Classical India Research Paper

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Early classical Indian history retained many patterns throughout its course which were both positive and negative. One negative pattern that haunted the Indian civilization from earliest of times onward was its weak political system. Throughout the course of classical Indian history weak political rule has resulted in many invasions and long periods of times of multiple warring factions. Another pattern that existed in India is that it was a very influential area. Early on, India has been influenced by Persian and Hellenistic cultures on artistic and political styles and structures, and in return India has influenced many other civilizations with religions, artistic styles, and architectural designs. Further down the road, India still…show more content…
A third pattern that continued in India was that it was very religious. Early on classical India was home to both Hinduism and Buddhism. Down the centuries, India evolved the two religions, created many religious shrines, and devoted the caste system to the priests for religious purposes. The final early pattern in Indian history was that Indian always had a strong economy. India always had economic activity in its non-isolated location by always trading to the Middle East, to China, and over the Indian Ocean. Later on, manufacturing, agricultural advancements, and massive producing of goods promoted Indian trading and as a result promoted Indian economy. 2. The classical Indian civilization is the first civilization to have such massive impact on neighboring factions and civilizations seas and deserts away. Indian way of life has influenced civilization in China, the Middle East, the Mediterranean kingdoms, and the factions in the Indochina peninsula. Firstly, the most influential cultural export of India was its religion. During the Maurya Empire, the religion of Buddhism under…show more content…
The caste system over the centuries of the classical era developed in a more complex and sophisticated social hierarchy. The evolution of the caste system originates during the Vedic and Epic ages when the Aryans settled in India in search for agricultural land, but influenced all of India with their social structure. With the Aryan system, the Kshatriyas topping the social pyramid and the Sudras remaining at the bottom, the caste system over the centuries will be greatly amended and influenced by religion. Once the Indians had adopted the Aryan blueprint of a social structure, the caste system evolved into its next stage. The first amendments and developments of the caste system included the raise of the brahmans to the top and the slight downgrade of the Kshatriyas. The reason for this movement of caste authority was because in India at the time religion came into focus and the origins of Hinduism began to evolve causing the priest class to rise in social power due to all the religious emphasis. Also, as Indian civilization developed the opportunity of more labors also evolved. With more labors a new caste developed, the untouchables. The untouchables were the lowest ranking social class treated with least respect, assigned the filthiest and hardest labors, and faced with the largest legal punishment when convicted. The last major series of amendments and additions to the

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