Hinduism: A Short History Read Free Page B

Sultanate.
        X.   The Mughal Period.
      XI.   The Contest for Power and the Establishment of British Supremacy 1707–1857 [The only period with precise years given for events and persons mentioned].
     XII.   Imperial India and the growth of National Identity, comprising also the “Indian Renaissance” and Hindu Reform Movements.
    XIII.  Post-Independence India.
    Jan Gonda, until his death in 1997, was for many decades the acknowledged doyen of European Indology and a prolific writer on many aspects of Hinduism. He contributed two volumes on Hinduism for a comprehensive series on “The Religions of Mankind.” 12 His major divisions are as follows:
         I.   Veda and Older Hinduism
    1.   Vedic (and Brāhmaṇic) Hinduism
    2.   Epic (and Purāṇic) Hinduism
       II.   Younger Hinduism
    1.   Major Phases of Post-epic Hinduism
    2.   Vaiṣṇavism
    3.   Śaivism
    4.   Hinduism in the 19th and 20th Centuries
    In his Chronology he provides the following dates for the key periods:
    2600–1600
    B.C.E.
    Indus-Civilisation.
    From 1200
    B.C.E.
    Āryan immigration to India: Development of Vedas.
    From 600
    B.C.E.
    The Oldest Upanisads.
    c.200
    B.C.E.
    The Bhagavadgītā.
    From 4th century
    B.C.E.
    to 2nd century
    C.E.
    Development of Rāmāyaṇa.
    From 4th century
    B.C.E.
    to 4th century
    C.E.
    Development of Mahābhārata.
    From the 2nd to the 6th century
    C.E.
    Expansion of Hinduism into Southeast Asia.
    320
    C.E.
    to 6th century
    C.E.
    the Gupta Dynasty.
    3rd to 5th centuries
    C.E.
    Origin of
    Viṣṇu Purāṇa
    .
    7th century
    C.E.
    Flowering of Vedānta.
    8th century
    C.E.
    Origin of Saṃhitā literature; Pāñcarātra.
    After 7th century
    C.E.
    Development of
    bhakti
    Movements.
    7th to 9th centuries
    C.E.
    Period of Brahmanic Reconstruction.
    With great reluctance I am offering my own very tentative periodization of the “History of Hinduism.” Most Western experts will probably object to the first half – its rationale will be provided in the text itself.
         I.
    Beginnings of the Vedic ritual and textual tradition: possibly as early as 6000
    B.C.E.
    in Northwest India (Saptasindhu), superseding and incorporating earlier local (village) cults.
       II.   Consolidation and expansion of Vedic tradition, formation of the “Canon” of the
    Ṛgveda
    and emergence of ritual specialists: c.4000
    B.C.E.
      III.   Full flowering of Vedic religion in the Panjab and adjacent areas: c.3000
    B.C.E.
    This would also include the so-called “Indus civilization.”
       IV.   Major natural cataclysms and desiccation of Sindh and adjacent areas followed by migrations from the Indus area eastward towards the Gangetic plains: As a result of population pressure building up in the Yamunā-Ganges doab the Mahābhārata war was precipitated c.1900
    B.C.E.
    Gradual acceptance of Śaivism and Vaiṣṇavism.
        V.   Internal disputes and development of many mutually incompatible (“heterodox”) traditions: while most of these, like the Ajīvikas, have died out, some survived: Jainism (re-organization in the seventh century
    B.C.E.
    of an older independent ascetic movement) and Buddhism (originating in the sixth century
    B.C.E.
    ). For several centuries (300
    B.C.E.
    to 300
    C.E.
    ) non-Hindu traditions were dominant in India, and from there expanded into neighbouring countries.
      VI.   Restoration of Hinduism under the Guptas: from the late fourth century
    C.E.
    to the sixth century. Anti-Buddhist and anti-Jain polemics and development of orthodox (non-theistic) Hindu theologies (Mīmāmsā and Vedānta) as well as of mainstream (theistic)
    saṃpradāyas
    (Vaiṣṇavism, Śaivism, later also Śāktism). Foundation of Hindu kingdoms in the countries of South East Asia (Indonesia, Kampuchea, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Philippines).
     VII.   Repression of Hinduism under Muslim rule: from c.1200
    C.E.
    till about 1800
    C.E.
    Disappearance of