INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

Ancient India Culture Has Had a Lasting Influence





You can trace Ancient India Culture back thousands of years! The rituals, traditions and beliefs that are popular in India Culture today were developed long ago. Not all Indian people share the same beliefs or religion, but fundamental cultural values are similar throughout different regions of India. India Culture began more than 5,000 years ago with the Indus Valley Civilizations.











A picture of some Indus Valley Civilization Ruins.









The mysterious Indus Valley Civilizations of Ancient India Culture were named for the fact that they were established along the Indus River. There were several Indus River Civilizations, the most famous is called the Harrapan Civilization. These people lived and flourished around the Indus River, in the western part of South Asia at least 5,000 years ago. Ancient clues left behind, tell us that these Indus Valley people, also known as Dravidians, discovered how to work with metal, and that they had developed their own form of writing.



It appears as though all transactions between communities were done in trade of food, tools and crafts. These early people of India appear to have had a very simple social structure.




Historians believe that the social interaction between the Dravidian and Aryan people resulted in the Indian Culture that is still present today.






The introduction of a caste system changes Indian society forever!




Sometime between 2000 and 1500 BC, nomadic Indo-European migrants, known as Aryans, arrived in the Indus Valley area, dominated, and enforced a hierarchal social structure to the region. This was the introduction of India's Caste System. Beginning at about 1500 BC, the Aryan's hierarchal social structure was implemented. People were all assigned different social roles. This new formed society was called the Vedas Civilization.





Historians believe that the social interaction between the Dravidian and Aryan people resulted in the Indian Culture that is still present today.





In a caste system, your social status would directly determine your duties and your class in society. If you were a priest or Brahmana, you were in the highest class. If you were a Kshatriya, you were a warrior who protected your civilization. If you were a Vaishya, you were considered service class, and probably worked in agriculture or provided service to a higher caste member. If you were a Shudra, you were in the lowest class, also known as "untouchables". The Shudras performed jobs like removing trash and cleaning up messes.







During this Vedic Age, Indian art developed in a number of ways. Symbols of animals, like bulls and cows were drawn and became important and revered. Sacred hymns were written in Sanskrit and chanted, which was the start of Indian music. Music and dance developed much further and people began creating and using instruments to keep the bass and rhythm of songs. Dancers wore elaborate costumes, make up and jewelery, and they often performed in temples and in royal courts.



Hinduism is born.



Hinduism was born in ancient India culture. Hinduism began in the Vedic Age in the form of a religion best known as Brahmanism. Priests used their newly developed Sanskrit writing to create the 4 parts of Vedic Texts. These four collections of hymns, formulas, spells, incantations, stories, predictions and apotropiac charms.



India Culture Today is more complex version of what existed thousands of years ago.