Ancient India

A dome-shaped structure that serves as a Buddhist shrine

A large landmass, smaller than a continent

(He can shoot with either hand) and for the magical weapons that he wins from the god Shiva.

A name, meaning the "enlightened one", used for Siddhartha Gautama.

An important Hindu deity who in the trinity of gods was the Destroyer

A Hindu god considered the Preserver of the world,upkeep and destruction of world

Priests and scholars in the Indian caste system

One of the world's major religions; a complete way of life; no one founder; worship many gods.

People who spread religious beliefs to others

The effect that good and bad actions have on a persons soul.

Absolute power; huge army; mounted troops to enforce laws; 9000 war elephants.

The process of rebirth

Is a female spirit of the clouds and waters, and will seduce the gods and men.

Caste that made up most of the Indian population; most were peasants and manual laborers.

A lifelong social group/class into which into which a Hindu is born

Jainists practiced this belief of not hurting others.

The Aryan religion, named this because the priests were called Brahmans

Ancient Sanskrit writings that are the earliest sacred texts of Hinduism.

The Buddhist belief of the extinction of desire and individual consciousness.

The important language of India, recorded on the Aryan society

Going without food

He is the god of lightning, thunder, storms, rains and river flows

an Indo-European people who, about 1500 B.C., began to migrate into the Indian subcontinent

Indus Valley city laid out in a grid pattern. Had a complex irrigation and sewer system.

Practice of quiet reflection to clear the mind and find inner peace

Feminine energy, creativity and fertility, wife of the great Hindu god Shiva.

Called pariahs, lowest level of the Indian society; not considered a part of the caste system.

A system of moral values, consisting of reincarnation, non-violence and began with Gautama.

As taught by the Buddha, the four basic beliefs that form the foundation of Buddhism.

Chandragupta's grandson; gained control of all but India's southern tip; Converted to Buddhism

One of the most holy natural features of the Indian landscape for Hindus.

One of the most sacred animals for the Hindus

The founder of the Maurya Empire, brought together most of the Indian subcontinent.

Seasonal wind patterns

The moral law combined with spiritual discipline that guides one's life; order of the universe