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2500 BCE
The Indus River Valley Civilization
The beginning of the Hindu religion dates back to 2500 BCE when the Indus River Valley civilization. This evidence has been discovered using archaeological evidence. The image depicts the temple in which the Indus river valley civilization worshipped their gods and met together, similar to a city hall. -
1600 BCE
The Aryan Invasion
The Aryans invaded the Indus river valley populations and brought in the Sanskrit language to the valley, changing Hinduism and how it is carried out. The image shows the path the Aryans are believed to have taken to get to India. -
1500 BCE
The Vedic Age Begins
During the Vedic age, the majority of the Hindu sacred texts were written in Sanskrit (the Aryans' primary language). During this period, the Vedic rituals were put in place, and many are still carried out to this day. These rituals often involved sacrifice to the many gods, which they called "devas". The image shows a donkey being slaughtered as a sacrifice for the gods. Horses and donkeys were considered the best gifts for sacrificing. -
800 BCE
The Upanishads are Written
Along with the previously written Vedic sacred texts, the Upanishads are also texts of extreme importance to the Hinduist ways. These texts included the theories and beliefs surrounding life, death, reincarnation, nirvana, etc. These texts were believed to be the books of god and all other sacred texts written after it, were considered continuations.
The image shows an English translation (and modernised version) of a page of the Upanishads. The Hindu religion believes that gods reside within. -
500 BCE
The Puranas and Epics are Written
The Puranas are scriptures in that explain the gods. These texts were used to describe and share the Hindu beliefs in an easier to understand format, as opposed to doctrines and law books. The Epics are what the stories themselves are called, and Purana is the word that we use for the genre of scripture (i.e. Fiction, Drama, Purana) This image shows the cover of an English translation of an epic about the god of Bhagavata. -
320 BCE
The Founding of the Maurya Empire
The Mauryan Empire, in the Indian subcontinent, was founded by Chandragupta in which Hinduism was the initial religion, later being replaced with Buddism. The image shows the idol that is used to represent the Hindu faith and was placed in the Maurya and Gupta empires. -
320
The Founding of the Gupta Empire
The Gupta empire was also in the Indian subcontinent and allowed a stable environment for the Hindu religion to grow. The image shows a few different idols, symbols and pieces of architecture that were found in the Gupta empire. -
500
The Gupta Empire in Ruins
The Gupta empire is overthrown by Hun, civilization from central Asia, and is split up. The images shows the path the Huns are believed to have taken to India. -
600
Breaking up
Buddism and Jainism form and the Hindu faith loses many of its followers. The image shows a Buddist statue. -
1100
Sharing the land
Muslims arrive in India, making an impact in the advancement of the Hindu faith. The image shows part of a muslim fetival. -
Hindu Renaissance!
Around 1600, the Hindu texts were interpreted and translated to allow for more people to understand them. Around this time there was also a social reform of the Hindu communities and the religion as a whole. The image shows a drawing of a Hindu woman rejoicing the revival of her religion. -
British East India gets Trading rights
A Muslum majority empire, the Mughal empire, in the Indian subcontinent was going downhill fast. With the original intention of making money, British East India gained trading rights in Mughal which gave it a larger influence in what took place in the Indian subcontinent (which was where the majority of Hindu civilization lived). The image shows the Mughal empire's flag. -
India under the British Crown
Because of the power struggle in India, the trade rights agreement was put on hold and India went under the complete jurisdiction of the British crown. The British wanted to use the country solely for their own economic benefit so they took many resources from the Hindu and Muslum faiths, angering them. The image shows the flag that's representative of India while under the rule of the british crown. -
A New Invasion
British colonization began and set back the development of Hinduism. The image is of a British flag. -
Vedanta Society is Formed
The Vedanta society was created and fought for an integrated country as well as the Hindu religion. The image shows the building the Vedants society ran their meetings in. -
A Boycott
A lawyer by the name of Mahatma Gandhi (Yes, that Gandhi), fought for a complete boycott of British product by Indian citizens to take power away from the British. This campaign led to his imprisonment, but also made him known worldwide. The images shows Mahatma Gandhi. -
Independence and Migration
Britain agreed to give India independence, however by complaints from Muslum communities India was split into Pakistan (Muslum) and Hindu India. The excessive migration, unfortunately, caused many deaths. The image shows a newspaper cover with an article about India's newfound independance.
