Chapter 6Disruption and Renewal in South and East Asia

The Gupta Empire

The Gupta Empire

1. The Gupta state had its origin in the petty state of Mughada in the eastern Ganges valley under the guidance of a local raja (prince) named Chandragupta (not related to Chandragupta Maurya) who married the daughter of a powerful northern Ganges tribal leader. Founded about 320, the Gupta Empire was centered at its capital of Pataliputra (Putna). Expansion was achieved by his son Samudragupta (330-375) and grandson Chandragupta II (375-415) who carried the borders north to the Himalaya Mountains, south to the Narbada River on the western Deccan Plateau where Samudragupta defeated many of the rulers and then restored them as his subjects. Likewise, he established a loose control over Pallava and Simhala (Sri Lanka). In the west the empire stretched to the borders of the Punjab and Kashmir, and east to the mouth of the Ganges. Gupta authority also came to be exercised over states along the Indus River to the Arabian Sea.

2. Under the Guptas there was not only peace but also prosperity. The state controlled gold, silver, and salt mines, as well as water for irrigation. Clearly, huge profits could be made. Moreover, such products as spices, jewels, ivory, tortoise shells, and fine cloths were exported in the regional trade of Asia. India's location also made it a center of exchange between China and the West by both sea and land routes (the Silk Road). All was under Gupta protection. Significantly, the trade with the Middle East resulted in the introduction of the use of gold and copper coins for a money economy about the second century.

3. Beginning about 450, the Gupta Empire fell under the attack of a group called the "White Huns" driving from the northwest out of Afghanistan. By 480 they controlled northern India. Gupta authority collapsed about 550. When the Hun's power disintegrated in the late sixth century, King Harsha (606-648) sought to reunite the Gupta state as militarily conquered most of northern India and bring it under loosed control. When he died without heirs, the empire broke up.

Questions:1. How was the Gupta Empire established and expanded?2. What was the economic strength of the Guptas?

The Gupta Empire

1. The Gupta state had its origin in the petty state of Mughada in the eastern Ganges valley under the guidance of a local raja (prince) named Chandragupta (not related to Chandragupta Maurya) who married the daughter of a powerful northern Ganges tribal leader. Founded about 320, the Gupta Empire was centered at its capital of Pataliputra (Putna). Expansion was achieved by his son Samudragupta (330-375) and grandson Chandragupta II (375-415) who carried the borders north to the Himalaya Mountains, south to the Narbada River on the western Deccan Plateau where Samudragupta defeated many of the rulers and then restored them as his subjects. Likewise, he established a loose control over Pallava and Simhala (Sri Lanka). In the west the empire stretched to the borders of the Punjab and Kashmir, and east to the mouth of the Ganges. Gupta authority also came to be exercised over states along the Indus River to the Arabian Sea.

2. Under the Guptas there was not only peace but also prosperity. The state controlled gold, silver, and salt mines, as well as water for irrigation. Clearly, huge profits could be made. Moreover, such products as spices, jewels, ivory, tortoise shells, and fine cloths were exported in the regional trade of Asia. India's location also made it a center of exchange between China and the West by both sea and land routes (the Silk Road). All was under Gupta protection. Significantly, the trade with the Middle East resulted in the introduction of the use of gold and copper coins for a money economy about the second century.

3. Beginning about 450, the Gupta Empire fell under the attack of a group called the "White Huns" driving from the northwest out of Afghanistan. By 480 they controlled northern India. Gupta authority collapsed about 550. When the Hun's power disintegrated in the late sixth century, King Harsha (606-648) sought to reunite the Gupta state as militarily conquered most of northern India and bring it under loosed control. When he died without heirs, the empire broke up.

Questions:1. How was the Gupta Empire established and expanded?2. What was the economic strength of the Guptas?

The Gupta Empire and Harsha Chandra Gupta I, 320-335 Samudra Gupta, 335-376 Chandra Gupta II, 376-415 White Huns (Huna) invasions, 5th century Harsha, 606-648 Muslim invasions, 712

Religious Developments Hinduism

Puranas Vishnu, reincarnated nine times Ninth incarnation, Gautama Buddah

India at the Death of Mahmud of Ghazni

India at the Death of Mahmud of Ghazni

1. Arab armies began penetrating east to India in the seventh century. By 636 under the leadership of Muhammad ibn-Qasim, Arabs had reached the Arabian Sea. When Indian pirates from the Hindu state of Sind near the Indus River continued to attack Arab shipping, Muslim forces attacked, conquering the lower Sind and Indus valley in 711. From this location the Arabs pressed north into the Punjab at the frontier of India.

2. North India was brought into Islam not by the Arabs but the recently converted Turks. In 962 one group of Turks established a small kingdom in northeastern Iran in the area of the old Kushan kingdom with its capital at Ghazni. In 986 the Turks began raiding in the Punjab. Under Mahmud (997-1030) the attacks were increased until he won the Punjab and then pressed to the Ganges. By the time of Mahmud's death in 1030 he controlled the Indus valley, the Punjab, and northwestern India. In religious fervor, Mahmud looted and destroyed Hindu shrines throughout the areas conquered under the guise of wiping out idolatry.

3. Resistance to Mahmud and his successors came from the Rajputs, a Hindu clan in northwest India. Their infantry, supported by elephants, was no match for the Muslim cavalry. The onslaught of the Muslims continued.

4. Mahmud's death was followed by a period of relative peace characterized by local conflicts. This was interrupted by a new line of Turkish rulers from their capital of Ghur (west of Ghazni) in Afghanistan. By 1193 the new attack on India reached and captured Delhi. By the end of the century the Muslims had extended their control throughout most of northern India. Again Hindu and Buddhist statues were destroyed. Most Buddhists took refuge in Tibet. Meanwhile, the sultanate of Delhi was established, reaching across northern India from the Indus to the Bay of Bengal from 1206 to 1526.

5. South of the valley of the Ganges Muslim power spread more slowly. Muslims did make attacks but had little success. One of the groups with which the Muslims had to contend were the Chalukyas and in the south the Cholas and Pandyas. These Hindu kingdoms flourished as a consequence of trade with Southeast Asia, China, and the Middle East.

Questions:1. How was Islam brought to India?2. What was the impact of the Muslim presence in India?

India at the Death of Mahmud of Ghazni

1. Arab armies began penetrating east to India in the seventh century. By 636 under the leadership of Muhammad ibn-Qasim, Arabs had reached the Arabian Sea. When Indian pirates from the Hindu state of Sind near the Indus River continued to attack Arab shipping, Muslim forces attacked, conquering the lower Sind and Indus valley in 711. From this location the Arabs pressed north into the Punjab at the frontier of India.

2. North India was brought into Islam not by the Arabs but the recently converted Turks. In 962 one group of Turks established a small kingdom in northeastern Iran in the area of the old Kushan kingdom with its capital at Ghazni. In 986 the Turks began raiding in the Punjab. Under Mahmud (997-1030) the attacks were increased until he won the Punjab and then pressed to the Ganges. By the time of Mahmud's death in 1030 he controlled the Indus valley, the Punjab, and northwestern India. In religious fervor, Mahmud looted and destroyed Hindu shrines throughout the areas conquered under the guise of wiping out idolatry.

3. Resistance to Mahmud and his successors came from the Rajputs, a Hindu clan in northwest India. Their infantry, supported by elephants, was no match for the Muslim cavalry. The onslaught of the Muslims continued.

4. Mahmud's death was followed by a period of relative peace characterized by local conflicts. This was interrupted by a new line of Turkish rulers from their capital of Ghur (west of Ghazni) in Afghanistan. By 1193 the new attack on India reached and captured Delhi. By the end of the century the Muslims had extended their control throughout most of northern India. Again Hindu and Buddhist statues were destroyed. Most Buddhists took refuge in Tibet. Meanwhile, the sultanate of Delhi was established, reaching across northern India from the Indus to the Bay of Bengal from 1206 to 1526.

5. South of the valley of the Ganges Muslim power spread more slowly. Muslims did make attacks but had little success. One of the groups with which the Muslims had to contend were the Chalukyas and in the south the Cholas and Pandyas. These Hindu kingdoms flourished as a consequence of trade with Southeast Asia, China, and the Middle East.

Questions:1. How was Islam brought to India?2. What was the impact of the Muslim presence in India?

Shiva, god of death and fertility Parvati demands sacrifices

Way of Works, maintain one’s casteWay of Worship

Art, Architecture, and CultureImportance of religious artAjanta, cave templesMetal castingLiteratureWomen

India under Islam Mahmud of Ghazni Destruction of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain shrines Rajputs (kshatriyas, warrior class)

China under the Tang

China Under the Tang

1. After several centuries of internal division, China was united under the Sui dynasty (581-618). The capital was re-established at Chang'an and expansion began anew. Most significant during this period was the connecting older canals and constructing new ones. First, Chang'an was tied by canal to the union of the Wei and Yellow Rivers one hundred miles away. This was followed by extending the canal to link the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. The Grand Canal, when completed in 610, extended over 1400 miles. The new canal facilitated the movement of grain and commodities from the rice-rich southern provinces to the densely populated north. The canal also served as a means for communication, movement of troops, and inspection of the empire.

2. The Sui collapsed in part due to three failed campaigns to subdue the Korean kingdom of Koguryo. When the Sui emperor was murdered in 618, General Li Yaun founded the new dynasty of the Tang (618-907). Soon they began expansion, securing the heartland by subduing the nomadic tribes beyond the Great Wall. The northwest was pacified and renamed Xinjiang ("new region") while the Tibetan kingdom was brought under Tang control. Tribute also came from rulers beyond the frontier. The southern provinces below the Yangtze were fully assimilated into the Tang Empire.

3. The Sui had divided their country into a uniform system of districts grouped in prefectures. The Tang altered the system by grouping the prefectures into provinces.

4. In the middle of the eighth century, Tang foreign policy collapsed as Chinese armies were defeated in central Asia and the southwest. As the emperor's power disintegrated, generals began to rebel. By 907 the Tang had dissolved and China entered the Era of the Five Dynasties featuring barracks emperors until 960 with the initiation of the Sung dynasty.

Question:1. How did the Tang reshape China?

China Under the Tang

1. After several centuries of internal division, China was united under the Sui dynasty (581-618). The capital was re-established at Chang'an and expansion began anew. Most significant during this period was the connecting older canals and constructing new ones. First, Chang'an was tied by canal to the union of the Wei and Yellow Rivers one hundred miles away. This was followed by extending the canal to link the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. The Grand Canal, when completed in 610, extended over 1400 miles. The new canal facilitated the movement of grain and commodities from the rice-rich southern provinces to the densely populated north. The canal also served as a means for communication, movement of troops, and inspection of the empire.

2. The Sui collapsed in part due to three failed campaigns to subdue the Korean kingdom of Koguryo. When the Sui emperor was murdered in 618, General Li Yaun founded the new dynasty of the Tang (618-907). Soon they began expansion, securing the heartland by subduing the nomadic tribes beyond the Great Wall. The northwest was pacified and renamed Xinjiang ("new region") while the Tibetan kingdom was brought under Tang control. Tribute also came from rulers beyond the frontier. The southern provinces below the Yangtze were fully assimilated into the Tang Empire.

3. The Sui had divided their country into a uniform system of districts grouped in prefectures. The Tang altered the system by grouping the prefectures into provinces.

4. In the middle of the eighth century, Tang foreign policy collapsed as Chinese armies were defeated in central Asia and the southwest. As the emperor's power disintegrated, generals began to rebel. By 907 the Tang had dissolved and China entered the Era of the Five Dynasties featuring barracks emperors until 960 with the initiation of the Sung dynasty.

Question:1. How did the Tang reshape China?

Age of Disunity in China, 220-581 Civil war Hsiung-nu renew their attack China into a northern and southern regions Growth of Buddhism

Emperor Wu, 502-549North ChinaMissionariesArt

Sui and T’ang Dynasties, 581-907 Yang Chien, Sui dynasty Li, Yuan (Duke of T’ang) or Kao-tsu T’ai-tsung, 626-249

Expansion

Chang'an under the Sui and the Tang

Chang'an Under the Sui and the Tang

1. Chang'an was not only the capital of the Tang Empire, it was also the eastern terminus of the trade routes from central Asia and the western point of deposit for the Grand Canal. With a population drawn from all over Asia, the city and it suburbs had a population of 1,960,186. Surrounding the city were walls that formed a rectangle of slightly over five by six miles. The city was laid out in broad thoroughfares running east-west and north-south. These formed 110 blocks, each of which was an administrative unit. From the southern gate ran a 500 foot wide thoroughfare to the governmental headquarters at the Imperial City where the Imperial Palace was located. The road divided the city administratively into eastern and western sections, each with its own marketplace operated by the government. (John K. Fairbank, Edwin O. Reischauer, and Albert M. Craig, East Asia Tradition and Transformation, pp. 105-106)

Question:1. How does Chang'an compare as a capital city to that of Rome and Athens?

Chang'an Under the Sui and the Tang

1. Chang'an was not only the capital of the Tang Empire, it was also the eastern terminus of the trade routes from central Asia and the western point of deposit for the Grand Canal. With a population drawn from all over Asia, the city and it suburbs had a population of 1,960,186. Surrounding the city were walls that formed a rectangle of slightly over five by six miles. The city was laid out in broad thoroughfares running east-west and north-south. These formed 110 blocks, each of which was an administrative unit. From the southern gate ran a 500 foot wide thoroughfare to the governmental headquarters at the Imperial City where the Imperial Palace was located. The road divided the city administratively into eastern and western sections, each with its own marketplace operated by the government. (John K. Fairbank, Edwin O. Reischauer, and Albert M. Craig, East Asia Tradition and Transformation, pp. 105-106)

Question:1. How does Chang'an compare as a capital city to that of Rome and Athens?

Kao-tsung, 649-683Lady Wu

Ming-huang, 712-756Lady Yang

Government and Economy T’ang successful due to stable government

Uniform educational system, examinations Economic prosperity

International tradeContent peasantry, equal field system

Changan, 2 million peopleBased upon military power and trade

Grand Canal at Wuxi

Religion Hsuan-tsang, Buddhist pilgrim

Emergence of Mahayana BuddhismPure LandCh’an

Rivalry between Buddhism and Taoism Competition of Confucianism Entrance of Zoroastrianism and Islam

Poetry and SculptureSculpture in rock cave templesFlourishing secular sculpture

Sung and Nomadic Dynasties, 966-1279 Chao K’uang-jin, Northern Sung dynasty, 960-1125

Peace and prosperityCivilian government, Conservative and Innovators

Southern SungLiterati leadersUse of diplomacy

Gifts “to states that were threatening” Neo-Confucianism and Stagnant Buddhism

Sale of ordination certificates Laughing Buddha Ethical character of Neo-Confucianism Culture and Arts

Statues of traitors to Song dynasty in Hangzhou