|
Samples
Cute Essays provides essays in all formats including APA, MLA and
CHICAGO/ TURABIAN styles. Below is a sample essay named "INDIA’S
CLASSICAL AGE". Click on the desired style in which
you want to view the essay.
Sample "
INDIA'S CLASSICAL AGE " ( APA format )
Sample "INDIA'S
CLASSICAL AGE " ( Chicago/Turabian format )
[Author’s Name]
[Instructor’s Name
[Course Title]
[Date]
India’s Classical Age
"Indian cities are prosperous and stretch far and wide. There
are many guest houses for travelers. There are hospitals providing
free medical service for the poor. The viharas and temples are majestic.
People are free to choose their occupations. There are no restrictions
on the movement of the people. Government officials and soldiers
are paid their salaries regularly. People are not addicted to drinks.
They shun violence. The administration provided by the Gupta rulers
is fair and just." (John Marshall,1926)
Archaeological excavations have brought to light the remains of
a highly developed urban civilization in ancient India that stretched
across approximately 1520 kilometers, extending from the area on
the upper Sutlaj in contemporary Punjab to Lothal in Gujarat. Historians
are of the view that this civilization flourished in the third millennium
before the birth of Christ.
It is known by the name of the two of its great cities Harappa and
Mohenjodaro situated on the left and the right bank respectively
of the river Ravi in Punjab. The two cities were built on a similar
plan houses constructed with standard burnt bricks arranged in squares,
along roads intersecting at right angles. The houses varied in size
but were all based on the same plan a small courtyard surrounded
by rooms with entrances in side alleys, often multistoried with
no windows opening out to the street. The houses had bathrooms and
the drains flowing out were connected to covered sewers with soak-pits.
This unique sewage system is amongst the most impressive achievements
of the Indus people and sets them apart from all other ancient civilizations.
“The earliest literary source that sheds light on India's
past is the Rig Veda. It is difficult to date this work with any
accuracy on the basis of tradition and ambiguous astronomical information
contained in the hymns. It is most likely that Rig Veda was composed
between 1,500 B.C. and 1,000 B.C.” (H.D.Sankalia, 1974)
The most famous of the Mauryas is Ashoka the Great (reign 273 -
232 B.C.). He extended the boundaries of his empire considerably
stretching from Kashmir and Peshawar in the North and Northwest
to Mysore in the South and Orissa in the East but his fame rests
not so much on military conquests as on his celebrated renunciation
of war. After witnessing the carnage at the battle field of Kalinga
(269 B.C.) in Orissa, Ashoka resolved to dedicate himself to Dhamma
or righteousness.
It was Chandra Gupta II (reign 380 - 412 A.D.) Samudra Gupta's successor
who finally defeated the Sakas and re-established a strong central
authority. His reign registered the high watermark in Indian culture.
His accomplishments in war and peace were glorious enough for him
to claim the title Vikramaditya the resplendent, great, and good
king of legends. Fa-hien, a Chinese traveler who was in India from
399 to 414 A.D. has left an interesting account of contemporary
India. This age of peace and prosperity witnessed an unprecedented
flowering of art, literature and the sciences.
The number of Dravidisms in all aspects of the language including
phonology increased in the post-Rigvedic era.
The large majority appear first in the classical language, but in
its early stage, being first recorded in Panini, Patanjali, Mahabharata,
Srautasutra, etc. The majority appear also in Pali, which is important
for dating since these canonical texts take us back to a period
from 500-300 B.C.
Indian is an ancient civilization and an inheritor to a rich and
diverse cultural tradition. The Fairs and Festivals celebrated across
the length and breadth of the land present a fascinating pageant
and showcase the resplendence of its arts and crafts tradition.
Some festivals are of religious nature, others are linked with the
lives of the people, change of seasons and harvesting. There are
fairs which in past played an important role in the commercial life
of the people and continue to be celebrated with great gusto.
Holi
Diwali
Dussehra
Baisakhi and other harvest festivals
Onam
Eid
Maha-Mastikabhishek
Guru Purnima
Regional Festivals
Education in ancient India was systematic. Kids were taught by a
guru (a teacher). Even chief’s sons had to obey the guru.
All students followed a rigorous course of studies which were imparted
orally. Writing was done on bark and leaves, and hence was perishable,
so we have very few rock edicts to tell us what they studied or
what they wrote.
This ancient civilization must have had marvelous craftsmen, skilled
in pottery, weaving, and metal working. The pottery that has been
found is of very high quality, with unusually beautiful designs.
Several small figures of animals, such as monkeys, have been found.
These small figures could be objects of art or toys. There are also
small statues of what they think are female gods. So far, scientists
have found no large statues. They have found bowls made of bronze
and silver, and many beads and ornaments. The metals used to make
these things are not found in the Indus Valley. So, either the people
who lived in this ancient civilization had to import all of these
items from some other place, or more probably, had to import the
metals they used to make these beautiful things from somewhere else.
Works Cited
John Marshall, Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey
of India 1923-24, Calcutta, 1926, p. 47.
H.D.Sankalia, Prehistory and Protohistory of India and Pakistan
2nd ed., Poona, 1974, pp. 384-385.
|