History of Hinduism

Hinduism is unique among the world religions in that it has no founder or date of origin. While most major religions derive from new ideas taught by a charismatic leader, Hinduism is simply the religion of the people of India, which has gradually developed over four thousand years. The origins and authors of its sacred texts are largely unknown.

Although today's Hinduism differs significantly from earlier forms of Indian religion, Hinduism's roots date back as far as 2000 BC, making it one of the oldest surviving religions. Because of its great age, the early history of Hinduism is unclear. The most ancient writings have yet to be deciphered, so for the earliest periods scholars must rely on educated guesses based on archaeology and the study of contemporary texts.

In the last few decades, the history of India's religion has also become a matter of political controversy. The history of any nation (or individual) is an important part of its self-identity, and this is especially true of India, which so recently gained independence after centuries of colonial rule. The controversy over India's history centers on the origin of the Aryan culture, as we shall see in more detail below.

The Indus River Valley Civilization

In 1921, archaeologists uncovered evidence of an ancient civilization along the Indus River, which today runs through northwest India into Pakistan. The so-called Indus Valley civilization (also known as the "Harappan civilization" for one of its chief cities) is thought to have originated as early as 7000 BC and to have reached is height between 2300 to 2000 BC, at which point it encompassed over 750,000 square miles and traded with Mesopotamia.

Some writings of this period has been discovered, but unfortunately in such small amounts that they have yet to be deciphered. Knowledge of this great civilization's religion must therefore be based on physical evidence alone. Baths have been found that may indicate ritual bathing, a component of modern Hinduism. Some altar-like structures may be evidence of animal sacrifice, and terracotta figures may represent deities. An important seal features a horned figure surrounded by animals, which some conjecture is a prototype of Shiva, but it could be a bull parallel to that found on Mesopotamian seals.

The Aryans

This culture began to decline around 1800 BC, due possibly to flooding or drought. Until recently, it was unquestionably held that it was at this time that the Aryans invaded or migrated into both India and Iran. According to this hypothesis, both the Sanskrit language and the Vedic religion that is foundational to Hinduism is attributable to the Aryans ("noble ones") and their descendents. The original inhabitants of the Indus Valley are thought to have had a Dravidian language and culture, which became subordinate to that of the invading peoples. This hypothesis is supported by similarities between Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of Iran, and the Vedic religion of ancient India. In addition, no trace of horses or chariots have been found in the remains of the Indus Valley culture, although they were central to Aryan military and ritual life.

Beginning in the 1980s, this hypothesis was challenged by some as a myth propagated by colonial scholars who sought to reinforce the idea that anything valuable in India must have come from elsewhere. In its place, a hypothesis is offered in which there was no invasion and Aryan culture developed out of the Indus Valley civilization. This view is sometimes called the "cultural transformation hypothesis." There is evidence and strong feeling on both sides.

The remainder of this article is under construction.

References

1. "History of Hinduism." Encyclopædia Britannica (Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service, 2004).
2. "Indian Religions and the Hindu Tradition" The Cambridge Illustrated History of Religions (Cambridge University Press, 2002).