The History of Hinduism

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The word Hindu has evolved from being the word the Persians used for the Indus River in 500 BC to the accepted name for the primary religion of India this name was originally given by foreign rulers and ultimately used by Europeans in the 1500's as the official name of the religion. History plays an important part of Hinduism because new developments reinterpret an update past practices rather than end them. The Hindu religion is broke down into three periods the Vedic period, the Upanishadic period, the classical period, and the devotional period.
The Vedic period lasted from 1500 to 600 BCE. The Dravidian civilization was located in the Indus Valley of northwest India, this area is now known as Pakistan. The Dravidians were advanced for their time even having a sewage system that connected to homes. It is believed that the Dravidians worshiped goddesses of fertility due to the large number of female deity figurines. Due to a lack of information about the Dravidians it is unknown what impact they had on Hinduism. The Aryans migrated to India and took control of the Dravidians. It was the Aryans who, had a set of oral collections called Vedas. Hinduism uses Vedas as the foundation of the religion and they are called books of knowledge. Hinduism has adopted many of the Vedic traditions and made changes such as meditation as opposed to drugs during the search for hidden truth. The Vedic phase of Hinduism “affirms the world, accepting the physical aspects of the world as good and proper.” (VanVoorst, 2012)
The Upanishadic period lasted from 600 - 400 BCE. During this phase of Hinduism followers embark on a journey for knowledge so profound and sacred that if realized the follower will have eternal freedom from this realm of appear...

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...set idea but a way of life. Hinduism recognizes no prophet or founder but a creator Brahama. The whole goal of Hinduism is to merge the personal soul with Brahama through meditation and the ability to be rid of good and bad Karma. Hinduism followers have the right to choose the God or Goddess they wish to worship. Often the chosen God is due to personal need.
Bibliography
Hindu Rituals and Practices. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2014, from Religion Facts: http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/practices.htm
Hinduism. (2014). Retrieved April 21, 2014, from Spiritual Journeys: http://www.spiritualjourneys.net/hinduism.htm
Narayanan, V. (2013, December 24). Hinduism. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from Encyclopaedia Britannica: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/266312/Hinduism/261609/Practice
VanVoorst, R. E. (2012). RELG.world Student Edition. Cengage Learning.

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