The Ramayana

One of this topics must be represented in the research paper: 1. Describe the geography of the area of India where the actual, historical Rama lived. What different ethnic groups lived in this area? 2. Discuss the relationship of the god Shiva to both the Himalaya Mountains and to the lower area of the Ganges Valley. Why were the mountains especially suitable for contemplation and withdrawal? How does the Ganges River unite the mountains and the lowlands? 3. Discuss the irrigated agriculture of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro in early Indian civilization. What kind of a social order was built on the basis of this irrigation? 4. What are some broad differences between the culture of northern and southern India – between the Aryans of northern India, particularly Bihar, and the Dravidians of southern India, particularly Kerala? How does the geography of the two areas affect culture? Try to find broad differences in the situation of women in the two areas. 5. What parts of India especially revere Rama? What parts like Krishna the most? What parts are most devoted to Shiva? What geographic factors are associated with preferences for one or another of these gods? 6. What is the broad geographic pattern of modernization versus traditionalism in India today? Which areas of India have the highest standard of living? Which have the best education? Does education and income overlap perfectly? INCLUDE AT LEAST FIVE IMAGES FROM GOOGLE EARTH WITH YOUR ESSAY. AT LEAST THREE SHOULD BE VIEWS FROM SPACE, WITH AT LEAST ONE VERY DETAILED, LOCAL IMAGE FROM SPACE. THE OTHERS CAN BE PHOTOS EMBEDDED IN GOOGLE EARTH. IT WOULD ALSO BE GOOD TO INCLUDE OTHER RELEVANT HISTORICAL MAPS AND IMAGES THAT PERTAIN TO YOUR TOPIC THAT ARE NOT FROM GOOGLE EARTH, BUT MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE AT LEAST FIVE GOOGLE EARTH IMAGES. Make sure that you have at least five citations of the Strayer textbook and another five citations from some scholarly article or book. JSTOR is good for scholarly articles. THERE MUST BE A STRONG AND CLEAR THESIS.