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2000 BCE
Indus Valley Civilization
Located in the basin of the river Indus, it developed by about 2500 BCE its origins reach back to the Neolithic period. The Indus Valley was a developed urban culture akin to Mesopotamia. Two major cities Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. These cities housed about 40,000 people who enjoyed a high standard of living with sophisticated water systems; most houses having drainage systems, wells, and rubbish chutes. Grain was the basis of the economy and large grain stores collected grain as tax. -
1500 BCE
Vedic Period
1500 BCE to 500 BCE. If we take 'Vedic Period' to refer to the period when the Vedas were composed, we can say that early vedic religion centred around the sacrifice and sharing the sacrificial meal with each other and with the many gods (devas). The term 'sacrifice' (homa, yajna) is not confined to offering animals but refers more widely to any offering into the sacred fire (such as milk and clarified butter). -
Period: 500 BCE to 500
The Epic, Puranic and Classical Age
This period, beginning from around the time of Buddha (died c. 400 BCE), saw the composition of further texts, the Dharma Sutras and Shastras, the two Epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, and subsequently the Puranas, containing many of the stories still popular today. The famous Bhagavad Gita is part of the Mahabharata. -
400 BCE
Death of the Buddha
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500
Rise of bhakti
rise of devotion (bhakti) to the major deities, particularly Vishnu, Shiva and Devi. -
Period: 500 to 1500
Medieval Period
From 500 CE we have the rise of devotion (bhakti) to the major deities, particularly Vishnu, Shiva and Devi. With the collapse of the Gupta empire, regional kingdoms developed which patronised different religions.
This period saw the development of the great regional temples like the Shiva temple in Cidambaram in Tamilnadu, and the Shiva temple in Tanjavur, also in Tamilnadu. All of these temples had a major deity installed there and were centres of religious and political power. -
1137
Vaishnava philosopher Ramanuja dies
Ramanuja qualified Shankara's impersonal philosophy, and Madhva more strongly propounded the existence of a personal God. -
Period: 1500 to
The Pre-Modern Period
Alongside the development of Hindu traditions, most widespread in the South, was the rise of Islam in the North as a religious and political force in India. The new religion of Islam reached Indian shores around the 8th century, via traders plying the Arabian Sea and the Muslim armies which conquered the northwest provinces. -
Battle of Plassey
Robert Clive's victory at the Battle of Plassey heralded the end of the Mughul Empire and the rise of British supremacy in India. -
Period: to
British Period
At first, the British did not interfere with the religion and culture of the Indian people, allowing Hindus to practice their religion unimpeded. Later, however, missionaries arrived preaching Christianity. Shortly after, the first scholars stepped ashore, and though initially sympathetic, were often motivated by a desire to westernise the local population. Chairs of Indology were established in Oxford and other universities in Europe. -
Period: to
Independent India
The partition of India in 1947, and the resultant war reinforced nationalistic tendencies and specifically notions of India as 'a Hindu country', and Hinduism as 'an Indian religion'. Communal violence has continued. In 1992, Hindus were incited to tear down the Babri mosque, which they believe was deliberately and provocatively built over the site of Rama's birth. Tensions have worsened by attempts to covert Hindus to other religions and reactions by the continuing hindutva movement.
