TheHistoryof

Hinduism

By

ManasVarma
ChrisSachen
MattKandler

IndusValleyCivilizationandVedicPeriod
IndusValleyCivilization
locatedinthebasinoftheriverIndus,whichflows
throughpresentdayPakistan
Endedabout1500BCE
Twomajorcitieshavebeenuncovered,
MohenjoDaroandHarappa,whichhasgivenus
thealternativenameofHarappanculture
citieshousedabout40,000peoplewith
sophisticatedwatersystemsmosthouseshaving
drainagesystems,wells,andtrashchutes
Grainwasthebasisoftheeconomy
collectedgrainastax.
ReligionintheIndusvalleyinvolvedtemplerituals
andritualbathinginthe'greatbath'
VedicPeriod

Thereissomeevidenceofanimalsacrifice
VedicPeriod
Twomajortheoriesaboutthedevelopmentof
earlysouthAsiantraditions.Oneis:IndusValley
groupsselfnamed'Aryans'migratedandbecame
thedominantculturalforceandHinduismwasa
mixofindigenoustraditionstheyencountered.The
otheris:NomigrationandHinduismwascreated
intheregion
thelanguageofvediccultureiscalledvedic
Sanskrit,whichisrelatedtootherlanguagesinthe
IndoEuropeanlanguagegroup
earlyvedicreligioncentredaroundthesacrificeto
theirmanygodswholivedintherealmsofEarth,
atmosphere,andsky
EarthcontainstheplantgodSoma,thefiregod
Agni,andthegodofpriestlypower,Brhaspati.
TheAtmospherecontainsthewarriorIndra,the
windVayu,thestormgodsorMarutsandthe
terribleRudra
TheSkycontainstheskygodDyaus(fromthe
samerootasZeus),theLordofcosmiclaw(or
rta
)
Varuna,hisfriendthegodofnightMitra,the
nourisherPushan,andthepervaderVishnu.

Epic,Puranic,andClassicalAge

ThebeginningofthisperiodsawthelifeofBuddha.

ManyoftodayspopularHindutexts,suchas
DharmaSutras,Shastras,t
hetwoepics,and
manyotherfamoustextswerewrittenduringthis
period.

Dharma,theideaoflaw,duty,andtruthwas
expressedthroughmanytextsofthisperiod.

Vedicfiresacrificesdiminished,andfromthese
ancientideas,devotionalworshiptoimagesof
deitiesandtemplesarose.

TraditionsfromtheGuptaempire,suchas
templeworshippingbecamepopularduringthis
period,andarestillseeninmodernHindu
practices.

MedievalPeriod

Therewasariseinthedevotiontomajordeities,
suchasVishnu,Shiva,andDevi.

Greatregionaltemplesrose,suchasJagannatha
andShivaTemple.

ReligiousliteraturewasdevelopedinVernacular.

Vaishnavismphilosophers,suchasRamanuja
andMadhva
beganwriting
scriptural
commentaries,
introducingnew
theologiesand
ideastothe
religion

PreModernPeriod
Islamgrewtobeapopularreligionin
thenorthofIndia,alongside
Hinduism,popularinthesouth.
Islambecamenotonlyareligious
competitor,butalsoapolitical
competitorwithHinduism
WhilesomeliberalIslamicpowers
allowedfreepracticeofHinduism,
someleaders,likeAurangzeb
destroyedtemplesandoppressed
Hindupractice.

BritishPeriod
RobertClive'svictoryattheBattleofPlasseyheraldedthe
endoftheMughalEmpireandthestartofBritishrule.
Gradually,Christianmissionariesarrivedandbegana
massconversionoftheIndianpeople.
ImportantFigures

IndependentIndia

Theextremebloodshed,theresultofIndian
partitionin1947,reinforcednationalisticreligious
attitudes.

Communalviolenceeruptsfrequentlyasaresult
ofanyeventthatcreatestensionbetweenthe
religions.
ProgressionoftheHinduDiaspora

RamMohanRoy(17721833):presented
HinduismasrationalandfoundedtheBrahmo
Samaj.
DayanandaSarasvati(18241883):Wanteda
returntovedicreligion,emphasizedaneternaland
omnipotentgod.
ParamahamsaRamakrishna(18361886):wanted
unityinallreligions
MahatmaGandhi(18691948):Politicianwho
helpedtonegotiateindependencefromtheBritish
Rajfollowedtheidealsofahimsa(nonviolence)
andsuggestedopenmindedpatriotism.Hewas
assassinatedin1948.

ManyHindusbeganamovementtothewest,to
placessuchasBritainandNorthAmerica.
MissionariesalsobegantospreadHinduism.

Bythelate1960s,TranscendentalMeditation
begantogainpopularityand
waspracticedbycelebrities.Eg:
TheBeatles

Anothermovementspread
quickly,calledtheHareKrishna,
wherefollowerssportedshaved
headsandsaffronrobes.

ManynewHinduswereattractedtothe
nonsectarianspiritualaspectsofHinduism,such
asyoga.Manyavoidedthepoliticalaspects.

Bytheturnofthemillennium,manyHindu
communitieshadbeenestablishedand
prosperedinsociety.

ManyHindusarenowturningtheirattentionto
majorissuessuchascastesandwomen'srights
intheirsocieties.

Hindutvaisatermthatmeanshindunessthatwas
coinedinordertoactasocioeconomicforcetounitethe
Indianpeople.

Hinduismwasfurtherdeveloped
throughliterature,newimplications
ofgods,andnewtraditions.

Flood,

Gavin.
"History

of
Hinduism."BBC.BBC,24Aug.2009.Web.7Apr.2016.