1A Origins of Hinduism Flashcards
where does the term Hinduism come from?
it was not a term used by Hindus themselves, but adopted by a British colonial administration in India, to describe the various religious beliefs and practices of the majority of the Indian population
why is it difficult to determine how Hinduism began?
it has no founder and claims to have no beginning so is timeless
what quote can you use to support why is it difficult to determine how Hinduism began?
“overtime, apparent misunderstandings have arisen over the origins of Hinduism”
what type of culture was the IVC and taken when?
the IVC was a Bronze Age culture taken from 2500-1500 BCE
what are the 2 main competing discourses on the origins of Hinduism?
The Indus Valley Civilisation and those who say Hinduism was brought by the Aryans from Central Asia
why is the IVC a potential place where the origins of Hinduism can be found?
there is some evidence showing beliefs similar to the Hindu religion
how did the IVC get its name?
the civilisation’s first sites excavated was along the river Indus
what was the first town excavated called?
Harappa, it can be called the Harappan culture
in the 1920’s a team of archaeologists excavated the IVC area, what did they find?
found remains of buildings and streets that made up these cities; they named them Mohenjo Daro and Harappa
what features did the IVC have?
the civilisation had a centralised government and highly advanced urban culture with towns and cities designed on grid systems and platforms to protect them from floods
what features of the IVC suggested that they were highly advanced?
their houses usually had 2 storeys and baths that drained into the city sewers. they also had separate drainage systems for water and rainwater
what quote supports that the IVC was highly advanced?
“the inhabitants of Indus Valley were of a very advanced nature. they were a wealthy middle class with a centralised government”
finish the sentence: Similar to Hinduism, Indus religious beliefs shown evidence in the belief of…
life after death
what do the seals from the Indus Valley show?
- a divine being which resembles the Hindu God shiva, which has been named proto-shiva
- female figurines that suggest worship of the Mother Goddess, which in modern Hinduism could be linked to Shakti
why are there problems in confirming whether or not the IVC is where Hinduism began?
despite their being a lot of scriptures, they cannot be deciphered. the lack of evidence here prevents us from confirming this link as information is based on little archeological evidence
where were the Aryans originally from?
central asia
why do the Aryans link to the origins of Hinduism?
due to their certain religious beliefs and culture being similar to those of modern day Hinduism
how did the Aryans move into the IVC?
it is debated if it was a forceful invasion or if they moved in waves of settlement instead. the lack of evidence leaves the debate inconclusive
what do the Aryans call themselves and why?
Arya, meaning ‘noble ones’ to differentiate themselves from the inhabitants of the IVC
what kind of people were the Aryans and what did they bring to India?
Aryans were pastoral people who brought the Iron Age to India
what was the Aryans lifestyle and society like?
their lifestyle was semi-normadic and their society was patriarchal and tribal
what are cows a symbol of in Aryan society and do Hindus today agree?
a symbol of prestige. Hindus today also believe that cows are a sacred animal and a symbol of life
how do the Aryans refer to themselves?
they referred to themselves as lightskinned and tall
how do the Aryans see the Indus?
they saw the Indus as snub-nosed, ugly demons
what was the original purpose of the varna system?
scholars suggest that the original purpose of the varna system was to differentiate the 2 groups (Aryans and Indus) as the Aryans believed they were the superior race
did the Aryans worship any Gods? if so who in particular? does this support the Aryan invasion theory?
they worshipped Gods, in particular Indra, known as the ‘smasher of cities’ which supports the Aryan invasion theory
what piece of evidence doesn’t support the Aryan invasion theory?
skeletons that were found suggest no racial diversity showing the theories to remain inconclusive
how did the Aryans pass down their scriptures of the Vedas?
the Aryans were believed to be illiterate, so passed their scriptures of the Vedas down orally, in the Sanskrit language through time
what Vedic practices did the Aryans do?
they did Vedic practices like the Vedic sacrifice which were offerings to the devas by placing them in fire
what quote did Jeanene Fowler say about Vedic religion?
“the term Vedic religion needs some clarification”
what does quote by Jeanene Fowler suggest?
despite similarities, lack of direct evidence to suggest this is the origins of Hinduism
is it possible to seek the origins of Hindu religion?
it is impossible to seek the origins of Hindu religion as no evidence can be found that directly links the source to the origins of Hinduism
what are evidence of similar beliefs from the IVC and the Aryans?
evidence of similar beliefs from the IVC and the Aryans are all presuppositions
what does presuppositions mean and how does it relate to difficulty in finding origins of Hinduism?
ideas are used to support evidence rather than evidence showing something clear, hence they only use conjecture to support their views, reading to difficulty in finding origins of Hinduism
