History of Hinduism
Bhakti helped Hinduism regain strength and popularity.
Bhakti helped Hinduism regain strength and popularity.
British rule came to end after WWII, which ended Colonialism around the world.
British rule came to end after WWII, which ended Colonialism around the world.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
This beautiful temple construction can still be seen today.
▪ Like at the famed ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which were originally Hindu when built. ▪ It was built by the Khmer Empire which dominated SE Asia (Cambodia) from 800 -1200 CE.
This harsh rule led to many wars and riots and hard feelings that still exist today.
▪ One exception was Akbar (1542-1605) a tolerant Muslim ruler with eclectic philosophy.
They have all the trappings of any Nationalistic movement, like the Christian Nationalism in the USA or Nazi Nationalism in Germany in the 1930's.
▪ Pride ▪ Blame of foreigners and outsiders for their problems (Muslim minority in India, Pakistan). ▪ Racism ▪ Use of propaganda to incite hate and violence. ▪ Ideological purges (especially among non-conforming intellectuals) ▪ Eroding of civil liberties especially for minority groups. ▪ This is made even worse in India as they have tried to re-institutionalize the Caste System that had been formally abolished at the formation of Indian democracy.
Hindus classify the Vedas as Shruti literature.
▪ Shruti means what is heard. Compare to the opposite: Smriti (what is remembered).
The Mongols (from the Mongol invasion) conquer Persia around 1258.
▪ The Mongols never cross the Indus river, so they never invade India. The Mongol rulers convert to Islam in the 1300's.
These Muslim Mongols (the Mughals) invade India around 1325 and conquer most of its northern half, though they leave the south alone.
▪ The Mughals rule most of India from about 1325-1725. ▪ They were often not very tolerant of the Hindu majority.
"Aryans" is derived from the name they apparently called themselves.
▪ The Nazis used the Aryans Indo-European roots to make a connection, since most languages of Europe, like German and English, are also Indo-European. ▪ However, in reality the Aryans of Nazism and the Aryans of India have really nothing to do with each other except sharing an ancient language family origin.
The Ramayana is a narrated account of the life of a legendary prince named Rama.
▪ The Ramayana is about 24,000 verses long. ▪ Once each year nearly 1 billion people watch a re-enactment of key scenes from the Ramayana on TV in India.
The Gupta period (300 - 700 CE) saw a flowering of Hindu scholarship.
▪ The emergence of the classical schools of Hindu philosophy. ▪ The emergence of classical Sanskrit literature in general on topics ranging from medicine, veterinary science, mathematics, to astrology and astronomy and astrophysics
The Vedas contain stories about the Gods and demonstrate ways to worship these Gods.
▪ The fire ritual is not only mentioned in the Rig-Veda its details and process are discussed.
Buddhism and Jainism also develop during this time period.
▪ They are also responses to the Vedas but rejected them in many ways.
Here are some important ancient deities mentioned in the Vedas:
▪ They are called Devas. ▪ Indra ("weather" who is also the King of the gods), ▪ Agni ("fire"), ▪ Usha ("dawn"), ▪ Surya ("sun"), ▪ Apas ("waters"). The next three are gods of moral concepts: ▪ Mitra ("contract"), ▪ Aryaman (guardian of guest, friendship and marriage), ▪ Bhaga ("share")
Hindus believe the Vedas are the spoken words of the Gods.
▪ They are not written by man but spoken by the Gods.
LET'S HOPE SANER VIEWS PREVAIL
In Hinduism, folding one's hands and offering salutations by saying namaste (nom-us-tay) is a simple way of giving a respectful greeting, as well as saying, "I bow to the divine in you."
This is the period between the end of urbanization in the Indus Valley Civilization and the re-urbanization in the Ganges river basin to the east.
It is called the Vedic Period because of the name of the main religious texts created during this time
The arrival of the Aryans and their new religious views led to a new period in the Indus valley.
It is referred to as the Vedic Period (1500-600 BCE).
Besides their Gods, they also brought their language, which is called Sanskrit.
It is thought that the Aryans religious life was more developed than the Indus Valley peoples, so it easily took root among the peoples living there at the time
The Rig-Veda is the oldest and most important.
It was fully complete by 1200 BCE and may be as old as 1500 BCE.
BHAGAVAD-GITA picture
Krishna's revelation
Indus Valley Civilization (3300-1300 BCE)
Located along the Indus river, which is in modern Pakistan. ▪ Pakistan and Bangladesh were both part of India until WWII.
MAURYAN PERIOD (300 BCE - 300 CE) section
MAURYAN PERIOD (300 BCE - 300 CE)
MUGHAL RULE section
MUGHAL RULE
OM or AUM is the most sacred syllable in Hinduism and may be traced back to the Vedas. It is regarded as the primordial sound through which the universe is manifested. It is considered sacred by Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs
OM or AUM is the most sacred syllable in Hinduism and may be traced back to the Vedas. It is regarded as the primordial sound through which the universe is manifested. It is considered sacred by Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs
Of these various schools of thought the non-dualistic Advaita Vedanta emerged as the most influential and most dominant school of philosophy
Of these various schools of thought the non-dualistic Advaita Vedanta emerged as the most influential and most dominant school of philosophy
The Aryans were also polytheistic and shared many of the same types of Gods that other ancient Indo-European speakers had. Think of the ancient Greeks or Romans, which were Indo-European speakers with similar Gods.
The Aryans brought with them a unique fire ritual though.
Indus Seal
The Proto-Shiva seal. The male figure, sometimes called the "Lord of the Animals," is surrounded by various totemic animals, such as an elephant, a tiger, a rhinoceros, a water buffalo, and two antelopes or deer.
The Vedas Section
The Vedas Section
They are called the Vedas.
The Vedas are written in Sanskrit.
INDUS VALLEY RUINS
The great bath can be seen amid the ruins of the ancient cityscape of Mohenjo Daro, an important city of the Indus Valley Civilization. A towering granary can be viewed in the distance
The main geographic region of Hindu culture during this period is now fully located with the Ganges river plain.
The main geographic region of Hindu culture during this period is now fully located with the Ganges river plain.
HINDU TEMPLE
The majestic gate of a Shiva temple in southern India is reflected in one of the two ritual bathing tanks found within its precincts. These towers are erected in the four directions and are of ten covered in sculptural imager y that refers to the sacred myths of the gods venerated within. Arunachaleswar Temple, Tiruvannamalai, India, eleventh century
The new concepts and Gods of the Upanishads become the core ideas and beliefs of what is termed: Classical Hinduism.
The new concepts and Gods of the Upanishads become the core ideas and beliefs of what is termed: Classical Hinduism.
It is during this period the Hindu Caste system is put into practice.
The period of the Upanishads leads into the next historical period in classical Hinduism
The regular followers use the epic poems for inspiration and guidance.
The two major epics are: ▪ The Mahabharata ▪ The Ramayana
The sounds of the words are actually more important than the meaning.
The word Veda in Sanskrit means knowledge or wisdom.
We believe that they spoke a Proto-Dravidian language. This language family still exists in southern India
We do not know much about their religious beliefs but it seems safe to claim they were polytheistic and had deities that were connected to key parts of their daily lives. ▪ Like a god of weather and a god of harvest.
Surprisingly, Hinduism was not the majority religion in India during this period.
▪ It was actually Buddhism! ▪ This caused Hinduism to change in some interesting ways in order to better compete
In reality, the Upanishads introduce brand new concepts that are considered today the core of Hindu belief.
▪ Like Brahman (ultimate reality) or Atman (soul or true-self).
Hinduism is the oldest verifiable religion that we study.
▪ It has origins back to 1500 BCE. ▪ Judaism claims to be older but we only have evidence from about 950 BCE
A YOGI
A Hindu ascetic sits in the lotus position, a prominent bodily posture for the practice of yoga
RAMAYANA picture
A performance in Mumbai, India, of Ram Lila, the very popular enactment of the Ramayana.
FIRE RITUAL
A yajna or fire sacrifice, which is one of the most archaic of Hindu rites, is per formed by priests before an image of Durga during the Durga Puja festival in Calcutta, India.
AGE OF THE GUPTAS section
AGE OF THE GUPTAS
Since their cities had no walls, it is safe to assume they felt safe and did not engage in major warfare
For many years, it was thought they fell into decline when people from the North invaded their lands. It is now believed they suffered a mega-drought that changed the course of the Indus river and forced them to slowly move to the East (Ganges River Plain)
GANDHI AND THE END OF COLONIALISM section
GANDHI AND THE END OF COLONIALISM
HINDU NATIONALISM section
HINDU NATIONALISM
CITIES OF THE GANGES
Hindu pilgrimage routes in India
Four major vedas
Rig Veda Sama- Veda Yajur Veda Atharva-Veda
Around 1600 BCE, they began to migrate into the Indus River Valley.
So instead of invaders, in reality they were immigrants that slowly intermingled their culture with that of the existing Indus River Valley culture.
THE ARYANS section
THE ARYANS
THE BRITISH COLONIAL PERIOD section
THE BRITISH COLONIAL PERIOD
THE EPIC POEMS section
THE EPIC POEMS
THE HISTORY OF HINDUISM section
THE HISTORY OF HINDUISM
THE UPANISHADS section
THE UPANISHADS
THE VEDIC PERIOD section
THE VEDIC PERIOD
Tantra also develops during this time in both Hinduism and Buddhism
Tantra also develops during this time in both Hinduism and Buddhism
The word swastika is derived from the sanskrit su (good) + asti (it is), and may be understood as fortune or auspicious. The swastika itself is an ancient solar symbol and denotes harmony balance and good fortune it is ventured by Hindus as well as Buddhists and Jains/.
The word swastika is derived from the sanskrit su (good) + asti (it is), and may be understood as fortune or auspicious. The swastika itself is an ancient solar symbol and denotes harmony balance and good fortune it is ventured by Hindus as well as Buddhists and Jains/.
The Hinduism we recognize today really did not come into full existence until about 200 BCE.
There are more than 200 Upanishads but only about 10 core ones from the ancient period.
Hinduism has no single founder.
There is no single event that marks its birth.
Key epic poems are written.
These epics are considered the most important texts for most modern Hindus.
They also introduce brand new deities (Gods) or move minor deities into major roles.
They also introduce brand new deities (Gods) or move minor deities into major roles.
In recent years, India's democracy has been taken over by a very conservative political party.
They even don't like Gandhi because he wasn't Hindu. He was a Jain. This political party promotes strong Hindu Nationalism.
We know little about them because we cannot translate their simple pictographic writing system.
They had no walls around their major cities and no temple complexes, but they did seem to have ritualistic bath sites.
The Aryans were originally thought to be the people of the North that invaded.
They were an Indo-European speaking people that lived in Persia/Iran.
The Upanishads are considered philosophical texts that mainly comment upon and attempt to explain the Vedas
They were written over a period from 800-200 BCE.
For the sake of India, the world's second most populous country, that saner and more reasonable views will prevail
This was a brief of the History of Hinduism and of Indian sub -continent in general.
The Mughals are slowly replaced in the 1700's by the British East Company.
This was a private company that used economic imperialism to dominate the local populations It started with costal cities and moved inward.
The practice of dedicating temples to different deities came into vogue.
This was followed by fine artistic temple architecture and sculpture.
To the nineteenth century, the word "Hinduism" did not exist. The word Hindu was initially a term used by the ancient Persians to describe people who lived beyond the Indus River.
Today, Hindu populations exceed 70 percent in both India and Nepal.
Besides the Epic Poems, during this period yogi -practice first develops.
Yogis where wandering teachers who practiced a form of intense meditation. ▪ Modern yoga has its roots in the practice of these ancient yogis.
The Mahabharata is very long (over 200,000 verses!)
▪ It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins during a major war. ▪ It is about ten times longer than Homer's The Iliad.
Most Hindus only read one key part: Bhagavad Gita.
▪ Almost every Hindu would have a copy of the Bhagavad Gita in their home. ▪ It is about 700 verses long. ▪ It is a dialogue between a prince and Krishna (an incarnation of Vishnu). ▪ It offers metaphorical advice about how to achieve the ultimate goal of Hinduism: ▪ Gaining Moksha.
Muslim majorities slowly develop in what is today's Pakistan and Bangladesh.
▪ At the time though they were just areas of India where Mughal rule was stronger.
Hinduism actually begins to expand out of India and into South East Asia (like modern Myanmar and Indonesia).
▪ Bali (a major resort city in Indonesia) today has a majority Hindu population.
From this non-dualistic (monistic) approach, emerged a new kind of theological view of Hinduism:
▪ Bhakti is loving devotion to one deity. ▪ Bhakti is a move toward monotheism, though more properly it is henotheism. ▪ This is one of the most important developments of the period.
In this period the major deities of Classical Hinduism are accepted:
▪ Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and the Goddess
However, the beginning of end for British Colonialism came with the non-violent protest movement led by Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948).
▪ He was educated at Oxford University and became a human rights lawyer. ▪ He argued that the Indians could rule themselves without the British. ▪ The British claimed they needed white men to run democracy. ▪ Gandhi pointed out he was just as educated as any of them. ▪ After several hunger strikes and mass non-violent protest movements, India gains its independence in 1947. ▪ Note there was violence inflicted by the British army on many occasions. ▪ He was assassinated in 1948 by fellow Indians seeking power in the vacuum that was left. ▪ Gandhi was right, India remains a democracy today. However, it is under threat.
Hinduism has many sacred texts.
▪ However, it is not really a revealed religion like the Abrahamic religions. ▪ Hinduism is more of an oral tradition than a text focused religion.
Britain abolished the company and took direct of India in the early 1800's.
▪ They built up infrastructure and created a local government system, with towns having mayors and sheriffs. ▪ You can still many small towns have neo-colonial town halls. Very different than most local architecture. ▪ Many small towns still have local officials in charge who speak English. ▪ India has the second most English speakers behind the USA (over 120 million of their 1.4 billion population speaks English).
Hindus think the Upanishads are the completion of the Vedas.
▪ They call the Upanishads, vedanta texts (literally, the end of the Vedas).
By 1800, the British East Company controlled most of India.
▪ They weren't much better than the Mughal conquerors.
Very few modern Hindus read the Vedas or the Upanishads.
▪ This job is left to the Brahmins (the priests of Hinduism)
Buddhism declines in India.
▪ This occurs because of the rise of Bhakti, and ▪ The Buddha being demoted to a lower deity (he had been placed among the Hindu deities in the earlier period)
The Vedic view is referred to as Ancient Hinduism.
▪ We will mainly focus on Classical Hinduism from now on.
You can see remnants of this ritual in modern Zoroastrian practices and also in some modern Hindu practices.
▪ Zoroastrianism is an ancient religion of Iran that may have influenced the monotheistic religions, like Christianity.
Also referred to as the Harappan Civilization, which is named after the ruins of the first major city discovered from the culture.
▪Was one of the great early civilizations in the Mideast, along with the Sumerians and Egyptians.