Answer with atleast 2 sentences.
1. what were the religious beliefs of the indus river valley civilizations?
2. why are the religious beliefs of the indus river valley civilizations so hard to determine?
3. what were the main religious beliefs of the deccan and tamil regions?
4. how did trade play a role in the deccan and tamil religious beliefs?
5. who was asoka and how did he conquer the deccan region of india?

1.It was widely recommended that the Harappan people worshipped a Mother goddess symbolizing fertility. A few Indus valley seals displayed swastika sign which were there in many religions, particularly in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
2.Harappan culture wasn't clearly acknowledged as such until the 20th century.  Better known sites - Egypt were studied intensively for centuries before the diggings.  It’s easy to be dismissive of the scholars who worked on these problems before modern archaeology evolved in the 19th century. Likewise, the enigmatic nature of Indus valley civilization means there is no clear connection to any unceasing literary traditions.  
3. During the 3rd century BCE, the Deccan was part of the Maurya Empire, and from the mid of the 1st century BCE to 2nd century CE the same area was reigned by the Satavahana dynasty. The royal courts were mostly places of social gathering rather than places of indulgence of authority; they were centers for distribution of resources. Tamil literature Tolkappiyam sheds some light on early religion. Gradually the rulers came under the influence of Vedic beliefs, which fortified performance of sacrifices to enhance the status of the ruler. Buddhism, Jainism and Ajivika co-existed with early Shaivite, Vaishnavism and Shaktism during the first five centuries.
4.It was significant because it helped people spread the religion to various parts of the land. Traders and merchants traveled and spread their religion while traveling and since everyone wanted to trade with them the religions spread quickly.
5.Ashoka was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty, who ruled nearly all of the Indian subcontinent from c. 268 to 232 BCE.He was the grandson of the founder of the Maurya Dynasty, Chandragupta Maurya, who had shaped one of the largest empires in ancient India and then, according to Jain sources, relinquished it all to become a Jain monk.  From his 13th inscription, we come to know that the fight was a massive one and caused the deaths of more than 100,000 soldiers and many civilians who rose up in defense; over 150,000 were transported. When he was walking through the grounds of Deccan Region of Kalinga after his takeover, rejoicing in his victory, he was moved by the number of bodies strewn there and the wails of the bereaved.