The Sacred Ganges

• History
• Primary Education

15 minutes journal prompt. Write the prompt and answer in the class notebook.

It is often said that you should never judge another person until

you walk in his or her shoes. Tell about an experience that helped you to better understand another person.

Objectives

1. Analyze visual evidence of people preserving ancient traditions. 

2. Discuss how people today retain

connections to ancient history. 

3. Identify the language families from which modern India’s languages originated.

Here is Mohenjo-Daro today, with part of the city ruins sitting on a hill above the surrounding plain.

The streets were laid out in a grid, making rectangular city blocks larger than any modern city blocks. Narrow side streets crossed broad main streets. The city had one area for public buildings and another for homes.

The streets were laid out in a grid, making rectangular city blocks larger than any modern city blocks. Narrow side streets crossed broad main streets. The city had one area for public buildings and another for homes.

The lower part of the city had homes. It also had workshops for metalworkers, bead makers, potters, textile (or cloth) makers, bricklayers, and other craftspeople.

Houses had plumbing systems with baths, toilets, and drains that led into sewers below ground. The drains in the streets had brick covers with holes to allow for inspections. 

Houses were made of baked brick. The main difference between them was size. Larger houses had several rooms arranged around a courtyard, were often two stories tall, and had a bathroom and a private well. Smaller houses had one or two rooms.

Among the most interesting discoveries at Indus Valley sites have been children’s toys of 

many different kinds: wheeled pull-toys, marbles, figurines, game boards, and others.

The Ganges, which flows across northeastern India, is one of the most sacred rivers to people who practice Hinduism. 

The ancient Vedic people once lived in the Ganges River valley. They produced the Hindu sacred books, the Vedas. Today, many Hindus make pilgrimages to the Ganges to pray along its banks and bathe in its waters.

1. What might you conclude that the human is bathing in the river for religious purposes? 
2. How do you know that the woman is bathing in the river for religious purposes?
3. What ways do people today preserve traditions from earlier civilizations? 
4. What traditions do people today observe or carry-on?
5. Do you think people feel a responsibility to continue the way of life or traditions of their ancestors?

This period in Indian history (1500 BCE to 500 BCE) is referred to as the Vedic age. The Vedic people's traditions and beliefs were eventually compiled in four sacred books called the Vedas. Both the Indian social system and Hinduism, a major religion, have roots in ancient Vedic culture.

Unlike Indus Valley cities, the villages and towns of the Vedic society disappeared almost completely. No bricks, seals, or statues remain. We would know little about them if not for their early hymns, prayers, legends, and other writings, collected in four books known as the Vedas, which are still viewed as sacred in modern Hinduism. These writings tell us a lot about the Vedic people.

Ancient Vedic writings describe the Vedic culture as people who enjoyed making war.

 They not only fought outsiders but also battled each other. They were skilled fighters who conquered many of the people they challenged. Their success came in part from the fast-moving chariots they drove and the heavy bronze axes they carried into battle.

For centuries before the Vedic society developed a written form of Sanskrit, each generation learned hymns and poems by word of mouth. Remembering and reciting them was an important duty for families of warriors and priests. After the priests wrote everything down in the four holy books, people could read and recite the Vedas. Millions still do so today, especially in India.

Think Piece!

Have you ever memorized a poem or the lyrics to a song? Suppose you were asked to memorize a poem that was thousands of words long, like one of the Vedas. How would you go about doing it? How long do you think it would take?

Sanskrit is an Indo-European language, like English, Spanish, French, Persian, Hindi, and German. This chart shows that it has many root words in common with other languages.

The Vedic people measured their wealth in cattle, so the more cattle a family had, the richer it was. People depended on these animals for food and also used them to trade for goods.