How did the geography influence Indian history?
Geography and climate both played significant roles in the
settlement and development of ancient Indian civilization. The
first notable geographical feature is the Himalayan Mountains
located in the northern portion of the Indian subcontinent that
severs India from the rest of Asia; preventing hostile invading
forces and immigration into the subcontinent. The second feature,
the two rivers of Ganges and Indus are the foundations of early
Indian civilization that make their land livable. The Ganges river
flows southeast through a fertile valley, providing the necessary
water for a successful harvest. The Indus River flows southwest
across a drier plain, in turn affecting how farming was achieved.
Because of the drier land area, Ancient Indians were forced to
irrigate to obtain the needed stock of food to distribute among
their peoples, much less a emergency surplus. The last major
geographical feature was the Khyber Pass -- the only easily
traversed path connecting Asia and India near Kabul. Climate was an
ingredient in early Indian civilizations for several reasons.
Monsoons, winds that mark the seasons, are one of the most
immediate. The first monsoon of the season blows from North to
Northeast periodically during November through March. Little rain
is present during this monsoon, however what precipitation does
fall, it falls on the Northern slope of the Himalayas. During
mid-June through October a second monsoon indicates the 'Wet
Season' - a.k.a. - the southwest monsoon. Following the southwest
monsoon, heavy rains fall in it's wake (however sparse rainfall
falls on the Western Ghats, the heaviest rainfall occurs over the
Ganges Valley and the Eastern Himalayan Mountains). The timing of
these winds are critical; too little or too late rainfall results
in an unsuccessful harvest, yet too much or an extended period of
rainfall causes flooding along the country side. Temperatures also
play a significant role in how Indian's settled the land in ancient
times. The ideal area - the Deccan plateau - had mild temperatures
in the summer opposed to the blistering heat of the western Ghats
and valleys which could climb up to one-hundred twenty degrees
Fahrenheit. Also, another reason the geographical importance of
India is held so highly is because if the disappearances of the
first Harrapan civilizations in Mohenjo Daro. Historians and
researches have many theories, yet they all relate to climate,
geographical, and regional issues however there is no solid
evidence to prove or reject any of their hypothesis. Some of the
more common are; Harsh monsoons causing a type of violent weather
pattern, evidence of an earthquake has been speculated, intense
flooding of the Indus and Ganges Rivers, hostile invading forces,
and other reasons have been thrown around. With all of this
information taken into consideration, geography and climate played
a major role in the development of Ancient Indian civilization.
