Professional Documents
Culture Documents
14/01/17, 06:48
History of Hinduism
Introduction
History of Hinduism
Hinduism's early history is the subject of much debate for a number of
reasons.
Firstly, in a strict sense there was no 'Hinduism' before modern times,
although the sources of Hindu traditions are very ancient.
Secondly, Hinduism is not a single religion but embraces many traditions.
Thirdly, Hinduism has no definite starting point. The traditions which flow
into Hinduism may go back several thousand years and some practitioners
India
Page 1 of 8
14/01/17, 06:48
chronology.
Before 2000 BCE: The Indus Valley Civilisation
1500500 BCE: The Vedic Period
500 BCE500 CE: The Epic, Puranic and Classical Age
500 CE1500 CE: Medieval Period
15001757 CE: Pre-Modern Period
17571947 CE: British Period
1947 CEthe present: Independent India
chutes. Grain was the basis of the economy and large grain stores
collected grain as tax.
The civilisation was extensive, from the eastern foothills of the Himalayas, to Lothar on the Gujarat coast, and to
Sutgagen Dor near the Iranian border. Some cities of the Indus valley culture have yet to be excavated.
The Indus civilisation did not develop as a result of contact with other civilisations such as Sumer or Egypt but was
an indigenous development growing out of earlier, local cultures.
Others have disputed this, pointing out that it bears a close resemblance to Elamite seals depicting seated bulls.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/history/history_1.shtml#section_3
Page 2 of 8
14/01/17, 06:48
One image, carved on soapstone (steatite), depicts a figure battling with lions which is reminiscent of the
Mesopotamian Gilgamesh myth.
There may be continuities between the Indus Valley civilisation and later Hinduism as suggested by the apparent
emphasis on ritual bathing, sacrifice, and goddess worship. But ritual purity, sacrifice and an emphasis on fertility
are common to other ancient religions.
Vedic Period
The Vedic Period (c.1500c.500 BCE)
There have been two major theories about the early development of early south Asian traditions.
The Aryan migration thesis that the Indus Valley groups calling themselves 'Aryans' (noble ones) migrated into the
sub-continent and became the dominant cultural force. Hinduism, on this view, derives from their religion recorded
in the Veda along with elements of the indigenous traditions they encountered.
The cultural transformation thesis that Aryan culture is a development of the Indus Valley culture. On this view
there were no Aryan migrations (or invasion) and the Indus valley culture was an Aryan or vedic culture.
There are two sources of knowledge about this ancient period - language and archaeology - and we can make two
comments about them. Firstly, the language of vedic culture was vedic Sanskrit, which is related to other
languages in the Indo-European language group. This suggests that Indo-European speakers had a common
linguistic origin known by scholars as Proto-Indo-European.
Vedic religion
If we take 'Vedic Period' to refer to the period when the Vedas were composed, we can say that early vedic
religion centred around the sacrifice and sharing the sacrificial meal with each other and with the many gods
(devas). The term 'sacrifice' (homa, yajna) is not confined to offering animals but refers more widely to any
offering into the sacred fire (such as milk and clarified butter).
Some of the vedic rituals were very elaborate and continue to the present day. Sacrifice was offered to different
vedic gods (devas) who lived in different realms of a hierarchical universe divided into three broad realms: earth,
atmosphere and sky.
Earth contains the plant god Soma, the fire god Agni, and the god of priestly power, Brhaspati. The Atmosphere
contains the warrior Indra, the wind Vayu, the storm gods or Maruts and the terrible Rudra. The Sky contains the
sky god Dyaus (from the same root as Zeus), the Lord of cosmic law (or rta) Varuna, his friend the god of night
Mitra, the nourisher Pushan, and the pervader Vishnu.
Page 3 of 8
14/01/17, 06:48
Arjun and one of his brothers, two of the heroes of the Mahabharata. Dasavatara
Temple, Deogarh, 6th century. Photo: Vaticanus
This period, beginning from around the time of Buddha (died c. 400 BCE), saw the composition of further texts,
the Dharma Sutras and Shastras, the two Epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, and subsequently the
Puranas, containing many of the stories still popular today. The famous Bhagavad Gita is part of the Mahabharata.
The idea of dharma (law, duty, truth) which is central to Hinduism was expressed in a genre of texts known as
Dharma Sutras and Shastras. The Dharma Sutras recognise three sources of dharma: revelation (i.e. the Veda),
tradition (smrti), and good custom. The Laws of Manu adds 'what is pleasing to oneself'.
During this period the vedic fire sacrifice became minimised with the development of devotional worship (puja) to
images of deities in temples. The rise of the Gupta Empire (320-500 CE) saw the development of the great
traditions of Vaishnavism (focussed on Vishnu), Shaivism (focussed on Shiva) and Shaktism (focussed on Devi).
From this period we can recognise many elements in present day Hinduism, such as bhakti (devotion) and temple
worship. This period saw the development of poetic literature. These texts were composed in Sanskrit, which
became the most important element in a shared culture.
Medieval Period
Medieval Period (500 CE1500 CE)
Temple to Sri Brahadeeswarar (Shiva) in Tanjavur, the world's first granite temple, built
10041009 CE
From 500 CE we have the rise of devotion (bhakti) to the major deities, particularly Vishnu, Shiva and Devi. With
the collapse of the Gupta empire, regional kingdoms developed which patronised different religions. For example,
the Cholas in the South supported Shaivism.
This period saw the development of the great regional temples such as Jagganatha in Puri in Orissa, the Shiva
temple in Cidambaram in Tamilnadu, and the Shiva temple in Tanjavur, also in Tamilnadu. All of these temples had
a major deity installed there and were centres of religious and political power.
Page 4 of 8
14/01/17, 06:48
9th centuries), including one famous female poet-saint called Andal, and the sixty-three Shaiva Nayanars (8th
10th centuries).
Subsequent key thinkers and teachers (acharyas or gurus) consolidated these teachings. They formulated new
theologies, perpetuated by their own disciplic successions (sampradaya).
Shankara (780820) travelled widely, defeating scholars of the unorthodox movements, Buddhism and Jainism,
which around the turn of the millennium had established prominent seats of learning throughout India. He reestablished the authority of the Vedic canon, propagated advaita (monism) and laid foundations for the further
development of the tradition known as the Vedanta.
Vedanta
Madhva (c.1238c.1317, Vaishnava saint and founder of the philosophical school Dvaita
Pre-Modern Period
The Pre-Modern Period (c.15001757 CE)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/history/history_1.shtml#section_3
Page 5 of 8
14/01/17, 06:48
grandson, Aurangzeb (16181707), destroyed many temples and restricted Hindu practice.
During this period we have further developments in devotional religion (bhakti). The Sant tradition in the North,
mainly in Maharashtra and the Panjab, expressed devotion in poetry to both a god without qualities (nirguna) and
to a god with qualities (saguna) such as parental love of his devotees.
The Sant tradition combines elements of bhakti, meditation or yoga, and Islamic mysticism. Even today the poetry
of the princess Mirabai, and other saints such as Tukaram, Surdas and Dadu are popular.
British Period
British Period (17571947 CE)
Robert Clive's victory at the Battle of Plassey
(1757) heralded the end of the Mughul
Empire and the rise of British supremacy in
India.
At first, the British did not interfere with the
religion and culture of the Indian people,
allowing Hindus to practice their religion
Map of British Indian Empire, 1909
unimpeded. Later, however, missionaries
arrived preaching Christianity. Shortly after, the first scholars stepped ashore, and though initially sympathetic,
were often motivated by a desire to westernise the local population. Chairs of Indology were established in Oxford
and other universities in Europe.
Hindu reformers
The nineteenth century saw the development of the 'Hindu Renaissance' with reformers such as Ram Mohan Roy
(17721833) presenting Hinduism as a rational, ethical religion and founding the Brahmo Samaj to promote these
ideas.
Another reformer, Dayananda Sarasvati (182483), advocated a return to vedic religion which emphasised an
eternal, omnipotent and impersonal God. He wanted to return to the 'eternal law' or sanatana dharma of Hinduism
before the Puranas and Epics through his society, the Arya Samaj.
Both of these reformers wished to rid Hinduism of what they regarded as superstition. These groups were
instrumental in sowing the seeds of Indian nationalism and Hindu missionary movements that later journeyed to
the West.
Another important figure was Paramahamsa Ramakrishna (1836-86), who declared the unity of all religions. His
disciple Vivekananda (18631902) developed his ideas and linked them to a political vision of a united India.
These ideas were developed by Gandhi (18691948), who was instrumental in establishing an independent India.
Gandhi, holy man and politician, is probably the best known Indian of the twentieth century. He helped negotiate
independence, but was bitterly disappointed by the partition of his country. He was assassinated in 1948.
Gandhi drew much of his strength and conviction from the Hindu teachings, such as the notion of ahimsa (nonviolence), and propounded a patriotism that was broad-minded and magnanimous.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/history/history_1.shtml#section_3
Page 6 of 8
14/01/17, 06:48
Hindutva
During the resistance to colonial rule, the term 'Hindu' became charged with cultural and political meaning. One
central idea was hindutva (hindu-ness), coined by V.D. Savarkar to refer to a socio-political force that could unite
Hindus against 'threatening others'.
Cultural organisations such as the RSS (Rashtriya Svayam-Sevak Sangh) and VHP (Vishva Hindu Parishad) have
embraced and developed this ideal, which found political expression in the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party). These
sectarian ideas continued after independence.
Independent India
Independent India (1947 CEpresent)
The
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/history/history_1.shtml#section_3
Page 7 of 8
14/01/17, 06:48
family custom. They are now particularly concerned about how to deal with contentious issues such as caste,
intermarriage and the position of women. In many ways, Hindus in the West are turning back to their roots.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/history/history_1.shtml#section_3
Page 8 of 8