Found 88 Articles for Ancient Indian History

Introduction Ashoka the great was one of the greatest rulers of Indian history. The Kallinga war was a turning point in Ashoka’s life. He was distressed to see lot of bloodshed and destructions in that war. So he decided to give up on any kind of violence and was greatly influenced by the philosophy of Buddhism. Keeping in mind the non-violence and compassion, he propounded the policy of ’Dhamma’, which embraced the tenets of Buddhism. The word Dhamma has been derived from the Sanskrit word ’’Dharma ‘’, meaning the religious and moral duty. With this policy, Ashoka wanted to preach ... Read More

Introduction There were many empires in the history of the world which comprised several kingdoms and ruled by different dynasties On the one hand, these three are interlinked with each other and on the other hand, they have some differences at the same time. A dynasty can be an integral part of a kingdom and an empire as well. Similarly, an empire can consist of a few or more kingdoms. More often, these two terms: dynasty and empire are used interchangeably like ‘’Mughal empire or Mughal dynasty’’. Similarly, both kingdom and empire refer to the state or country ruled by ... Read More

What are Upanishads? The Upanishads were composed during the period of about 700 to 400 BCE. Upanishads are the Sanskrit texts of Hinduism that help to develop spiritual knowledge among the ancient people. It is not a single text or book; it is a composition of texts. Upanishads are also called Vedanta, which satisfies the term, the end of the Vedic period. The existence of Upanishads can be found during the end of the Vedic period. Upanishads fulfil the target of Vedas, which is Moksha. There are about two hundred Upanishads; among them, the well-known ones are Aitareya Upanishad, Brhadaranyaka ... Read More

Introduction The Chhandogya Upanishad was one of the oldest Upanishads which comprised eight chapters. This Upanishad emphasized several philosophies like knowledge of good and evil, connection with space, the universe as a whole and oneness with Paramathma, etc. At that moment people's lives began to change. People's thinking has also changed. they wanted to discover the mystery of life or the truth of human life. In addition, some of them wanted to know about sacrifices and life after death. They began to believe in the existence of two souls, such as the atman and the Paramatma. Atman is the soul ... Read More

Introduction There are no limitations to human desires. People are full of greed, lust, and anger. To overcome all the dark side of our lives there is the existence of an Ashram system. The existence of Ashram system can be found in India since ages. The system of ashram and its theory was suggested by ancient sages. They believed that system of ashram makes a man satisfied with a healthy and prosperous life. Moreover, one can get spiritual knowledge, education, and find the morals of life by following the system of Ashrams. The System of Ashrams The system of ashrams ... Read More

Introduction There are hardly any people who are not familiar with the name of Gautama Buddha. He is a great spiritual teacher who taught people the aesthetic value of life from the historic period. There were many spiritual leaders like Gautama Buddha, but he came into the limelight due to his spiritual knowledge. From the early stage of his life, he started following the path of spirituality and also made efforts to spread it. He built different religious communities and taught people the essence of life. He travelled throughout north India to preach his faith to common people. The stories ... Read More

Introduction Sangha was established by Buddha, for his followers. The original aim of the sangha was to present a means, to those followers who wish to practice full-time in a disciplined and strict manner. So Buddha created the sangha and those who wished to follow Buddha and his teaching full time, joined the sangha. The monks and common people in the sangha would wander here and there with Buddha and spread his teaching. Those who joined the sangha underwent a ceremony in which they shaved their head to show renunciation from this world. Those who joined the sangha solely focused ... Read More

Introduction Indian philosophy mainly refers to Hindu philosophy, which seeks the path of salvation and finding the secret to existence and life. The core beliefs in all Indian philosophy were the concept of Karma and moksha i.e. liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth. Indian philosophy comprised two sets of philosophers. One of these two sets had orthodox philosophical thought, called Ashthika, which considered Vedas as the primary source of knowledge. Whereas the other set of philosophers rejected the authority of Vedas as the primary source of knowledge and came to be known as Nashtika. The Nashthika school of ... Read More

Introduction A Monastery is a place usually a collection of buildings where spiritual activities are performed. People who live in that place are called monks and in the case of females, it is called nun. The people residing in these monasteries are the ones who have chosen to keep themselves away from society. These Monasteries are located in such a place where there is no disturbance. Here people lived in a group or alone. Monasteries are meant for recalling the universal power which involves the activities like prayers, chants, etc. The structure and the culture of each Monastery is different ... Read More

Introduction Jainism originated from the old Sanskrit word ‘Ji’, which means to conquer. Jain monks believe that they have to concur earthly passion and desires to achieve enlightenment. Individuals who gain enlightenment came to be known as “Jina”. Jainism originated in Gangetic pains in 500-600BCE. It was one of the multiple religious sects that arose at that time. Jainism believes in the philosophy of non-violence and universal benevolence. Jains are strictly vegetarian and live a life minimalistic life. Like the Hindu religion, Jainism also talks about reincarnation. Which means the circle of life and death, and the soul lives forever. ... Read More