A

Aryan
The Aryans were tall, had light and blond hair. They were known as IndoEuropean. They got this name because they were from Europe. When they started marrying the Indus Valley people they got the Indo part. When the Aryans came to the Indus Valley, the people from Indus Valley were curious. The Aryans helped found Hinduism. In this religion there is dharma, karma, and a caste system.

"History of the Ancient Aryans." Traditional Zoroastrianism: Tenets of the Religion. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://tenets.zoroastrianism.com/histar33.html>.

B
Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is in the south western part of India. It surrounds the island of Sri Lanka. It would always feel like there is a monsoon from April to November. Between June and September it is warm and sunny. The bay occasionally forms a tsunami, if it goes inland it will destroy homes and many buildings.

"Bay of Bengal (bay, Indian Ocean) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/60740/Bay-of-Bengal>.

C
Caste System
The caste system is a social pyramid made up of four classes. The highest on the pyramid are the Brahmans, they are made up of priests. The Kshyatria are made up of nobles and warriors. The next class of people ar called Visyas. This class includes merchants and farmers. Sundras are the lower class in the caste system. servants and peasants make up this class. Panchamas make up the lowest class. They were called untouchables by the towns people.

D
Durga
Durga was created when evil forces threatened the existence of the Hindu gods. All the gods created one part of her body. She also obtained powerful weapons such as chakra (from Vishnu) and a trident (from Shiva). The name Durga means invincible, each syllable has its own meaning. Du stands for poverty, suffering, famine and evil habits. The r stands for disease and ga stands for sins, injustice, cruelty, irreligious, and laziness.

"Hindu Goddesses : Durga - Hindu Goddess That Kills Your Demons." Sanatan Society : Free Wallpapers of Hindu Gods, Yoga, Meditation, Indian Astrology, Ayurvedic Massage, Home Remedies, Vegetarian Recipes, Mantras,. Web. 12 Dec. 2011.

<http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesses/durga.htm>.

E
Enlightenment When a person reaches enlightenment they are free from the mortal world. This means they have reached the final stage in life, have thrown all they have and all their pain are put aside. When you have been enlightened you do not have to be reincarnated.

"The Purpose of Life in Hinduism - ReligionFacts." Religion, World Religions, Comparative Religion - Just the Facts on the World's Religions. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. <http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/beliefs/purpose.htm>.

Four Noble Truths The Four Noble Truths are the first part of the Eight Fold Path. 1. The Truth of Suffering 2.The Truth of the cause of Suffering 3. The Truth of the end of suffering 4.The Truth of the path that frees us from suffering

"Four Noble Truths - The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism." Buddhism. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. <http://buddhism.about.com/od/thefournobletruths/a/fournobletruths.htm>.

G
Ganesha Ganesha the son of Shiva and Parvati. In one of his hands he holds a broken tusk; it symbolizes a sacrifice. In his other hand he holds rosary. This means that the pursuit of knowledge should be continuous. Ganesha got his elephant head because

he did not let his father (Shiva) in while watching the bathroom door.

"Ganesha: Lord of Success - About the Hindu Elephant-Deity." About Hinduism - What You Need to Know About Hinduism. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. <http://hinduism.about.com/od/lordganesha/a/ganesha.htm>.

H
Himalaya Mountains The Himalayan mountains are home to the largest peaks on the planet Mount Everest and K2. The Himalayas are what separates India from China. It covers about 75% of Nepal. The Himalayas were formed about 70 years ago by the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates. The mountain range moves 2 mm a year so in 10 million years the Himalayas will be 1,500 km into Asia!

"Interesting Facts & Information: Tourism, Travel, Culture, Language, Business, People. Blog Archive Fun Facts about the Himalayas." Professional Translation Services | Interpreters | Intercultural Communication & Training. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/nepal/Fun-Facts-about-the-Himalayas/447>.

I
Indra The King of the gods. He holds a hook, sword, conch, noose, rainbow, and the magic weapon (Vaijra). He rides the elephant Airavata and has a golden chariot pulled by 1,000 horses. Indra is in many stories. she watches from above and destroys any man or demon that are too powerful. Hanuman tried to eat the sun, but he threw his Vaijra to stop him. This made Hanumans dad mad, so Indra made Hanuman immortal.

"Hindu Gods : Indra - Hindu God." Sanatan Society : Free Wallpapers of Hindu Gods, Yoga, Meditation, Indian Astrology, Ayurvedic Massage, Home Remedies, Vegetarian Recipes, Mantras,. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesses/indra.htm>.

J
Jati Jati is another word for the caste system. A Jati is a social pyramid with five classes, the Brahmans, Kshyatria, Visyas, Sudras and Panchamas. The Brahmans are the highest. Priests and rich people were living in first class. Kshyatrias were the nobles and warriors. they were treated well but not like the Brahmans. The Visyas were farmers and merchants; they were average people. The Sudras were servants and served the Brahmans. At the bottom were the Panchamas . These were people that cleaned up dead bodies and tanned animal hides.

"Jati (Hindu Caste) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/301596/jati>.

K
Karma Karma means fate or what goes around comes around. if someone were to do something bad, such as hit a park car ( and not report it) then their karma could be getting run over by a car. If this person were to do something good, such as donating money to charity (every year) then their karma could be winning the lottery.

L
Lakshmi Laksmi is the goddess of light, beauty, good fortune, and wealth. She also signifies love and grace. Lakshmis four arms represent

the four directions in space. Her four hands represent the four ends in life, dharma, karma, artha, and moksha.

Kashmiri Overseas Association, Bansi Pandit. "Goddess Lakshmi."Http://www.koausa.org/Gods/God6.html. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://www.koausa.org/Gods/God6.html>.

M
monsoon A monsoon is a periodic wind that brings very heavy rainfall which usually causes lots of flooding. Monsoons are a good for farmers because the water from the flood enriches soil and waters crops. If you get caught when a monsoon hits, you could die. The water will come fast and escaping it would be tough.

"Monsoon - Academic Kids." Academic Kids Free Online Educational Encyclopedia. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Monsoon>.

N
Nirvana Nirvana means you have been enlightened. When you have reached nirvana you are free from all the suffering in the mortal world and you have found the truth in life. if you reach nirvana in your life time, reincarnation is not needed. Youve found it in the past life.

"Nirvana." Http://library.thinkquest.org/28505/hinduism/nirva.htm. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. <http://library.thinkquest.org/28505/hinduism/nirva.htm>.

O
Old Silk Road The Old Silk Road is a trade route that the Indus Valley Civilization used to get to China to trade cotton. The Chinese used this road to trade ceramics, bronze artifacts, medicinal herbs and spices. The Chinese also used this passage to import domestic animals, like horses, camels, sheeps and donkeys.

"Trade Routes: Trade and Transport on the Antique Silk Road." CPAmedia.com: The Asia Experts. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.cpamedia.com/trade-routes/silk-road-tradetransport/>.

P
Panchamas Panchamas are the lowest class from the caste system. They are known as untouchables. Panchamas had to wear clothes taken from the dead and they ate from broken bowls. These people had jobs like tanning animal hides, cleaning up after executions and executing criminals.

Q
The Qutub Minar is the highest man made structure in India. It stands at 72.5 meters. Which would be about 217.5 in feet. The base starts at 15 meters (45 feet). At the top its just a mere 2.5 meters (7.5 feet). This monument is the main attraction for tourists from Delhi. The tower is made up of five stories. The first three are madeup of red stone, the fourth is made up of marble and the fifth is made up of granite.

"Qutub Minar, Where Is Qutub Minar, Tallest Minaret in New Delhi : Famous India." Famous India - Famous Tourist Places of India, Famous Tourist Attractions of India, Famous Tour Packages of India, Most Famous India. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.famousindia.com/buildings-in-india/qutub-minar-delhi.html>.

R
Rig-Veda

The Rig-Veda is a book of over 1,000 hymns. It talks about the religion of Hinduism. The Aryans are the original writers of the Vedas they wrote it around 1,300-1,000 B.C. The Vedas are the key to Hinduism. It talks about everything there is to know.

"Rig Veda: 1200-900 BC." Then Again. . . Web. 14 Dec. 2011. <http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/india/rigveda.html>.

S
Sudra Sudra is a group of people in the lower class from the caste system. They were low but not as low as the Panchamas. The Sudra class are made up of merchants and farmers. The Sudras

are at the bottom of the caste so they didnt have many rights . Everyone in the caste system supplied each other. The Brahmans would preach the other classes. The nobles and warriors protected them and the farmers provided food.

T
Taj Mohal The Taj Mohal was built in 1653 it was made for Shah Jahans wife Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mohal was made to be a tomb for Mumtaz Mahal. Now, it is one of the seven wonders of the world. At different times every day, the Taj Mohal would be different colors. This was said to represent the different modes of women.

"Taj Mahal Facts - Facts on Taj Mahal India - Information on Taj Mahal Agra - Taj Mahal Trivia." Taj Mahal - Taj Mahal India - Taj Mahal Agra - Taj Mahal Travel- Taj Mahal Information - Tajmahal India. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://www.tajmahal.org.uk/taj-mahalfacts.html>.

U
Union territories India is made up of 23 states and 7 union territories. India extends to the bottom part of Africa. It goes up to the Himalayas. The border stops at Bangladesh, wrapping around to the other side.

"Map of Indian States and Union Territories, States and Territories of India." India Map, Map of India. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/india/indiastateandunion.htm>.

V
Vishnu Vishnu is the preserver in his four hands. He holds the four attributes of weapons, the conch also known as Sankha. The disk or Vaijra, the club, and the lotus or Padma. He also has a sword called Nandaka and a bow called Sarnga. Vishnu is the god to balance out good and evil. He goes to Earth in 10 different forms.

"Vishnu Avatars Incarnations : Hindu God Vishnu Overview." Sanatan Society : Free Wallpapers of Hindu Gods, Yoga, Meditation, Indian Astrology, Ayurvedic Massage, Home Remedies, Vegetarian Recipes, Mantras,. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. <http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesses/vishnu.htm>.

W
Weights and Measures of the Indus Valley Civilization The Indus Valley people used square weights to measure small amounts of gold. These were used while trading. The merchant would put the weight on one side of the scale then the merchandise would be on the other side. How far the product went up or down determines how much you would pay (if they were to pay by pound).

Alva, J., B. Armento, and G. Nash. a Message of Ancient Days. 21. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006.

X
Extraordinary Temples, Buildings and Monuments in India The Hawa Mahal is a sign of extraordinary architure in India. It was built in 1799. It is 150 years old and still in great condition, as if it was built yesterday. The Hawa Mahal was built with red and pink sandstone. The carvings on the inside wall, were all hand carved which shows it took a lot of time and effort.

"Hawa Mahal, Hawa Mahal Tourist Information, Accessibility to Hawa Mahal : Famous India." Famous India - Famous Tourist Places of India, Famous Tourist Attractions of India, Famous Tour Packages of India, Most Famous India. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.famousindia.com/buildings-in-india/hawa-mahal-jaipur.html>.

Y
Yoga Yoga is meditation in different poses. It helps you find your inner peace, focus your mind and let your mind go blank. Yoga requires a lot of concentration and balance, therefore one must take their minds off of what they are doing or else they will lose focus and fall. There is also something called the eightfold path of yoga. 1. Yama 2. Niyama

3. Asanas 4. Pranayama 5. Pratyahara 6. Dharana 7. Dhyana 8. Samadhi

"History of Yoga - A Complete Overview of the Yoga History." Yoga Info, News, Pictures, Forum, Shop, Travel and Community. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.abc-ofyoga.com/beginnersguide/yogahistory.asp>.

Z
Zero Concept The Indians were the founders of the zero in our number system. This showed that the mathematicians of ancient India were smart and were way ahead of their time. This also shows that numbers were already traced back to the ancient times. Numbers and math are a universal concept that we all share regardless of race, gender and class. Zero is also symbolic of neutral.

Alva, J., B. Armento, and G. Nash. a Message of Ancient Days. 21. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006.