Ashoka:-The Pride of India

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Advanced Ancient India

Advanced Ancient India

Maybe nowadays India is called as a third world country but there was a time when India was one of the most advanced civilization. Now let us see why I said this?

The Term ‘India‘ was taken from River Indus where the first settlers established their residence. The river Indus was worshiped by Aryans as Sindhu.

The Number System was first invented in ancient India. Zero was first used by Aryabhatta.

The Decimal System and Place Value System were developed in India in 100 B.C.

Takshila is being valued as World’s First University. It was established in 700 BC. More than 10,000 students also some of them from far-off countries like China and Japan enrolled in about 60 subjects. It was one of the greatest achievement of Ancient India.

The Earliest School of Medicine Ayurveda was known to mankind. It was merged by Charaka about 2500 years ago. Over 2600 years ago Sushruta (known as father of Surgery) conducted Surgeries like Cataract, Fractures, and Rhinoplasty and Brain Surgeries without even use of Anesthesia.

Navigation started in the River Sindu 6000 years ago. Derived from the Sanskrit word Navgatih, Ancient Indians excelled in this art. ‘Navy’ word is also derived from Sanskrit word ‘nou’.

Bhaskaracharya calculated the Time Taken by the Earth to Orbit the Sun hundreds of years ago. His calculations done in 5th century- 365.258756484 days, which almost same as today's calculation.

Budhayana was the First Indian Mathematician (in 6th century) to calculate the value of ‘pi’ and explained the concept of Pythagorean Theorem. Ancient India is the home of Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus. Greeks and Romans used the numbers as big as 106 whereas ancient Indians used numbers as big as 10*53 (10 to the power of 53).

Saurashtra is the home of Earliest Reservoirs and Dam built for Irrigation. The records of King Rudradaman I of 150 BC show that a beautiful lake called Sudarshana was constructed on the hills of Raivataka during Chandragupta Maurya’s time.

Shataranja or Ashtapada or common Chess was invented in India.

Indian History is as old as the History of Mankind. Artifacts dating back to as much as 500,000 years have been found. Rock Paintings; Cave Life & Cave Art.

Lets see some advaced communities of Ancient India. 

Harappa and Mohenjodaro Communities (2500 – 1550 B.C.)

Harappa and Mohenjo Daro were expertly planned cities that flourished more than 4500 years ago. The cities were built with a grid pattern of wide, straight streets. Thick walls surrounded the cities. Many people lived in sturdy brick houses that had as many as three floors. Some houses had bathrooms and toilets that connected to the world’s first sewers. A system of canals provided a reliable source of water for growing wheat and barley. There is also evidence that people herded sheep, cattle and goats.
The ancient people of the Indus River Valley had a highly advanced knowledge of mathematics and a sophisticated system of weights and measures. For example, the bricks they built with–even those used in different cities–were the same size. This suggests that the cities may have had the same government. Clay tablets indicate that the people of the Indus River Valley developed a writing system that may be even older than Sumerian writing.
Archaeologists have also found evidence of musical instruments, toys and games, and pottery. The people of the Indus River Valley were very interested in cleanliness. Excavators have uncovered evidence of combs, soaps, and medicine. Archaeologists found a gravesite with the remains of people whose teeth had been drilled, so the cities may have practiced a primitive form of dentistry.

If we will talk obout great writtings:-

Vedas were composed.

 

Mahabharat was composed.

We can see the legends born on Indian land.

Gautama Buddha (563 -483 B.C.)

Mahaveera (599 B.C.)

Chandra Gupta Maurya (300 B.C.)

Emperor Ashoka (272 B.C)

Some historical monuments that were built at that time.

Khajuraho Temples were built.

The temples of Belur, Halebid were built.

We can also watch a video over 12 great achievements of Ancient India.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmogKGCmclE

Sources:- Wikipedia, youtube, google images, www.nationalgeographic.com, www.mrdowling.com, www.sewerhistory.cometc.

Colonialism:-Only a game for Europeans

Colonialism

It is a process by which a country start acquiring full or partial political control over another country and exploiting it economically.

It was all started from 16th century on wards.

Jürgen Osterhammel eho has written Colonialism: A Theoretical Overview defines colonialism in three sentence definition-

Colonialism is a relationship between an indigenous (or forcibly imported) majority and a minority of foreign invaders. The fundamental decisions affecting the lives of the colonized people are made and implemented by the colonial rulers in pursuit of interests that are often defined in a distant metropolis. Rejecting cultural compromises with the colonized population, the colonizers are convinced of their own superiority and their ordained mandate to rule.

Colonialism over 500 years at glimpses-

The countries involed in colonialism can see by this picture-

Now the question is why all of this started.

Let us see it pointwise:-

By 16th century European countries started finding new places to have 
economical benefits over there by exploiting it's all types resurces.

They need to sell their overproduction products in  new markets.

They need to buy larger amounts of raw materials at cheapest price.

They wish to invest surplus of capital in places with cheaper hand labour in order to get larger profits.

It resulted in most developed countries occupied territories especially in Africa and Asia and areas with weak political and economic structures like India. This is known as colonialism.

Countries like Britain, France, Germany,  Belgium, Italy  later also the United States and Japan were the countries who were engaged in these things.

We can also talk about Europe's civilising mission:

Military  needs to occupy  ports,  build strategic canals to guard commercial routes in competition with nations aiming the same.

The Countries involved in colonialism also give justifications for their colonisation they  mentioned moral or ethical reasonings like Europe’s civilising mission. They say that due to their technological supremacy they ought to improve religious, sanitary, educational,  lifestyles, social peace in colonies.

American Colonisation:-

By 15^th century onwards it started when Inca and Aztec empires were overtook by Spanish people, Aztec by Cortez and Inca by Pizzaro.

After that one by one different European countries established their colonies in America. They took all wealth of these civilisation to Europe. Also other invading elements were Firearms, horses, cunning deception and smallpox. Specially the diseases like small pox, measles, influenza, typhoid which Europeans brought to America were the main reasons for exponential wiping out of Native American population just because they didn’t have immunity for these diseases.

As the Native Americans wiped out so it were the European settlers who led a revolt against its own rule which was led by Abraham Lincoln and actually Native Americans opposed it and supported European rule because they didn’t want to be colonised for ever but it happened and even nowadays  Native American are not in main stream in U.S. Also their population is declined to below 1% of total population.  

The impacts of colonialism

The impacts of colonization are immense and prevalent. Various effects, both immediate and protracted, include the spread of venomous diseases, unequal social relations, exploitation, enslavement, medical advances, the creation of new institutions, abolitionism, improved infrastructure, and technological progress. Colonial practices also encourage the spread of colonist languages, literature and cultural institutions, while endangering or demolishing those of native peoples. The native cultures of the colonized peoples can also have a powerful influence on the imperial country.

There is also a result called Renaissance which is called as the cultural movement started at Italy to spread it's culture, art, literature throughout the world and mainly in colonies.

We can summarise colonialism as:-

  

          1.Trade and commerce of both countries got effected colonising country                  rised and colony weakens.

          2.Slaves and indentured servants are brought from colonies to work at                    very low wages which effected human resource of colony.

  

          3.Military innovation took place of colonising countries.

          4.Ending of an empire such as Native Americans empire.

          5.Post-independence population movement.

          6.Impact on health(countering diseases).

          7.Colonial migration also took place.

  

There are two very good books written by two Indian writers on colonialism of Britain over India-1.Ram Chandra Pradhan 2.Sarbjit Johal

                                                                                      

As we know that native American population now in U.S.A. is below 1% and it happend just because of European Colonialism and there is an awsome documentry over American Colonialism. Here is the link of the documentary-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1ESoEG81Dk

Sources:- Wikipedia, Youtube, Google Images, www.saint-tepes.com, www.deviantart.com, www.annex51.wordpress.com, www.globaldimension.uk.org, www.macmillaneducation.in, www.historasiglo20.org etc.