Ganesha

Hindu Religious Literary Text Timeline

By kevbshields
  • 1800 BCE

    Rig Veda

    Rig Veda
    First of the Vedas composed
  • 900 BCE

    Upanashads

    Upanashads
    Until about 300 BCE this distinct literary genre represents the esoteric & inward turn of Hindu religious philosophy
  • 700 BCE

    Last of the Brahmanas Composed

    Last of the Brahmanas Composed
  • 550 BCE

    Ramayana

    Ramayana
    At least 1 version of this Epic dates to this time frame
  • 500 BCE

    First Sutras Emerged

    First Sutras Emerged
    The "rules" or "threads" of religious thought & practice
  • 400 BCE

    Mahabharata

    Mahabharata
    Likely year of composition for this Epic
  • 500

    Srimad-Bhagavatam

    Srimad-Bhagavatam
    Generally agreed this Purana was composed around this time
  • 1200

    Final Puranas Composed

    Final Puranas Composed
    All eighteen Puranas were composed between 300 CE and 1200 CE
  • 1300

    Tantras

    Tantras
    The Tantric movement began around 300 CE and continued until 1300 CE. Some are considered simply marginal texts while others are wholly unorthodox