and disease.

Kali

Durga

Hindu Dynasties3rd-15th c.

Confused political scene especially in SouthWarlike clans in Rajasthan: RajputsPallave dynasty dominates the south warring with

Cholas, Cheras, PandyasChristianity and Zorastrianism introduced into

India Turkish raids 1000-1206Decline and disappearance of Buddhism in India

around 13th c.

Rajputs

Rajputs

Princely members of the Kashitrya “warrior” caste

Ruled northern and western India 7th-12th c. in local kingdoms, often at rivalry with each other

Champions of dharma and devotees of Siva and Durga

Predominantly Hindu, but tolerated all worship within their realms

Prolific fort and palace-builders

Kumbhalgarh fort built by Maharana Kumbha.

Kumbhalgarh fort : Perimeter wall is 20 miles long. Six horses could ride abreast on the fort ramparts.

Vijay Sthamb (Victory Tower) built byMaharana Kumbha

Udai Palace at Udaipur (city founded by Maharana Udai Singh).

Khajuraho

The temples at Khajuraho were built during the Chandella dynasty, which reached its apogee between 950 and 1050.

Only about 20 temples remain; they fall into three distinct groups and belong to two different religions – Hinduism and Jainism.

They strike a perfect balance between architecture and sculpture.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Kandariya Mahdeo in Khajuraho

Hindu Religious Literature:The Puranas

18 religious books preserving Hindu myths and legends contain 5 major subjectsSarga: the creation of the universe.Pratisarga: secondary creations, mostly recreations

after dissolution.Vamśa: genealogy of the gods and sages.Manvañtara: the creation of the human race and the

first human beings. Vamśānucaritam: the histories of the patriarchs of the

lunar and solar dynasties.

Hindu Religious Literature:

Epic Poetry The Gita Govinda is a work

composed by the 12th-century poet, Jayadeva.

It describes the relationship between Krishna and the gopis (female cow herders) particularly one gopi named Radha.

Important the development of the bhakti traditions

Gita Govinda manuscript c. 1550.

Hindu Religious Literature:

Bhakti PoetryBhakti: mystical devotion to godLyric poetry spoken and sung by poet-saintsTamil hymns (6th-9th c) – earliest bhakti poetry –

focused on Shiva and VishnuTradition of bhakti poetry spread throughout

India and its 16 major languagesPopular and populist: poets came from all castes,

including untouchables and womenBelief that mysticism was the highest path to

release from karmaHighly personal and individual: a form of

spiritual autobiography

Mahadeviyakka12th c

Princess who left her royal husband

Wandered naked through countryside – total devotion to Siva meant giving up conventional coverings society required for females

350 poems express her passionate thoughts on God, love and the world

Mahadeviyakka

12th c

You can confiscatemoney in hand;can you confiscatethe body’s glory?

Or peel away every stripyou wear,but can you peelthe Nothing, the Nakednessthat covers and veils?

To the shameless girlwearing the White Jasmine’s Lord’slight of morning,you fool,where’s the need for cover and jewel?

Muslim Incursions

711 -- Arabs take Sind 11th c. -- Invasions of Muslims from Central Asia

led to political dominance of Muslims in N. India and introduction of Persian culture and Islam into South Asia

Development of Sufism

Delhi Sultanate 1192-1526: Turko-Afghan chieftains establish

sultanate at Delhi and dominate N. India Multiple Muslim dynasties rule Northern India

from the 13th-16th centuries. The Sultans based their laws on the Qur'an and

the sharia and permitted non-Muslim subjects to practice their religion if they paid jizya or head tax.

Temporarily successful in insulating the subcontinent from the potential devastation of the Mongol invasion  in the 13th century.

"Indo-Muslim" fusion left lasting monuments in architecture, music, literature, and religion.

Delhi Sultanate13th-16th c.

TimurLang (Tamerlane) sacks Delhi 1398-99 Mongol ruler who

attempted to reclaim Genghis Khan’s empire

Attacked India and conquered Delhi after slaughtering 100,000 captives

Vasco da Gama reaches India 1498

Opened the Indian or Cape Route for regular sailings between East and West

Expansion and consolidation of Portugese empire and trade, dissemination of Portugese culture and Christianity

Portugese settlements in Goa and Cochin

1524: Da Gama named Portugese viceroy in India by King John III.

Moghul Empire(Islamic)

1526-1858 Unification of N. India and parts of S. India under its

rule Amalgam of Persian and Indian culture created in

courts and territories Establishment of trading outposts in India by

Europeans:1609: Dutch1612: English1674: French

Moghul Dynasty I

(1526-56) Founded by Babur 2nd Classical Age

of North India Delhi flourishes as

Imperial Capital Amalgamation of

Turko-Iranian culture

Moghul Dynasty II

(1556-1627) Akbar consolidates and

builds strong empire Akbar commissions

illustrated Persian translations of Sanskrit epics, The Ramayana and Mahabharata

Jahangir succeeds his father

1600: Elizabeth I of England gives charter for trade to East India Company

King Akbar

The Red Fort

Agra’s magnificent monument, the Red Fort, was begun by Akbar in the 16th c. and embellished by Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th c.

Taj Mahal, Agra, 1630-48. Mausoleum built by Shah Jahan for hisWife, Mumtaz Mahal

Sources “Rajput”:

http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/ “Khajuraho”:

http://www.shunya.net/Pictures/NorthIndia/Khajuraho/Khajuraho.htm

“The Mughals”: http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/MUGHAL/ORIGIN.HTM