Vedic Period

• The Vedic period, or the Vedic age (c. 1500 – c. 500 BCE),

• is the period in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age of the
history of India when the Vedic literature, including the Vedas (ca.
1300–900 BCE), The Vedic Period refers to the time in history
fromapproximately 1750-500 BCE, during which Indo-Aryans
settled into northern India, bringing withthem specific religious
traditions. Most history ofthis period is derived from the Vedas,
the oldestscriptures in the Hindu religion, which werecomposed
by the Aryans in Sanskrit.
´ The emergence of monarchical states in the later Vedic age led to a distancing of the
rajan from the people and the emergence of a varna hierarchy.
´ The society was divided into four social groups—Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and
Shudras.
´ The later Vedic texts fixed social boundaries, roles, status and ritual purity for each of
the groups.
´ The Shatapatha Brahmana associates the Brahmana with purity of parentage, good
conduct, glory, teaching or protecting people;
´ Kshatriya with strength, fame, ruling, and warfare;
´ Vaishya with material prosperity and production-related activities such as cattle rearing
and agriculture;
´ Shudras with the service of the higher varnas.
 BUDHISM

´ Buddhism is one of the world’s major religions. It originated in India in

563–483 B.C.E. with Siddhartha Gautama, and over the next millennia it
spread across Asia and the rest of the world. Buddhists believe that human
life is a cycle of suffering and rebirth, but that if one achieves a state of
enlightenment (nirvana)
´ Siddhartha Gautama was the first person to reach this state of
enlightenment and was, and is still today, known as the Buddha. Buddhists
do not believe in any kind of deity or god, although there are supernatural
figures who can help or hinder people on the path towards enlightenment.
 ´ Three main beliefs of Buddhism
´ Dukkha - Life is painful and cause Suffering
´ Anitya – impermanence or Temporariness
´ Anatma – The self is always changing

´ Four noble truths of Buddhism

1. Truth of suffering
2. Truth of the cause of suffering
3. End of suffering
4. The truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering.
 JAINISM

´ Jainism is one of the world's oldest religions, originating in India at lea

2,500 years ago. The spiritual goal of Jainism is to become liberated fro
endless cycle of rebirth and to achieve an all-knowing state called moks
´ Jains do not believe in a God or gods in the way that many other religion
but they do believe in divine (or at least perfect) beings who are worthy
devotion.
JAINISM THREE MAIN BELIEFS

´ The three guidance principle of Jainism, The three jewels are

1. Right belief
2. Right knowledge
3. Right conduct
 Meaning of Sanatana
´ Santana literally means eternal, that which has no beginning or end. Therefore, by
definition, it is beyond the constraints of time and that is why it is said to be the oldest
living religion in the world
´ Dharma, translated as religion, righteousness or duty.
´ An understanding of the literal meaning of Santana Dharma, it is clear that it cannot be said
to have a founder. That which is timeless cannot have a beginning or end.
´ Hinduism/Sanatanism-OriginHinduism, more accurately referred to as Santana Dharma is
the world’s oldest religion, is said to have originated in the Indian subcontinent over 5000
years ago.
´ The term Hindu was a misnomer used for the people who lived beyond the Sindhu
River, and eventually the term Hinduism was coined to denote the Hindu residents
of the Indian subcontinent.

´ The actual term 'hindu' is a Persian geographical term for the people who lived
beyond the river Indus (Sanskrit: Sindhu).

´ The Punjab region, called Sapta Sindhu in the Vedas, is called Hapta Hindu in
Zend Avesta (religious texts of Zoroastrianism).
 The Vedas

´ The Vedas form the oldest literary works of the Aryans and occupy a very distinguished
place in the history of the world literature.
´ Vedas have been looked upon as the revealed words of God by millions ofHindus. In
course of many centuries Vedas had grown up and was orally handed down from
generation to generation.
´ Probably authored during 1800 BC and 600 BC
1. The Rigveda Samhita:,A collection of hymns. It has ten mandalas with a total of 1028
'Suktas' or 'stutis"for the worship of gods like Indra, Surya, Agni, Yama, Varuna Ashwini,
Usha etc.
2. Samaveda Samhita:A collection of songs mostly taken from Rig Veda. It contained 1549
stutis. A specialclass of priests known as "Udgator" were to recite its hymns.
 Vedas

1. Yajur Veda Samhita: A collection of sacrificial formula. It has 40 mandals. There

are two distinct forms of Yajur Veda namely. "Sukla Yajur Veda" and "Krishna
Yajur Veda". The "Sukla YajurVeda" contains the genesis while the "Krishna Yajur
Veda" describes the "Vasya"orthe philosophy.
´ (iv) Atharva Veda Samhita : A collection of songs and spells. It has twenty
mandalas with 731 'stutis'. It deals with magic, hypnotism, enslavement through
mantra. It is regarded on a lower level than the other three Vedas. These four
samhitas formed the basis of four Vedas.
 History

1. Ramayana
´ The Ramayana was composed in Sanskrit, probably not before 300 BC, by thepoet Valmiki and
in its present form consists of some 24,000 verses divided intoseven books.
´ Story of Rama, the Incarnation of God Vishnu in Treta yuga & his victory overRavana, king of
Lanka.
1. Mahabharata
´ Composed by Ved wyasa & written by Lord Ganesha in 4th Century BC or Earlier.
´ With 100000 verses, biggest epic of the world.
´ The main story revolves around two branches of a family - the Pandavas and Kauravas - who, in
the Kurukshetra War, battle for the throne of Hastinapura.
´ Shree krishna (Incarnation of God vishnu in Dwapar ) help Pandvas to won thewar.
 Shrimad Bhagwat Gita
´ Gita is a part of Mahabharata. It is part of Bhishma Parva of Mahabharata
(Chapters 25 to42). Mahabharata is a epic scripture of Hinduism.
´ Bhagavad Gita consists 18 Chapters and it has 700 verses. It is written in Sanskrit.
´ The literal meaning of Gita is "Song of God".
´ The main theme of Gita is Dharma (Holy Duty).It describes the different Yoga-
Bhakti, Karma,Jana; and Moksha or liberation.
 Types of Hinduism

´ Classified by primary deity or deities, four major Hinduism modern currents are :
´ 1. Vaishnavism (Vishnu),
´ 2. Shaivism (Shiva) ,
´ 3. Shaktism (Devi)
´ 4. Smartism (all major deities treated as same).

´ Hinduism around the world Hinduism has approximately 1.1 billion adherents worldwide
(15% of world's population). India and Nepal are the two majority countries
 Islam Invasion

´ Islam is the second largest religion in the world afterChristianity, with about 1.8 billion
Muslims worldwide.
´ Although its roots go back further, scholars typically date the creation of Islam to the 7th
century, started in Mecca , in modern-day Saudi Arabia, during the time of The Prophet
Muhammad's life
´ The god in Islam is referred to as Allah, which in Arabic means "the god'" or"the deity"A
person who is believe and practices the religion of Islam is called a Muslim.
´ The rise of Islam is intrinsically linked with the ProphetMuhammad, believed by
Muslims to be the last in a long line of prophets that includes Moses and Jesus.
´ Because Muhammad was the chosen recipient and messenger of the word of God
through the divine revelations,Muslims from all walks of life strive to follow his
example.
´ After the holy Quran, the sayings of the Prophet (hadith) and descriptions of his
way of life (sunna) are the most important

´ Muhammad was born into the most powerful tribe in Mecca ,the Quraish, into a
middle class family in a powerful tribe of nomadism herders and successful
merchants around 570 A.D.
´ Mecca was home to two widely venerated polytheistic cults whose gods were
thought to protect its lucrative trade.
 Holy Quran

´ The Quran is considered the most important holy book among Muslims.
´ It contains some basic information that is found in the Hebrew Bible as well
as revelations that were given to Muhammad,
´ The text is considered the sacred word ofGod and supersedes any previous
writings,
 Christianity

´ Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in the world, with more than 2.38 billion
followers which is almost 31% of total population.
´ The Christian faith centers on beliefs regarding the birth , life, death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ.

´ Origin
´ Christianity began as a movement within Judaism at a period when the Jews had long been
dominated culturally and politically by foreign powers and had found in their religion
(rather than in their politics or cultural achievements) the linchpin of their community
 JESUS CHRIST BIRTH

´ Jesus, also called Jesus Christ. Jesus of Galilee, or Jesus of Nazareth, is

known as founder of Christianity.
´ The traditional story of Jesus tells of his birth in a stable in Bethlehem in the
Holy Land,south of Jerusalem in modern-day Palestine/Israel to a young
virgin called Mary who had become pregnant with the son of God through
the action of the Holy Spirit.
´ Many scholars believe Jesus died between 30 A.D. and 33 A.D.
´ Jesus was crucified by Roman soldiers in Jerusalem, and his body was laid in
a tomb, According to scripture, three days after his crucifixion,Jesus's body
was missing.
 Types of Christianity

´ Christianity is broadly split into three branches:

´ Catholic, Protestant and(Eastem) Orthodox
´ The Catholic branch is governed by the Pope and Catholic bishops around the world .
´ The Orthodox (or Eastern Orthodox) is split into independent units each governed by a
Holy Synod (Head Bishop ), but no Pope.
´ There are numerous denominations within Protestant Christianity, many of which differ in
their interpretation of the Bible and understanding of the church .
 Mughal Invasion

´ The Mughal Empire, also spelled the Mogul or Moghul Empire, was an early modern
Islamic empire in South Asia.
´ For some two centuries, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus basin in
the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, Kashmir in the north, Bangladesh in the
east, and the uplands of the Deccan Plateau in South India.
´ The empire is conventionally said to have been founded in 1526 by Babur, a warrior
chieftain from what is today Uzbekistan, who employed military aid in the form of
matchlock guns and cast cannon from the Ottoman Empire, and his superior strategy and
cavalry to defeat the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodhi, in the First Battle of Panipat, and to
sweep down the plains of Upper India, subduing Rajputs and Afghans.The Mughal
imperial structure, however, is sometimes dated to 1600, to the rule of Babur's grandson,
Akbar. This imperial structure lasted until 1720
• Babur and Humayun (1526–1556)

• The Mughal Empire was founded by Babur (reigned 1526–1530), a Central Asian ruler
who was descended from the Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur (the founder of the
Timurid Empire) on his father's side, and from Genghis Khan on his mother's side.[50]
Ousted from his ancestral domains in Central Asia, Babur turned to India to satisfy his
ambitions.[51] He established himself in Kabul and then pushed steadily southward into
India from Afghanistan through the Khyber Pass.

• Akbar to Aurangzeb (1556–1707)

• Akbar (reigned 1556–1605) was born Jalal-ud-din Muhammad[53] in the Rajput

Umarkot Fort,[54] to Humayun and his wife Hamida Banu Begum, a Persian
princess.[55] Akbar succeeded to the throne under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped
consolidate the Mughal Empire in India. Through warfare and diplomacy, Akbar was
able to extend the empire in all directions and controlled almost the entire Indian
subcontinent north of the Godavari River.
´ Decline (1707–1857)
´ Aurangzeb's son, Bahadur Shah I, repealed the religious policies of his father and attempted to
reform the administration. "However, after his death in 1712, the Mughal dynasty sank into
chaos and violent feuds. In 1719 alone, four emperors successively ascended the throne".

´ Historians have offered numerous explanations for the rapid collapse of the Mughal Empire
between 1707 and 1720, after a century of growth and prosperity. In fiscal terms, the throne lost
the revenues needed to pay its chief officers, the emirs (nobles) and their entourages. The
emperor lost authority, as the widely scattered imperial officers lost confidence in the central
authorities, and made their own deals with local men of influence. The imperial army, bogged
down in long, futile wars against the more aggressive Marathas, lost its fighting spirit. Finally
came a series of violent political feuds over control of the throne. After the execution of Emperor
Farrukhsiyar in 1719, local Mughal successor states took power in region after region.
 British Rule

´ The British Raj refers to the period of British rule on the Indian subcontinent between 1858
and 1947. The system of governance was instituted in 1858 when the rule of the East India
Company was transferred to the Crown in the person of Queen Victoria.

´ The East India Company, was an English and later British joint-stock company.[1] It
was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with Mughal India and the
East Indies, and later with Qing China. The company ended up seizing control of
large parts of the Indian subcontinent, colonised parts of Southeast Asia, and
colonised Hong Kong after a war with Qing China.
 Culture Clash

´ India is characterized by more ethnic and religious groups than most other countries of the
world. Aside from the much noted 2000-odd castes, there are eight "major" religions, 15-
odd languages spoken in various dialects in 22 states and nine union territories, and a
substantial number of tribes and sects.
´ Three ethnic or religious conflicts have stood out of late: two occurred in the states of
"Assam and Punjab; another, the more widely known Hindu-Muslim conflict, continues to
persist.
´ The Assam problem is primarily ethnic, the Punjab problem is based on both religious and
regional conflicts, while the Hindu-Muslim problem is predominantly religious.
 SIKH-HINDU CONFLICT IN PUNJAB

´ Starting in August 1980, mounting communal tension between Hindus and Sikhs
in the state of Punjab led to violent clashes, in the last year in particular. Unlike
Assam, Punjab is a state with the highest per capita income. It is the seat of the
Green Revolution in India, whose biggest beneficiaries have been the rich Sikh
peasants. In Punjab, Sikhs are a majority, Hindus, a minority.

´ Green revolution, based as it was on biochemical and mechanical inputs in agriculture and
surplus production for market, has deeply linked trade with agriculture and made the latter
dependent on the market. Both for buying modern inputs and selling surplus produce, the
rich Sikh farmer has to go through the urban market, dominated by the Hindu trader. So
long as the economic pie kept increasing, this incongruity did not much matter, but when
prices of food grain and other crops stopped increasing, a clash of interests between the
Sikh farmer and the Hindu trader was created.
 THE HINDU-MUSLIM PROBLEM

´ This one of all the religious and ethnic issues in contemporary India, history has cast its
deepest shadow on Hindu-Muslim relations. The most critical contemporary phase of this
history was the partition of 1947. A Muslim sovereign state of Pakistan was born amidst
ghastly communal violence but almost as many Muslims as there were in the new
constituted Pakistan, for various reasons, stayed in India. The partition did not solve the
Hindu-Muslim problems; it caused the situation of the Muslims in India to deteriorate.
They were blamed for the division of the country, their leadership had left and their power
was further weakened by the removal of all Muslim-majority areas except Kashmir. Most
of all, the conflict between India and Pakistan kept the roots of the communal tension
perpetually alive and pushed Muslims into the unfortunate situation of defending their
loyalty to India. Even 36 years after independence, the problem has not been overcome;
Hindi-Muslim riots have in fact increased in the last few years.
 Bhakti Cult

´ The Bhakti cult originated during the period of the Gupta empire. It was a prominent
religious cult which held the view that God could be reached through intense and true
devotion and rituals were not an absolute necessity for divine worship. The Bhakti cult had
a big role in reviving Hinduism during the Gupta period.

´ Main Features of the Bhakti Movement:

Bhakti, intense love and devotion, the only way to salvation. Repetition of the True Name.
Self-Surrender. Condemnation of rituals, ceremonies and blind faith. Rejection of idol worship
by many saints.
 Value Education System

´ India’s ancient wisdom and value system are great heritage of mankind. We took back into
our history and culture; we find that our educational systems, leadership values and
managerial process, designed by Rishis are great source of inspiration and motivation. The
present education system is based on Western ethos, which ignores the polishing and
development of the inner instrument of man, his mind and his life. It ignores the innate
divinity, the self within and focuses only on the body, mind and intellect. This lack of focus
on developing the powers of concentration of the mind and ignores the need for the
unfoldment of the innate perfection, peace and happiness of self, is therefore, directly
responsible for the lowering of our character and value. During the freedom struggle, some
great leaders of modern India, who were also educationists, challenged the British systems
of education and developed powerful philosophies of education so as to provide to the
students not only the lessons of the Indian heritage but also to prepare them for the future
greatness of India. These are as follow:
´ Swami Vivekananda: He spoke of man-making education and accepting Vedantic
knowledge as the base, acknowledge the truth of every religion and a synthesis of5Yoga, he
opened the gates of the future before the youth, filling them with a new spirit of inspiration,
heroism and dynamic action.
´ Mahatma Gandhi: He emphasized the training of the Hand, Heart and Head, overarched
by the values of Truth, Non-violence, Self-control, Conscientiousness and Renunciation ,
as also equal respect towards all religion and life of simplicity that aims at reconstruction
and reform of rural, social, political organizations based on equality, empowerment of the
week and the oppressed , decentralization and brotherhood.
´ Rabindranath Tagore: He established Santiniketan, and experimental Institute for a new
aim and mode of education where the beauty and sublime of nature can serve as a living
partner of teaching and learning, where the values of poetry, music and art can vibrate
personality and mingling of cultures of Asia and of the world that would promote
internationalism and world-citizenship, and universal fraternity that transcends all division
of race and religion in the Religion of Man. And there also arose also the nationalist call of
“Vande Mataram” that gave birth to the movement of the National System of Education
with the aim of recreating the ancient Indian spirit that was at once spiritual, intellectual,
scientific, artistic, productive, and empowered now with new vigour to assimilate all that is
new and progressive, to create new forms of expression and synthesis of powers of
personality and knowledge and harmony of the East and West.