India is located in the southern part of Asia. The name India is derived from the Indus river. According to the early writings, known as Puranas, India was known as Bharata after the king. Bharata had conquered the whole subcontinent of India and ruled the place with peace and harmony. From the many excavations, different artefacts were discovered. These artefacts were used by early human beings belonging to the stone age. Classification of salient features can be done in many ways according to the period.
Salient features and major landmarks of ancient and medieval India are a vast topic, covering the essential parts of the matter. Salient features definition is an exciting feature of something or a necessary part of a characteristic. We can now look into details of the Salient features and major landmarks of ancient and medieval India.
Salient features and major landmarks of ancient and medieval India
The Salient features and major landmarks of ancient and medieval India are many but will take a look at them in brief. As per salient features definition, it means the major characteristics and features of a thing. The classification of Salient features can be done based on the time period. The salient features of ancient India and salient features of medieval India are different.
Salient features of Ancient India
The Indus valley civilisation is one of the world’s greatest ancient civilisations, and it has shown a very progressive culture. India is the birthplace of the four great religions globally, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. The Indus valley civilisation was discovered in 1921 and belonged to the bronze age. Between 3300 to 1600 BC, it existed in three phases: early, mature, and late. The Indus people were the earliest people to produce cotton. They followed a grid system while planning the town development.
Aryans were a male-dominated community. They considered horses as their significant animal. The Aryans found the Rig Veda, and it consists of 10 books. The earliest specimen of the Indo European language was seen in 2200 BC the initial inscription was in Latin. Sindhu was an important river for the Aryan civilisation.
Salient features of Medieval India
Medieval India refers to the long period of India’s post-classical history between the ancient and the modern period. The medieval period is divided into early medieval and late medieval eras. The medieval period lasted from the breakup of the Gupta Empire in the sixth century A.D. to the start of the early modern period in 1526, which showed the beginning of the Mughal Empire.
The Indian subcontinent had more than 40 states in the early mediaeval period. During that time Pala Empire existed for a short while on the Indo Gangetic plain. In southern India, The Hindu Kingdom of Chola gained dominance after combining with an Overseas Empire that controlled a few parts of present-day Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia. The game Chathuranga was invented and then exported to Europe and is known as Chess.
The late medieval era saw a series of Turkish invasions from present-day Iran and Afghanistan, conquering and controlling vast portions of Northern India and founding the Delhi sultanate. Delhi remained Supreme until the 16th century. Buddhism declined in South Asia, whereas Hinduism survived and was reinforced in areas Muslims conquered. At the turn of the 16th century, you can see the Rise of the new Islamic Empire, the Mughals, and the establishment of European trade posts by the Portuguese.
List of major landmarks from ancient to mediaeval India
The milestones are the remains of beautiful eras. The Salient features and major landmarks of ancient and medieval India are what keep history alive. Go through some of the crucial crossroads in the country.
Ashoka pillars
Ashoka was the emperor of the Mauryan dynasty who had ruled vast portions of India, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh and present-day Pakistan. After the end of the enormous war over Kalinga, which is the present state of Orissa. Ashoka witnessed a massive number of deaths which made him adopt Buddhism and convey the message of Buddha by scribing writings on various stones and constructing everlasting structures like the free-standing pillars.
The free-standing pillars
This remarkable structure was built in the Ashoka period. They were constructed throughout North India during the 3rd Century BC. The pillars are part of stupas and other buildings of the Buddha settlements and are not isolated monuments. Each pillar is uniquely designed with inscriptions carved on it.
Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi
Humayun’s tomb was built In 1569 and is one of the earliest examples of Mughals architecture in the Indian subcontinent. The red sandstone sculpted Islamic architecture, decorated balcony, and then immense courtyard is one of the attractions of this place. There are more than a hundred graves located in this complex.
Gol Gumbaz, Karnataka
This is the final resting place of the ruler of Bijapur Mohammed Adil Shah, and this is the second-largest Tomb next to the famous St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. This Landmark was built in the 16 century and is a cubical structure and one of the finest examples of the Indo Islamic architecture approach in Southern India.
Sanchi Buddhist monuments Madhya Pradesh
This Monolithic simple dome line brick structure safeguards the ancient history and the relics of the Mauryan period. It is one of the oldest preserved historical monuments in India. It was built in the 3rd Century by Emperor Ashoka. It depicts the life and journey of Lord Buddha.
Conclusion
India has developed a lot from the ancient and medieval period to reach modern history. Ancient history has seen collapsed Empires and dynasties. The late mediaeval Era shows various Muslim conquering of the Indian subcontinent and declining Buddhism. The early Modern era started from the Mughal empire in 1526. The major landmarks and salient features of Indian history are still maintained in various sources. You can visit the preserved landmarks while traveling. We have only mentioned the major milestones, and there are many more.
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