| A | B |
|---|
| Sanskrit | the language of India |
| castes | rigid social groups of India |
| Brahmans | top caste |
| rulers and warriors | second caste |
| traders and merchants | third caste |
| servants and serfs | fourth caste |
| untouchables | fifth caste |
| Brahman | great god of Hinduism that permeates everything |
| wheel of life | cycle of rebirths that eventually frees a man's soul from the physical world |
| Gupta Empire | most prosperous Indian empire |
| Vedas | Indian religious literature |
| Hinduism | most prevalent religion in India |
| Chandragupta Maurya | developed the Mauryan Empire |
| Indus | major river in the western part of India |
| Ganges | major river in the eastern part of India |
| Aryans | warlike invaders that conquered the Indus valley |
| Mohjenjo Daro | one of the leading cities of early India |
| Harappa | one of the leading cities of early India |
| Khyber | narrow pass through the Himalayan Mountains |
| Himalayan Mountains | form India's northern border |
| Buddha | "Enlightened One" |
| Siddhartha Gautama | founder of Buddhism; also known as the Buddha |
| Four Noble Truths | central part of Buddhism |
| nirvana | the state which Buddhists believe is absolute peace no longer requiring man to enter the cycle of reincarnation |
| Asoka | most famous Mauryan ruler; promoted Buddhism by sending out missionaries |
| Kalidasa | "Indian Shakespeare" |
