| A | B |
|---|
| Mohenjo-Daro | "hill of the dead" |
| Subcontinent | a large landmass that is smaller than a continent |
| Hindu Kush | chain of mountains located in the northwestern corner of the subcontinent |
| Six indedpendent countries that are part of the Indian subcontinent | India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka |
| Ceylon | former name of Sri Lanka |
| Himalayas | mountain chain that runs northeastern corner of the subcontinent |
| Tributaries | small rivers or streams that flow into a larger body of water |
| Three rivers on the subcontinent | Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra |
| River from which India takes its name | Indus River |
| This river begins high in the Himalayas and provides water for a vast farming regiion also considered to be the "sacred" river | Ganges River |
| Punjab | region of "five rivers" in Pakistan (fertile farming region) |
| tropics | region that lies between 23 degrees north latitude to 23 degrees south latitude |
| monsoons | winds that blow from the water to land in one season and land to water in the other |
| Aryans | Invaders who came to India between 1750-1400 B.C. |
| Vedas | "Knowledge" religious poems and hymns handed down from the Aryans |
| Vedas are written in this language | Sanskrit |
| Mahabharata | "Great Story" longest poem in the world |
| Ramayana | epic poem about the king Rama |
| rajas | kings or chieftains |
| Castes | way to separate and control India people |
| Brahmans | hightest caste - made up of priests |
| Magadha Kingdom | grew to the Mauryan Empire |
| maharaja | "great king" (Magadha) |
| Candragupta | He conquered most of the Indian subcontinent and began the Mauryan Empire |
| Asoka | grandson of Candragupta / made Buddhism the official religion of the empire |
| sharecroppers | farmers who work the land for a share of the crops |
| Today the major religion of Asia | Buddhism |
| Hindu | "inhabitant of India" |
| reincarnation | cycle of birth, death and rebirth |
| Budda means... | "Enlightened One" |
| Siddartha Gautama | founder of Buddhism |
| monk | a man who devotes his life to religion |
| Nirvana | state of complete inner peace |
