Origin of Hinduism

Hinduism is believed to be more than 5000 years old, making it one of the earliest known religions to mankind. This widely followed religion is diverse, comprehensive, and yet wholly practical and welcomes discussion and debate. The Hindu religion is not wholly rigid and formal; instead it promotes joy and happiness and urges men to think of others respectfully.

There are many theories about how the Hindu religion came into existence. According to some scholars, the Aryans who settled in the Indus Valley region established a large and prosperous civilization, which gave rise to the name 'Sindhu' or 'Hindu'. It is from them that the name Hinduism and Hindustan originated. These early settlers followed a form of religion, which later mutated into present day Hinduism from centuries of exposure to various other cultures and influences.

MISSION VALLEY

However, yet another school of thought believes that the religion goes back to an era much before this age. While some contend that the oldest Hindu scripture, the Rig Veda dates back to before 4000 BC, others believe that it came into existence much earlier around 12000 BC. The Rig Veda is definitely the oldest of Hindu scriptures and contains spiritual dictates on many ancient sciences, which are in use even today. The principles of yoga, meditation, and several other such practices date back to this ancient Hindu scripture.

Hinduism was not started as a faith by any one person. The religion is a compendium of the teachings, ideas and experiences of innumerable saints and other learned men who lived in the ages long bygone. This conglomeration of ideas, views and perspectives transformed numerous times before giving way to the modern day Hinduism. Hinduism preaches a lot about the righteous way of living life and on how to treat fellow human beings. The central idea or theme of these preachings is to create a harmonious civilization, which works in perfect synchronization with the nature.

Origin of Hinduism

MISSION VALLEY