History of Hinduism

The multiple religions of the Indian subcontinent are collectively known as Hinduism. Hinduism is also called Sanatan Dharma. [1] From a historical point of view, the beginning of Hinduism is said to have started from the Satya Yuga. Various evolutions of the religious beliefs of India occurring since the Satya Yuga are related to this religion. The origin of this view is again the Bronze Age Indus Civilization and the subsequent Iron Age Vedic religion. This is why the religion is called one of the "oldest religions" in the world.[11] Scholars consider Hinduism to be an amalgamation of Indian culture and traditions from various sources, with no single founder.

This Hindu combination emerged after the Vedic period between 500[13]–200[26] BCE and 300 BCE,[13] during the Second Urbanization period and the beginning of the Classical period of Hinduism, when the epics and the first Puranas were composed.[13][26]

 The history of Hinduism is usually divided into periods of its development. The first phase is considered to be the pre-Vedic period, ending around 1750 BCE. These include the Indus Valley Civilization and local prehistoric religions. Sometime between 1900 BCE and 1400 BCE, the introduction of the historical Vedic religion began with the Indo-Aryan migration and the beginning of the Vedic Age in northern India.

The gradual decline of Buddhism in India after the first century AD led to the emergence of classical Hinduism as a renaissance of Vedic religion. [31] The six main branches of Hindu philosophy – Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisesika, Mimamsa and Vedanta – arose between the second century BC and the mid-fifth century AD. in time This period is known as the "Golden Age" of Hinduism, contemporary with the Gupta Empire. Around the same time, monotheistic doctrines such as Shaivism and Vaishnavism emerged through the Bhakti movement.

 After roughly 650 to 1100 AD, classical Hinduism became established in the Middle Ages. Advaita Vedanta doctrine of Adi Shankara was also propagated during this period. The doctrine reconciled Vaishnavism and Shaivism and gave rise to Smartism. This resulted in the extinction of non-vedic branches of philosophy.

 The period 1200[32] to 1750[33] saw the growing prominence of Hinduism Bhakti movements under both Hindu and Islamic rulers, which remain influential today. Various Hindu reform movements emerged during the colonial period, partly inspired by Western movements, such as Unitarianism and Theosophy. The partition of India on religious lines in 1947 resulted in the emergence of the Republic of India with a Hindu majority. In the 20th century, minority Hindu communities were organized in various countries of the world through non-resident Indians. Hindu nationalism emerged as a powerful political entity in India in the 1980s. The Hindutva Bharatiya Janata Party ruled the central government from 1999 to 2004 and formed the first state government in South India (Karnataka state) in 2006.