Unit 4 Section 1Vocab

Ganges• The most sacred river in India

• Flows from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal

Himalayas

• Mountain range separating Indian subcontinent from Asia

Pakistan

• Country on India’s northwest border

• Was part of India, but became a separate country for Muslims in 1947

Monsoons• Seasonal winds which affect

India’s climate

• Summer months: winds from the ocean bring heavy rains

• Winter months: winds from land bring very dry conditions

Two Things to Know About India’s Climate:

• Very little change in temperature year-round

• When it rains it pours! When it’s dry, it is very dry!

Monsoon Winds Map Mumbai Climograph

Mumbai

Hinduism

• The major religion of India

• Brought to India by the Aryans in 1500 B.C.E.

Varanasi

• The holiest city in Hinduism, located in northeast India

• The oldest continuously-inhabited city in India

Moksha

• Means “freedom of the soul” in Sanskrit

• The ultimate goal of every Hindu’s life

Reincarnation

• Central belief in Hinduism that that the soul, upon death of the body, comes back to earth in another body or form

Karma

• Hindu belief that people are rewarded or punished according to their deeds in a previous life

Caste System

• Traditional social division of Hindu society

• Each caste has its own privileges and limitations

• There are millions of gods in Hinduism, but you don’t need to know all of them! Here are the three you need to know:

Brahma

• “The Creator”

Vishnu

• “The Ruler”

Shiva

• “The Destroyer”

Vedas

• The collection of Hindu sacred texts

• The Vedas are to Hinduism as the ________ is to Islam

• The Vedas are to Hinduism as the Koran is to Islam