Tag: from gathering food to growing food - the earliest people

Amaravati Stupa in Guntur district is the most famous one in Andhra Pradesh. This was built during the rule of Satavahanas about 1900 years ago. The stupa was covered with panels of sculptures depicting the Buddha and his teachings. Today, the Amaravathi stupa is just a mound of rubble. 

Viharas were the monasteries or living places of Buddhist monks where religious education was imparted. A Vihara usually had small rooms around an open courtyard and had a small shrine containing a stupa or an image of the Buddha at one end.

Pilgrims were the people who took up journeys to holy places to offer worship. Buddhist holy places of learning had attracted the pilgrims from other countries. Chinese pilgrims Fa-hi-an, Itsing and Hu-en-Tsang came to visit places associated with the life of the Buddha as well as famous monasteries.

The Nagarjunakonda stupa was part of Vijayapuri, the capital city of Ikshvaku kings. It was on the banks of the Krishna River. Vijayapuri had a large number of stupas, viharas and palaces. It also had a beautifully designed amphi theatre and ghats leading to the river. Unfortunately, today the entire city lies under water submerged in the Nagarjunasagar dam. 

Vardhamana Mahavira was born in a Ganasangha. He left his family and home at the age of 30 years, and became a Parivrajaka. He was seeking an answer to the question, How can we get rid of the cycle of birth and death in this world? After years of meditation and hard penance, Mahavira finally found an answer to his question. Mahavira kept wandering for spreading his teachings among the people. A large number of people began to follow his preaching. Thus began Jainism.

According to Gautama Buddha, sorrow is caused by excessive craving and desire. We can attain freedom from sorrow if we control our desires. In order  to gain control over our desires, we need to live a balanced and controlled life, and should not cause pain to any living being. Buddha taught that one should avoid extremes -extreme penance or extreme pleasure, but instead follow a middle path. That is why Buddhism is also called the Great Middle Path.

The teachings of Buddha came to be known as Buddhism. The teachings of Buddha and his followers have been compiled in three collections (Thripitikas) called the Sutta Pitaka, the Abhidhamma Pitaka and Vinaya Pitaka. Tripitaka or Three Baskets is a traditional term used for various Buddhist scriptures. It is also known as Pali Canon in English. 

Parivrajakas were seekers of truth who did not live permanently in any one place.They left their homes and wandered from village to village and forest to  forest.Hence they were called Parivrajakas(wanderers) or Bhikshus (mendicants or those who begged). Among these parivrajakas, Vardhamana Mahavira,Gautama Buddha, Makhkhali Goshala and Ajita Keshkambalin became very famous.

Fire used to keep off wild animal by early people.Natural fires caused overwhelmingly by lightning are highly evident on many landscapes. Birds such as hawks, and some other predators, are alert to opportunities to catch animals including invertebrates disturbed by such fires and similar benefits are likely to underlie the first human involvements with fires. Early humans were certainly familiar with the heat of the sun. They must have observed lightning flashes. The human control of fire likely required a cognitive ability to conceptualize the idea of fire.

The early farmers needed to clear forests by cutting trees and branches. They developed a new kind of stone tool which is called neolith by archeologists. It is after this new kind of stone tool that this period of early agriculture is called Neolithic Period.