The classical theory of the
origins of Hinduism traces the
religion ' s roots to the Indus
valley civilization circa 4000 to
2200 BCE . The development of
Hinduism was influenced by
many invasions over
thousands of years . The major
influences occurred when
light -skinned , nomadic
Aryan Indo -European tribes
invaded Northern India (circa
1500 BCE ) from the steppes of
Russia and Central Asia . They
brought with them their
religion of Vedism. These
beliefs mingled with the more
advanced , indigenous Indian
native beliefs , often called the
Indus valley culture . . This
theory was initially proposed
by Christian scholars in the
19 th century. Their
conclusions were biased by
their pre -existing belief in the
Hebrew Scriptures (Old
Testament ). The Book of
Genesis , which they
interpreted literally , appears
to place the creation of the
earth at circa 4 , 000 BCE , and
the Noachian flood at circa
2 , 500 BCE . These dates put
severe constraints on the date
of the Aryan invasion , and
the development of the four
Veda and Upanishad Hindu
religious texts . A second factor
supporting this theory was
their lack of appreciation of
the sophisticated nature of
Vedic culture; they had
discounted it as primitive . 2
The classical theory is now
being rejected by increasing
numbers of archaeologists and
religious historians . The
originators of the theory were
obviously biased by their prior
beliefs about the age of the
earth and the biblical story of
the flood of Noah.
Emerging theory: The Aryan
Invasion view of ancient
Indian history has been
challenged in recent years by
new conclusions based on
more recent findings in
archaeology, cultural an*lysis ,
astronomical references , and
literary an*lysis .
Archaeologists , including Jim
Schaffer and David Frawley ,
have established convincing
arguments for this new
interpretation . 3
Archaeological digs have
revealed that the Indus Valley
culture lasted from about
3500 to 1800 BCE . It was not
destroyed by outside
invasion , but . . . [by] internal
causes and, most likely ,
floods . The dark age that
was believed to have followed
the Aryan invasion may never
have happened . A series of
cities in India have been
studied by archaeologists and
shown to have a level of
civilization between that of the
Indus culture and later more
highly developed Indian
culture , as visited by the
Greeks . Finally , Indus Valley
excavations have uncovered
many remains of fire altars,
animal bones , potsherds , shell
jewelry and other evidences of
Vedic rituals. In other words
there is no racial evidence of
any such Indo -Aryan invasion
of India but only of a
continuity of the same group
of people who traditionally
considered themselves to be
Aryans . . . The Indo -Aryan
invasion as an academic
concept in 18 th and 19 th
century Europe reflected the
cultural milieu of the period .
Linguistic data were used to
validate the concept that in
turn was used to interpret
archeological and
anthropological data . 2
There was no invasion by
anyone . 7
During the first few centuries
CE , many sects were created ,
each dedicated to a specific
deity . Typical among these
were the Goddesses Shakti
and Lakshmi , and the Gods
Skanda and Surya .

Sacred texts :
Hindu sacred texts are
perhaps the most ancient
religious texts still surviving
today . Some appear to be
millennia older than the
Hebrew Scriptures (Old
Testament ) which conservative
Christians date to circa 1500
BCE and liberal scholars date
to circa 900 BCE .
The primary sacred texts of
Hinduism are the Vedas: the
Rig Veda , Sama Veda , Yajur
Veda and Atharva Veda . The
Vedas contain hymns,
incantations , and rituals from
ancient India . 4 The Rig Veda
(a . k . a . Rigveda) may be the
oldest of the four . Estimates
of its date of composition in
oral form range from 1500
BCE to 4000 BCE . The Yajur
and Atharva Vedas refer to the
vernal equinox having
occurred in the Pleiades
constellation -- an event dating
from about 2500 BCE .
The date when the Vedas were
placed in written form is
unknown . Various dates from
600 to after 300 BCE have
been suggested.
The Upanishadas deal with
Vedic philosophy and form the
conclusions of each of the
Vedas. They elaborate on
how the soul (Atman) can be
united with the ultimate truth
(Brahman ) through
contemplation and mediation ,
as well as the doctrine of
Karma-- the c*mulative effects
of a persons ' actions . 4
An important text is the
Ramayana . Various sources
have dated it to :
The first century CE in written
form , based on oral traditions
dating back six or seven
centuries earlier . 4
4 th century BCE in written
form , based on oral traditions
dating back to 1500 BCE . 6
4000 BCE in oral form , based
on astronomical constellations
and other features mentioned .
6
It is a moving love story with
moral and spiritual themes
that has deep appeal in India
to this day 6 concerning the
exploits of the hero Rama who
is viewed as an avatar of
Vishnu , and as . . . a prin l
deity in his own right . 7 The
written form has been
attributed to the poet Valmiki .
The Mahabharata is a group
of books attributed to the sage
Vyasa . They have been
variously dated as having been
composed between 540 and
300 BCE , between 200 BCE
and 2000 CE , the to the 15 th
century BCE . They record the
legends of the Bharatas , one
of the Aryan tribal groups.
The Bhagavad Gita is the sixth
book of the Mahabharata . It is
a poem describing a
conversation between a
warrior Arjuna and the God
Krishna . It is an ancient text
that has become a main
sacred text of Hinduism and
other belief systems.
Other texts include the
Brahmanas, the Sutras ,
Puranas , and the Aranyaka

Hindu beliefs and practices:
Categorizing the religion of
Hinduism is somewhat
confusing:
Hinduism has commonly been
viewed in the west as a
polytheistic religion - one
which worships multiple
deities : gods and
goddesses . Although a
widespread belief, this is not
particularly accurate .
Some have viewed it as a
monotheistic religion ,
because it recognizes only one
supreme God : the
panentheistic principle of
Brahman , that all reality is a
unity . The entire universe is
seen as one divine entity who
is simultaneously at one with
the universe and who
transcends it as well.
Some view Hinduism as
Trinitarian because Brahman
is simultaneously visualized as
a triad -- one God with three
persons :
Brahma the Creator who is
continuing to create new
realities
Vishnu, (Krishna ) the
Preserver , who preserves
these new creations .
Whenever dharma (eternal
order, righteousness, religion ,
law and duty) is threatened,
Vishnu travels from heaven to
earth in one of ten
incarnations .
Shiva , the Destroyer , is at
times compassionate , erotic
and destructive .
Strictly speaking , most forms
of Hinduism are henotheistic ;
they recognize a single deity ,
and recognizes other gods and
goddesses as facets, forms,
manifestations , or aspects of
that supreme God .
Most urban Hindus follow one
of two major divisions within
Hinduism :
Vaishnavaism: which generally
regards Vishnu as the ultimate
deity
Shivaism : which generally
regards Shiva as the ultimate
deity .
However , many rural Hindus
worship their own village
goddess or an earth goddess .
She is believed to rule over
fertility and disease -- and
thus over life and death . The
priesthood is less important in
rural Hinduism : non -Brahmins
and non -priests often carry
out ritual and prayer there.
Hindus believe in the
repetitious Transmigration of
the Soul. This is the transfer of
one ' s soul after death into
another body . This produces a
continuing cycle of birth, life ,
death and rebirth through
their many lifetimes . It is
called samsara . Karma is the
accumulated sum of ones
good and bad deeds . Karma
determines how you will live
your next life . Through pure
acts , thoughts and devotion,
one can be reborn at a higher
level. Eventually , one can
escape samsara and achieve
enlightenment . Bad deeds can
cause a person to be reborn
as a lower level, or even as an
animal . The unequal
distribution of wealth ,
prestige , suffering are thus
seen as natural consequences
for one 's previous acts , both
in this life and in previous
lives .
Hindus organize their lives
around certain activities or
purusharthas . These are
called the four aims of
Hinduism , or the doctrine of
the fourfold end of life . They
are :
The three goals of the
pravritti, those who are in
the world, are :
dharma : righteousness in their
religious life . This is the most
important of the three.
artha : success in their
economic life ;
material prosperity .
kama : gratification of the
senses; pleasure ; sensual ,
s*xual , and mental
enjoyment .
The main goal for the
nivritti , those who renounce
the world. is :
moksa : Liberation from
samsara . This is considered
the supreme goal of mankind.
Meditation is often practiced ,
with Yoga being the most
common . Other activities
include daily devotions , public
rituals, and puja , a ceremonial
dinner for a God .
Hinduism has a deserved
reputation of being highly
tolerant of other religions .
Hindus have a saying : Ekam
Sataha Vipraha Bahudha
Vadanti , which may be
translated : The truth is One,
but different Sages call it by
Different Names