Hinduism

Examples of Hinduism in the following topics:

• The Rise of Hinduism

  • Hinduism evolved as a synthesis of cultures and traditions, including the Indo-Aryan Vedic religion.
  • Hinduism is considered one of the oldest religions in the world.
  • In the 20th century, Hinduism gained prominence as a political force and source of national identity in India.
  • Hinduism counts over 1 billion adherents across the globe, or approximately 15% of the world’s population.
  • These gods persisted as Vedic religion was assimilated into Hinduism.

• The Sramana Movement

  • Sramana broke with Vedic Hinduism over the authority of the Brahmins and the need to follow ascetic lives.
  • Modern Hinduism can be regarded as a combination of Vedic and Sramana traditions; it is substantially influenced by both.
  • The Vedic Religion was the historical predecessor of modern Hinduism.
  • Sramana existed in parallel to, but separate from, Vedic Hinduism.
  • Sramaṇa traditions later gave rise to Yoga, Jainism, Buddhism, and some schools of Hinduism.

• Jainism

  • Sramana existed in parallel to, but separate from, Vedic Hinduism, which followed the teachings and rituals found in the Vedas, the most ancient texts of the Vedic religion.
  • Sramana, meaning "seeker," was a tradition that began around 800-600 BCE, when new philosophical groups, who believed in a more austere path to spiritual freedom, rejected the authority of the Vedas and the Brahmins (the priests of Vedic Hinduism).
  • Sramaṇa traditions (or religious and moral practices) later gave rise to varying schools of Hinduism, as well as Yoga, Buddhism, and Jainism.

• Sanskrit

  • Sanskrit is the primary sacred language of Hinduism, and has been used as a philosophical language in the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
  • Sanskrit is vital to Indian culture because of its extensive use in religious literature, primarily in Hinduism, and because most modern Indian languages have been directly derived from, or strongly influenced by, Sanskrit.

• Buddhism

  • Sramana existed in parallel to, but separate from, Vedic Hinduism, which followed the teachings and rituals found in the Vedas, the most ancient texts of the Vedic religion.
  • Sramana, meaning "seeker," was a tradition that began when new philosophical groups who believed in a more austere path to spiritual freedom rejected the authority of the Vedas and the Brahmins, the priests of Vedic Hinduism, around 800-600 BCE.
  • Sramaṇa traditions (or its religious and moral practices) later gave rise to varying schools of Hinduism, as well as Yoga, Jainism, and Buddhism.

• Expansion and Decline of the Kushan Empire

  • Kushan emperors represented a wide variety of faiths including Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and possibly Saivism, a sect of Hinduism.
  • The Kushans were influenced by the Hellenistic kingdoms and maintained a wide variety of faiths, including Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and Hinduism.

• The Vedas

  • The Indo-Aryan Vedas remain the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, which is considered one of the oldest religions in the world.
  • Vedic ritualism, a composite of ancient Indo-Aryan and Harappan culture, contributed to the deities and traditions of Hinduism over time.

• The Golden Age of India

  • The Gupta Dynasty promoted Hinduism, but supported Buddhist and Jain cultures as well.

• Decline of the Maurya Empire

  • The Sungas favored Hinduism over Buddhism.

• The Indo-Aryan Migration and the Vedic Period

  • Most history of this period is derived from the Vedas, the oldest scriptures in Hinduism, which help chart the timeline of an era from 1750-500 BCE, known as the Vedic Period.