History of India - Introductory

Study this vocabulary list to learn all about the history, culture, and religious traditions of India. You'll explore British colonialism in India, the caste system, and key aspects of Hinduism, such as karma and reincarnation.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. agriculture
    the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock
  2. boycott
    refusal to have commercial dealings with some organization
  3. Buddhism
    a religion represented by the many groups (especially in Asia) that profess various forms of the Buddhist doctrine and that venerate Buddha
  4. cash crop
    a cultivated plant that is grown to be sold for profit
  5. caste
    a hereditary social class among Hindus
  6. caste system
    social structure in which classes are determined by heredity
  7. citadel
    a stronghold for shelter during a battle
  8. city planning
    the act of drawing up plans for a future community's physical arrangement
  9. civil disobedience
    refusal to comply with a law as a form of political protest
  10. civilization
    a society in an advanced state of social development
  11. colonialism
    exploitation by a stronger country of a weaker one
  12. colony
    a geographical area controlled by a distant country
  13. commerce
    transactions supplying goods and services
  14. craftsman
    a skilled worker who practices some trade or handicraft
  15. decimal system
    a positional system of numeration that uses decimal digits and a base of ten
  16. democracy
    a political system in which power lies in a body of citizens
  17. drought
    a shortage of rainfall
  18. East India Company
    an English company formed in 1600 to develop trade with the new British colonies in India and southeastern Asia; in the 18th century it assumed administrative control of Bengal and held it until the British army took over in 1858 after the Indian Mutiny
  19. edict
    a legally binding command or decision
  20. enlightenment
    the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation
  21. epic
    a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds
  22. famine
    a severe shortage of food resulting in starvation and death
  23. Ganges River
    an Asian river
  24. guru
    a Hindu or Buddhist religious leader and spiritual teacher
  25. Hindi
    the most widely spoken of modern Indic vernaculars
  26. Hinduism
    a body of religious and philosophical beliefs and cultural practices native to India and based on a caste system; it is characterized by a belief in reincarnation, by a belief in a supreme being of many forms and natures, by the view that opposing theories are aspects of one eternal truth, and by a desire for liberation from earthly evils
  27. imperialism
    a policy of extending your rule over foreign countries
  28. independence
    freedom from control or influence of another or others
  29. Indus River
    an Asian river that rises in Tibet and flows through northern India and then southwest through Kashmir and Pakistan to the Arabian Sea
  30. irrigation
    the act of supplying dry land with water by artificial means
  31. Jainism
    religion founded in the 6th century BC as a revolt against Hinduism; emphasizes asceticism and immortality and transmigration of the soul; denies existence of a perfect or supreme being
  32. jati
    a Hindu caste or distinctive social group
  33. karma
    effects of one's actions that determine his or her destiny
  34. kingdom
    the domain ruled by a monarch
  35. levee
    an embankment built to prevent a river from overflowing
  36. maharaja
    a great raja
  37. mahatma
    (Hinduism) term of respect for a brahmin sage
  38. Mahatma Gandhi
    political and spiritual leader during India's struggle with Great Britain for home rule; an advocate of passive resistance (1869-1948)
  39. mandala
    any of various geometric designs symbolizing the universe
  40. matriarchal
    having a woman or women as the head or ruler
  41. meditation
    contemplation of spiritual matters
  42. middleman
    someone who buys large quantities of goods and resells to merchants rather than to the ultimate customers
  43. minaret
    a slender tower with balconies, especially on a mosque
  44. miniature
    painting or drawing included in a book
  45. modernization
    the act of making up-to-date in appearance or behavior
  46. monsoon
    a seasonal wind in southern Asia
  47. nationalism
    the doctrine that your country's interests are superior
  48. nirvana
    the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation
  49. Pakistan
    a Muslim republic that occupies the heartland of ancient south Asian civilization in the Indus River valley; formerly part of India; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1947
  50. pariah
    a person who is rejected from society or home
  51. partition
    divide into parts, pieces, or sections
  52. passive resistance
    peaceful resistance to a government by fasting or refusing to cooperate
  53. peasant
    one of a class of agricultural laborers
  54. polytheism
    belief in multiple gods
  55. priest
    a person who performs religious duties and ceremonies
  56. prime minister
    head of government, especially of a parliamentary democracy
  57. province
    the territory in an administrative district of a nation
  58. railroad
    the commercial organization responsible for operating trains
  59. raj
    British dominion over India (1757-1947)
  60. raja
    a prince or king in India
  61. reincarnation
    the doctrine that a person may be reborn successively
  62. samsara
    (Hinduism and Buddhism) the endless cycle of birth and suffering and death and rebirth
  63. Sanskrit
    an ancient language of India
  64. sari
    a draped dress worn primarily by Hindu women
  65. self-government
    government by a country's own people rather than by an outside power
  66. Sikhism
    the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded in northern India in the 16th century by Guru Nanak and combining elements of Hinduism and Islam
  67. silt
    mud or clay or small rocks deposited by a river or lake
  68. strike
    refusal to work in protest against low pay or bad conditions
  69. stupa
    a dome-shaped Buddhist shrine
  70. subcontinent
    a large, distinct landmass that is part of a larger landmass
  71. Taj Mahal
    beautiful mausoleum at Agra built by the Mogul emperor Shah Jahan (completed in 1649) in memory of his favorite wife
  72. taxation
    charge against a citizen's person or property or activity
  73. tolerance
    willingness to respect the beliefs or practices of others
  74. untouchable
    belongs to lowest social and ritual class in India
  75. Urdu
    the official literary language of Pakistan, closely related to Hindi; widely used in India (mostly by Moslems); written in Arabic script
  76. warrior
    someone engaged in or experienced in warfare
Created on Wed Feb 15 10:58:06 EST 2017 (updated Fri Mar 31 11:38:05 EDT 2017)

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