How did ancient Indian culture develop?

Geographically, the Indian subcontinent is an independent region. It is surrounded by Himalayas in the north, Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea in the east, south and west, and Suleiman Mountain and Hindu Kush Mountain in the northwest. India has a vast territory, with the Deccan Plateau in tropical climate in the south triangle and the plains supported by the Indus River and Ganges River in the north. Independent geographical environment, abundant rainfall and fertile land created by the flooding of Indus and Ganges make the agricultural civilization here more developed. India is a multi-ethnic country, with ethnic conflicts, ethnic disputes and religious rise and fall one after another. Because of this, India has formed its unique cultural characteristics, that is, a strong inclusive national cultural psychology and a national cultural phenomenon with rich religious connotations.

Harappa culture is the beginning of Indian civilization. From the 1970s to the early 1930s, archaeologists discovered 93 1 sites in the Indus Valley, including 10 sites in large and small cities, among which Harappa and Mohenjo were the greatest and most representative legal heroes. Therefore, historians call this region's culture Harappa culture.

1875, Alexander Cunningham, a British archaeologist, published an article in the Indian Archaeological Yearbook, discussing the results of his investigation on the Harappa site. 1921—1931year, British scholar john marshall and Indian archaeologist La Banaji systematically excavated these two sites and achieved many convincing research results. Harappa culture starts from Luopa at the southern foot of the Himalayas in the north, reaches Kangjitar near the Arabian Sea in the south, reaches Alamgir Poole in Uttar Pradesh in the east, and reaches Sutyagandur in the Pakistani-Iranian border area in the west. The east-west length is about 1550 km, and the north-south length is about 1 100 km, with a total area of about1280,000 square kilometers.

The Harappa culture, located in 2500 BC-65438 BC+0750 BC, was created by the indigenous Indian Dravida. The scale and structural layout of the two cities, Harappa and Mohenzo Law Hero, are very similar, with a total area of about 850,000 square meters each, consisting of the upper city (Acropolis) in the west and the lower city (commercial area and residential area) in the east. The Acropolis is the center of politics and religion and a symbol of power. There are walls and defensive towers around the city, and a moat is dug outside the city. There is an 84-square-meter big bath in Shangcheng. There are many buildings around the big bath, including official residence, conference hall and barn. The streets in the city center are clean and tidy, and shops can be seen everywhere. The street is paved with square bricks, and there is a drainage system extending in all directions below. The urban culture of Harappa civilization was in the leading position in the world at that time.

Another achievement of Harappa culture is seal cutting. Seal script is the earliest Indian script, which, together with hieroglyphics in the Nile valley, cuneiform characters in the two rivers valley and Oracle Bone Inscriptions in the Yellow River valley, constitutes the earliest four script types in ancient East.

The seal characters are mainly engraved on seals and amulets made of soapstone, ivory, songkhla and copper. According to statistics, there are about 3000 seals and about 500 characters. Unfortunately, so far, people have not interpreted it.

About BC 1750, the Harappa culture, which had flourished for 800 years, was suddenly destroyed. The first reason is the massacre after the Aryan invasion, the second is the destruction caused by natural disasters, and the third is the internal class struggle.

The rise, development and spread of Buddhism India is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religious region. The religions that had great influence on ancient India mainly included Brahmanism, Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Among them, Buddhism has a great influence not only on ancient India, but also on the East and even the West. It is one of the three major religions in the world.

The earliest religion in ancient India is the Vedic religion founded by Aryans, which was formed in the early Vedic era (BC 1500-BC 1000), and its religious classic is the Vedas. Religion at this time, one is polytheism, and the other is worship of nature. In the process of the emergence and development of Vedas, with the development of economy and the emergence of classes, the Varna system-hierarchy appeared in Indian society. With the development of slave economy and the emergence of slave countries, in the late Vedic era (65438 BC+0000 BC-600 BC), Vedas evolved into Brahmanism, perfecting the caste system that has influenced for thousands of years, that is, the hierarchical system formed according to different social divisions and different social classes. Around the 4th century, Brahmanism absorbed some doctrines of other religions and religious beliefs of various places, and gradually revived. In the 8th and 9th centuries, Brahmanism evolved into "Hinduism" through the reform of the religious master Sankara.

From the 6th century BC to the 5th century BC, the industry, commerce and industry in the Ganges River Basin have developed greatly. Handicraft workers and businessmen who have gradually become rich are increasingly dissatisfied with Brahmanism and caste system, and various ideological trends have emerged, forming a situation in which a hundred schools of thought contend. Buddhism came into being under such circumstances.

The founder of Buddhism was Gautama Siddharta (about 566 BC-486 BC). According to legend, he became a monk at the age of 29 and sought a cure for human suffering. Six years later, he became a Buddha and was honored as Sakyamuni (meaning "the hermit of Sakyamuni"). Later, he recruited disciples in the middle and lower reaches of the Ganges River and preached for more than 40 years, gradually spreading Buddhism.

The period from the founding of Buddhism to the 4th century BC is the early Buddhism (also called primitive Buddhism). Buddhism in this period absorbed Brahmanism's thought of reincarnation of soul and karma of reincarnation, and created a set of basic teachings with its own characteristics, namely, the four truths (truth) theory, the origin theory and the three dharma seals. In addition, there are five commandments, that is, no killing, no stealing and no adultery. No lying, no drinking.

The teachings preached by Buddhism and the concept of "equality of all beings" were quickly supported and embraced by two levels except Brahmins, and developed rapidly. During the reign of King Ashoka, King Carnice and King Jerzy, Buddhism was established as the state religion.

Buddhism has experienced several divisions in the process of development and dissemination. From the 4th century BC to the year 150, Buddhism was divided into "religious Ministry" and "secular Ministry", and then many sects were divided. /kloc-Around the 0 th century, some tribes in the Ministry of Civil Affairs evolved into Mahayana Buddhism, and they reduced the upper tribe to Hinayana Buddhism. In the 7th century, there was another sect in Mahayana Buddhism-Tantric Buddhism, also called "Vajrayana". Finally, Mahayana, Hinayana and Tantric schools were formed.

With the prosperity of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent, it is inevitable to spread abroad. From around 10 BC, the three major schools of Buddhism spread to East Asia and Southeast Asia via North Road and South Road. Finally, Mahayana, known as the spread of Buddhism to the north, has been widely spread and developed in China, Korea, Japan and northern Vietnam. Its main classic is Sanskrit Tripitaka, also known as China Buddhism. Hinayana Buddhism, also known as Southern Buddhism, once spread and developed in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Yunnan in China. Its classic is Bali Tibetan Sutra, also known as Bali Buddhism. Tantric Buddhism combined with Bonism, the primitive religion in Tibet, and developed into Lamaism. Its classic is Tibetan Tripitaka, so it is also called Tibetan Buddhism. Later, it was introduced to Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, Nepal, Sikkim, Mongolia, Siberia and other places. In this way, the influence of Buddhism in Asia outside India is growing. By the middle of18th century, Buddhism had spread from Southeast Asia to Europe and America, and since then Buddhism has developed into one of the three major religions in the world.

With the rise of Hinduism in the 9th century and the spread of Islam in India in the10th century, Buddhism began to decline, and by the13rd century, Buddhism basically disappeared in India. In the 9th century, Buddhism returned to India from Sri Lanka and gradually revived. Buddhism in today's world still exerts considerable influence in different countries and regions in different forms.

Natural Science and Architectural Art Ancient India has made outstanding achievements in the field of natural science, especially in astronomy, mathematics and medicine.

Astronomy in ancient India is the product of religious sacrificial activities and the inevitable result of the development of agriculture and animal husbandry. In the early Vedic era, Vedic classics recorded the origin of the universe. Seven planets and 28 constellations were known, and solar and lunar eclipses were mentioned in many places. According to the moon's profit and loss, people also compiled a celestial map and made a lunar calendar.

In the lunar calendar of ancient India, 1 year is 360 days, divided into 12 months, with 30 days each month and one month every five years. The early stage is divided into spring, heat, rain, autumn, cold and winter, and the later stage is divided into winter, summer and rain.

By the Gupta era, astronomy in ancient India had made great progress. The sage (476-550) boldly put forward the theory of the earth's rotation in his book The Collection of Sages. The book "On the Beads" written by the Ming Dynasty master (114-185), who is known as the master of celestial literature in ancient India, proved for the first time in the world that the earth is suspended in space and has the power of primer.

Ancient India made outstanding contributions to mathematics. In Ashoka's time, Indians invented digital symbols and discovered "0" in the 5th century. The discovery of "0" is of epoch-making significance in the history of mathematical development. In the 8th century, the digital symbol 1-0 created by Indians was introduced into Arabia and from there to Europe. The so-called Arabic numerals we use today are actually created by Indians.

The knowledge of geometry and trigonometry in ancient India developed rapidly in architectural practice, and ancient Indians already knew Pythagorean theorem. Mathematicians and astronomers have calculated that pi is 3. 14 16.

Indian medicine in the occupied period originated from the Tuo Chui era. In the classic Avena Veda, 77 common diseases and their treatments are recorded. The book Veda of Life, which was formed around A.D., lists 760 kinds of drugs and introduces many therapies, some of which are still used in India today. In other Vedic classics, there are also records of anatomy, pathology, embryology, anesthesiology and therapeutics.

Two famous doctors in ancient India, Miao Wen and Burj Khalifa, who lived in the 6th century A.D.1-,made great contributions to the development of ancient Indian medicine.

The architectural art of ancient India is dazzling, and its basic feature is that it is closely related to religion. Pagodas, Buddhist temples, stone pillars, grottoes and Buddha statues are the essence of ancient Indian architectural art, especially Ashoka's stone pillars, three-foot pagodas and Ajanta grottoes are the most representative.

The representative of Islamic architectural art is the Taj Mahal. Built in 1632- 1654. The whole building is made of marble, which is known as "stone poem", "marble dream" and "solidified music".

India, with a vast territory of literature and art, is a multi-ethnic and multilingual country. Multi-religious and multicultural areas. She not only made great contributions to the development of human culture in natural science and religious architecture, but also made great achievements in many fields of social science.

Vedic Sanskrit is the earliest language of ancient Aryans. During their long-term use, from the 5th century BC to the 4th century BC, Jesgar and Bagnini made a systematic study of Sanskrit and formulated its grammatical rules. Bagnini is therefore known as "the originator of world literature and law". Although Sanskrit has become a kind of extinct language in India today, it has played an extremely great role in the religion and literature of ancient India.

Ancient Indian cultural classics are very rich, and their origins are Vedas, and so are literary works.

Vedas originally meant knowledge and learning, and later they were transformed into Brahmanism classics. It is not a one-off work, but has been gradually compiled over the centuries. Its main content is a collection of carols and prayers about God.

The Vedas, or this episode, have four parts. Among them, Rigveda, written between 1500 BC and 1000 BC, is the core of the Vedic classics, with 1028 poems, whose content is to praise God. Since then, three Vedas have been compiled one after another for hundreds of years: Brahma Veda is a collection of songs with tunes for hymns in Rigveda; Qing Qiaoweida is a compilation of sacrificial ceremonies and prayers; Avina Veda is a compilation of witchcraft and spells. In order to explain these four Vedic classics, Indians also compiled auxiliary documents, such as Brahma Book, Forest Book and Upanishads.

Although the Vedas and its attached documents are Brahmin classics, their historical and literary values are very high. It not only reflects the social life, history and natural science of ancient India from many angles and levels, but also myths and legends, historical stories and poems with high literary level have become the source of Indian literature and art, and their influence is far-reaching and huge.

Mahabharata and Moroyana, known as the two great epics of ancient India, are the crystallization of the collective wisdom of ancient Indian folk singers and poets and have a very important position in the history of Indian literature. The former was formed in the 4th century BC and written in the 4th century AD, while the latter was formed in the 3rd century BC and written in the 2nd century AD.

The title of Mahabharata means "The Story of the Great Bhabharata", with 65,438+08 poems and 65,438+007,000 sections (two sections each), which is the longest epic in ancient world history. This paper mainly describes the struggle for the throne between the two royal families-Julou and Pudu during the transition period from clan commune to slave society. The war was so fierce and cruel that it almost spread to the whole of India, and even Greeks, Xia people and China people were involved. The final decisive battle was only 18 days, which ended in a narrow victory for ordinary families. Around this core story, the epic is interspersed with more than 20 philosophical stories and legends, which fully reflects the social situation of religion, philosophy, politics and ethics in ancient India. This is an encyclopedia of ancient Indian history and culture.

The title of "Moloana" means "The Roaming of Moro" or "The Biography of Moro", with 7 poems and 24,000 praises. The epic mainly describes the story that Prince Moro's stepmother was persecuted by her father and exiled to the forest in 14. She shared joys and sorrows with her wife Sido and rescued her with the help of the Monkey King. The epic is inert, vivid and touching, and the language is smooth and simple. In Indian classical literature, it is regarded as a model of narrative poetry.

The most famous novels in ancient India are The Life Sutra of the Buddha and The Five-Volume Book. The Hundred Ming Sutra and The Story Sea also have great influence.

Ancient Indian drama plays an important role in world classical literature. The most outstanding dramatist was Cali Totti in the 5th century. There are many of his plays, only three of which exist in the world, the most famous of which is Sagondaro, a seven-act play. Kalitopo is called "Shakespeare of India" because of his contribution to drama.

Indian dance with strong religious color is a treasure in the world dance art palace. Indians believe that dance is created by God and Shiva is the originator of dance. In ancient India, dance played an important role in religious and social life. Today, Indian dance still plays an irreplaceable role in social politics, economy and life.

Indian dance can be divided into classical dance and folk dance. Classical dance is divided into four schools, each with its own characteristics. Balata dance is a traditional dance in Tamil Nadu, southern India, and it is also the most popular, oldest and most influential dance in India. It is characterized by graceful dancing, elegant modeling, free and easy movements, clear rhythm and vivid eyes of dancers. Katakali dance originated in Kerala, characterized by heavy makeup, strong local flavor and attention to stories. Katak dance originated in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. It is characterized by many small steel bells strung on the dancer's feet, which make a pleasant metal collision sound with the rhythm. Manipur dance originated in Manipur area, and its characteristics are similar to those of some countries in Southeast Asia.

Punjab is the most famous Indian folk dance, which is a kind of non-religious dance with the color of festive harvest.

Religion and Law Philosophy and law in ancient India not only originated from religion, but also served it, which is one of the characteristics of ancient Indian culture.

Ancient Indian philosophy originated from the book Rigveda. When Upanishads appeared, philosophy separated from Vedas and began to explore the origin of the universe and the essence of human beings. In the development of philosophy, six schools, namely, number theory, yoga, victory theory, speaking frankly, Vedanta and Mimancha, have been formed, which are called "six schools of philosophy" in history. Since its formation, the six schools have formed two camps: materialism and idealism. Many of their views have been absorbed by multicultural religions.

The earliest code in ancient India was called Dharma Sutra, which was formed in the 6th-3rd century BC. For example, the Gautama Sutra and the Abastan Sutra are not legal provisions promulgated by the state, but the canon and code of conduct formulated by brahmin priests according to the Vedic classics. After centuries of development, legal theories have emerged, such as Manu Law and Naroto Law. At this time, the code is not only Canon. , but also has more substantial and systematic legal content. The Code of Manu is the first orthodox authoritative code in India, with a wide range of contents and far-reaching influence.

Communication with other cultures The superior geographical location and environment of ancient India are fertile ground for the birth of ancient Indian culture. The integration of multi-ethnicity, multi-language and multi-culture has injected vitality into the formation and development of India's rich multi-religious culture. Located in the northwest of India, the famous Silk Road, the east-west trade corridor, has become the hub of ancient India, Greece, Persia and China.

The cultural exchange between ancient Greece, Rome and India mainly goes through three ways: first, commercial trade; Second, religious communication; Third, national aggression.

Greece and India have long been in contact. After Greece invaded India and was expelled, the Greek ambassador to India in Fahrenheit, Mai Gaste (4th-3rd century BC), wrote a book "History of India", which had a great response in Greece at that time. Pythagoras, a famous Greek philosopher, absorbed the views of karma and reincarnation in India.

The communication between India and Rome began around A.D., and its cultural exchange was mainly reflected in the maritime trade and the coins of your empire. In order to facilitate trade, the coins of Guishuang Empire are not only modeled after Rome, but also engraved with the head of the Roman emperor Augustus.

The cultural exchange between India and Central Asia is characterized by mutual absorption and influence. The unique weight of the two river basins was discovered as early as the Harappa culture period, which shows that the culture of the two river basins has influenced India very early. The flood legend in Indian Vedic culture is obviously influenced by the two river basins. Most of the money used by Indian women for decoration comes from Iran and Afghanistan. Moreover, Indian culture has a great influence on the two river basins and surrounding areas. Cotton cloth from the Harappa culture period was found in Uma city in the two river basins, and the words "seal" were also stamped on the packaging. Indian astronomy and mathematics have a great influence on Central Asia and even Europe.

The cultural exchange between India and Southeast Asian countries is mainly cultural output. Buddhism is popular in Southeast Asia, and its architectural art combines the characteristics of national art with the characteristics of Indian Buddhism. Such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Porota in Indonesia and so on. In addition, Indian music, dance art and Manu law also have a far-reaching impact on Southeast Asia.

The cultural exchange between China and India has a long history. Sima Qian's Historical Records is the earliest document describing the exchanges between China and India, and the book Politics of India in the 3rd century BC describes Zhina (referring to the Qin Dynasty in China) and silk fabrics. With the economic and cultural development of their respective countries, there will be frequent contacts between the two countries in the next few centuries. In addition to the Silk Road, the main routes between the two countries are: Yunnan-Burma Road, Tibet Road, Annan Road and Hainan Road (waterway). The opening of trade routes, the exchange of envoys, the education and study abroad of monks have promoted the cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Indian astronomy, mathematics, music, dance, architectural art, sugar making, etc. , has a very obvious impact on China. China's grotto art, stupa architecture and Buddhist art are masterpieces directly influenced by Indian Buddhist culture. It is said that the "Dress Dance" in the Tang Dynasty was adapted from Brahman Dance.

China's influence on Indian culture is various. Philosophically, the Tao Te Ching translated by Xuanzang in Sanskrit has a great influence in India and played a certain role in the development of Indian philosophy. In terms of science and technology, China's improved sugar-making technology was returned to India, which made India's sugar-making industry develop rapidly. After China's paper was introduced into India, it had a great influence on Indian religion and education. In Buddhism, the classics translated by Xuanlei and others in India made up for the lost Mahayana belief in India at that time. After Buddhism declined in India, many classics disappeared. When Buddhism was revived in India, Buddhist classics translated by Xuanlei and others became important historical documents.