The story about India: This BBC documentary series was created and presented by Michael Wood, a historian. This series is a comprehensive look at India’s history. Like other great civilizations–Greece or Egypt, for example–over the millennia it has enjoyed not just one but several brilliant golden ages in art and culture. Its religious leaders and great thinkers have forever changed the world’s landscape.
India’s history spans a decade-thousand year period, but for more than two millennia it has been at center of the world’s history. It has been subject to successive invasions, from Alexander the Great to Genghis Khan to Tamburlaine to the British. All of them left their marks but India was ultimately ruled by the British. India’s spiritual traditions have been a hallmark of its history. It has seen successive invasions from Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan to Tamburlaine and the British, all of whom left their mark but all of whom succumbed to India herself. India is home to some remarkable figures, including Buddha, Ashoka (Mauryan emperor) and Akbar the great (Moghul monarch), as well Nehru and Mahatma Ghandi.
Michael Wood takes us through the journey of human origin migration from Africa to India. This documentary also explores the rise and fall of Buddhism.
Climate Change and Indus Valley Civilization Indus Valley civilization was the most important Indian medieval history. Between 3300 BC and 1900 BC, it had between 2 and 5 million residents. Mohenjo-Daro (lower Indus) and Harappa (higher upstream) are two examples of cities that were excavated.
Evidence suggests that they lived in a developed city. Many houses had wells, bathrooms and an extensive underground drainage system. The Mohenjo-daro-harappa sites provide evidence that a vast urban population used advanced techniques such as trading, sculpting, and metal usage. While the cause of its gradual disappearance remains elusive, the shift in the river’s flow has been strongly suggested.
Indus Valley Civilization was experiencing a decline by 1800 BCE. The Indus valley Civilization lost its writing, standard weights, measures and methods used for trade and taxation were no longer in use and many cities were abandoned. The medieval climate change may have led to the shift of civilization towards the east in search for river banks. This could have been a risk to their survival.
Although it isn’t clear exactly what caused the decline, it is believed the Saraswati River dried up around 1900 BCE. Experts also speak of a massive flood in this area. Either one of these events would cause severe damage to agriculture and result in the collapse of cities’ civic order.
Climate change was a key factor in the development of Indian civilization.
Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan empire. It lasted between 300 BC and 200 BC. Alexander the Great inspired Chandragupta Maurya to build a huge empire. He was a great warrior, and he conquered over three-fourths India’s ancient history. Chandragupta’s grandson Ashoka was the next important Maurya.
The documentary suggests that Ashoka was an early wielder and ruler of violence. He converted to Buddhism after the Kalinga war and accepted peace. This is an important step in shaping India’s ancient civilization as it was the initial attempt to unify India.
Trade was an important facilitator of contact and exchange, which was the foundation of discovery in ancient times. India was a major partner in the Mediterranean’s trade. Three things are believed to have influenced the Romans’ and Greeks’ search for Indian riches: a weed, grass and larvae of beetles.
The exploration of India began during the Romans’ and Greeks’ times. However, this feat is often overshadowed now by figures like Vasco da Gama and Columbus. Hippalus, an older Greek Sea Captain, wrote a guidebook detailing his journey to India. It also included a detailed and accurate knowledge of each port on the Indian coast. The Monsoons discovery opened the door to India. Hippalus discovered in June that strong southwest monsoon winds began to blow towards India, making the area dangerous and the seas heavy.
However, if you have strong ships, the Red Sea winds could be used to your advantage, eventually leading you to India. The winds of the northeast monsoons could then assist you in the opposite direction as these winds recede. Thus, the discovery and use of the monsoons was perhaps the most important discovery that the Romans made to reach the Indian coast. They came to Kerala for the Spice Coast.
Romans loved Indian spices such as coriander, ginger, pepper etc. The Romans offered bullion to the Indians – gold and silver as well as tin, antimony, etc. In Old Tamil poetry, it is also mentioned that the Romans and Greeks exchanged gold for textiles and pearls. Romans loved the pashmina Shawls.
The Silk Route marked a new era in India’s economy. The Kushans formed the Silk Route, a group of tribal people. The Kushans embraced Buddhism and supported their religious propaganda with their trade on Silk Route. They were amongst the first to create a contract that could be used to settle disputes along Silk Route. Kainshka is the Kushans’ king, along with the Surkh Ktal inscription, are the most important contributions of this tribe.
The inscription details the activities of the King and his expansion of power throughout India. The Khyber Pass was a vital trade link between India, Central Asia and India. The Kushans grew the economy and trade and introduced coins shortly after. The twon in Peshawar, Pakistan, was the capital of Kushans. This town, which had been a bustling caravan center since its inception, relied on the Silk Route’s old contacts for income. Peshawar was the meeting place for all Silk Route traders. The richest cargos were carried on camels.
You could see the merging of many civilizations at the height of Kusha Empire – the Greeks. The Romans. The Bactrians. The Persians. All this was possible because of the Silk Route opening and the interaction of civilizations between India and the Mediterranean. However, the Kushans left the most significant legacy: control of Silk Route to spread Buddhism into China & Tibet.
The Mahmud at Ghazni was India’s first Muslim Mughal foray. It was the beginning of the Mughals’ confrontation with a Hindu state. The peace, non unity, and richness of India lured him 17 times to invade India and take what he could. Most famous was his theft of gold from temples and destruction of them as a way to financial glory.
He also desecrated the sacred statues of the Somnath Temple and destroyed the entire temple. Because he had promised to plunder India at minimum once per year, and there was no resistance to his numerous forays, he was depised by the Hindu Heartland.
The Cholas were protecting South, and it was because there wasn’t a North protector. It is not possible to find harmony between the violent elements of Islam and Hinduism as it is now.
Khyber Pass was the entry point for later Mughals to India. The formal beginning of Mughal rule in India was achieved by Babur in 1526 with the victory at Panipat. Akbar, who was open-minded to all religions was a crucial figure in Mughal rule. This untrained ruler was the one who took the Indian throne from his father, who died after he fell from his library. He was intelligent and expanded his empire in India. His reign brought happiness to the people.
He even eliminated the Hindu tax and allowed surprise incognito inspections of the markets to verify hoarding and other misdeeds. They were eventually punished for their wasteful use of resources when they captured Deccan. They did rule the subcontinent from 1526 until 1857, according to records. This was despite the fact that they were able to manage such large empires without much hassle thanks to decentralization. Mansabdars governed the empire.
It was a hierarchical organization with a local ruler who ruled over every region. He would be paid a salary, status, or military might depending on his rank to protect his borders. They could be prosecuted if anyone tried to interfere with the system. They were expected to collect taxes and send them to the Emperor of Delhi.
BritishIndia was colonized by the British in 17th-century. Initially traders, they became more powerful over time and built forts. The British officially entered India with the victory at Plassey. They learned from the Mughals about allowing locals to run the country. This was because they were aware of the agency problem, but could also face conflicts of interests. They took over the colonies. The British East India Company was the original multinational corporation and is accused of plundering India’s riches.
Initially, they wanted cloth made in India. However, Clive introduced Clive’s idea to collect taxes from Indians. They no longer needed bullion from South American Spanish ports. They taxed India gradually and raised the taxes to the 1790 levels at peak production. Due to the rise in India’s cost due to droughts, famines, the British industrialization led to them shifting to India for raw materials. The Indian domestic goods were comparatively more expensive.
After the 1857 first mutiny, Indians united and the British disbanded EIC. In London, they took control. They enslaved large numbers of people and made them fight in their wars in the First and Second World Wars, even though India was not even involved in the conflict. They raised taxes and disregarded human rights as they pleased.
Britain’s departure from India saw Muhammed Ali Jinnah (the founder of the Muslim League) insist on a separate country. He believed that Hindus could not co-exist with Muslims and was against having India annexated. Nehru was part of this, and to become the first Prime Minister of a free India, he influenced Mahatma Gandhi, his mentor. The religious massacre resulted in close to 2,000,000 deaths and 15 million refugees fleeing.
