| A | B |
|---|
| monsoons | Seasonal winds that bring life giving rain to India from June through September. |
| cultural diversity | Differences within a culture. (Language, Religion, ect.) |
| Hinduism | Polytheistic religion that has strict social classes, believes in reincarnation, has no founder, and no official church. |
| Buddism | Religion that believes desire is the cause of suffering, so people must eliminate desire. |
| Islam | Main religion of Pakistan, Banladesh, and Afghanistan. |
| Vedas | Religious texts created by the Ayrans. |
| Khyber Pass | Path through the Hindu Kush Mountains. |
| reincarnation | Belief in the soul being reborn. |
| suttee | Ritual suicide by Hindu women when their husband died. |
| Ashram | Religious non-caste community in which everyone was equal. |
| Moksha | Freeing of the soul from the cycle of rebirth. |
| Siddhartha Guatama | Founder of Buddhism. |
| Dharma | Duties or obligations of your caste. |
| Karma | Fate based on fulfilling the duties of your caste. |
| purdah | Social seperation of women. |
| Nirvana | Point of no desire, "nothingness." |
| Eight Fold Path | Truths to escape pain and suffering. |
| Four Noble Truths | Budda's explaination of human suffering. |
| satyagraha | Force born of love and truth. |
| civil disobeidence | To disobey an unjust law in protest. |
| Salt March | Gandhi's protest of a British tax on the anniversary of the Amristar Massacre. |
| Mahatama | Great Soul. |
| Indian National Congress | Political group that fought for Indian Independence. |
| Muslim League | Islamic political group that wanted their own Muslim nation (Pakistan). |
| cyclones | Bad tropical storms that effect Bangladesh. |
| Upanishads | Sacred texts that explain the Vedas. |
| sect | Religious group. |
| Janism | Attempt to reform Buddism. |
| Sikhism | Religion which combines ideas of Hinduim and Islam. |
| Ahimsa | Nonviolence. |
| Maurya Empire | Dynasty of the northern plain which spread Buddism. |
| Chandragupta | United northern plain and created the Mauryan dynasty. |
| Asoka | Mauryan emporer who spread Buddism throughout Asia. |
| Gupta Empire | Led an Indian golden age and had many great achievements including developing the concept of 0. |
| Dehli Sultans | Musilm rulers who took over parts of Northern India around 1200 AD. |
| Mughal Empire | Mongols who invaded and Conquered India. |
| Indus Valley Civilization | India's first civilization. |
| Aryans | Wrote the Vedas, developed Sanskrit, and brought the Caste System to India. |
| Sanskrit | Written language of Aryans. |
| East India Company | Set up by the British to control India as a colony. |
| Gandhi | Most important leader of India's fight for independence, believed in nonviolent, passive resistance, and satayagraha. |
| Amristar Massacre | Started as a protest to British banning of public meetings. |
| Harijan | "Children of god" Gandhi's name for the untouchables |
| Salt March | Example of civil disobedience as Ghandi led his followers to the sea to make salt. |
| "Quit India" | A policy of non compliance to force Independence. |
| Indian Independence Act | Freed India and seperated Pakistan & India. |
| Jawaharlal Nehru | First prime minister of India, who wanted a modern, self-sufficent India. |
| Muhammad Ali Jinnah | First governor general of Pakistan, who had fought for the partition of India and Pakistan. |
| seperatism | To seperate. |
| Indira Gandhi | Indian Prime Minister who was assasinated by her body guards. |
| Rajiv Gandhi | Indian prime minister killed by terrorists like his mother. |
| 5 year plans | Indias economic goals towards self sufficiency |
| Green Revolution | New technology which increased farm output in South Asia. |
| Sinhalese | Buddist in Siri Lanka. |
| Tamils | Hindus in Siri Lanka who want independence. |
| subcontinent | Large land mass too small to be a continent. |
| Sepoy | Indian in the British military. |
| Sepoy Rebellion | Uprising of Indians in the British army, over the use of cow and pig fat to grease rifles. |
| passive resistance | Nonviolent resistance. |
| partition | To seperate a region. |
| Mixed Economy | Government controls part of the economy (socialism) and private owners control the rest. |
| Cold War | Period of political tensions between the US and USSR as they competed for world influence. |
| nonalignment | Not taking sides with either of the superpowers in the cold war. |
| Third World | A developing nation. Characterized by poverty. |
| Kashmir | An area in dispute between Pakistan and India. |
| Taliban | Islamic fundamentalist government? of Afghanistan. |
| Osama bi Laden | Leader of the terrorist organization, Al Qaida. |
