Daily Life & Social Structure
In ancient India, the was a caste system with a religion called Hinduism, which was India’s first major religion. Early Hinduism was called Vedism because there was a collection of sacred texts, verses, hymns, prayers, and teachings in Sanskrit.
There were four social classes in the caste system. The castes names from the most powerful to servants were the Brahmins, Kshatiyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras.
The name Brahman was a Hindu name for supreme power, divine force, or greater than other deities. The Brahmins studied and taught in and at schools. They were the teachers, judges and priests of their time. Unfortunately for them, there were many rules involved in this job, and there was much mental work involved.The Kshatiyas were rulers and warriors of India. The Vaishyas were herders and merchants. Then at the bottom of the caste system “pyramid” were the Shudras, which were servants, slaves, and "untouchables".
Ancient India has many buildings that are called temples. Temples are magnificent in size and design. These buildings are built with doors that always face east towards the rising of the sun. Temples are covered with beautiful carvings and sculptures that show some of ancient India’s sacred texts. Inside the temples usually contain a tower or a small shrine.
Many modern Hindus continue to visit temples to express their love of the deities. When visitors come to see these temples they often sit quietly and meditate. They also give thanks, make requests, and take part in rituals. The Hindus had many beliefs and here are five: Brahmins, deities, dharma, karma, and samsara.
Indians believed that only the Brahmins lived forever, and that they had most of the power of the caste system and ancient India. Many deities are in Hindu sacred texts and worship. Dharma stands for law, obligation, and duty. Samsara is a belief about a continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Finally there is karma, and karma explains the importance of living according to dharma.