History

Period of the Upanishads

Through difficult rituals, the so-called Brahamen caste gained great influence in the next stage of development. This was around 800 BC. approx. 700 BC to 500 BC BC, in the time of the Upanishads, a realignment becomes apparent. This is visible in the philosophy of the Upanishads and is already evident in the Brahmanas and the Aranyakas. The subdivision of the three text types goes back to the Indian tradition, whereby the boundaries between the text types are fluid. The three text genres differ essentially as follows:

The Upanishads contain mystical speculations. The approx. 250 writings, of which mainly the 13 Vedic Upanhishads shaped later Hinduism, were created over several centuries.The main topics here are karma, yoga and rebirth.

The Brahmanas develop a complicated sacrificial theology. The Aranyakas, so-called forest and wilderness books, deal with secret teachings. These were not discussed in the settlements but outside, in the forest.

Classic time

The time before the end of the Upanhishad period, which is often regarded as very important, is usually referred to as Brahmanism in Indology. The following time is then exclusively referred to as Hinduism. Its elementary form, which has been handed down to this day, has probably shaped Hinduism since around 500 BC. Sanskrit, the traditional language, is an Indo-European language, which is similar to the European languages. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva were now worshiped as the main gods. Temples and statues of gods were erected. At this time, many cult and consecration acts also arose. In the epic literature between 200 and 400 BC. Krisna and Rama appear. According to Hindu beliefs, these are incarnations of the deity Vishnu. From this time come the still widely read and extensive poems. These are called Ramayana and Mahabharata. The didactic poem Bhagavad Gita is the most important part of the Mahabharata. The formation of a variety of beliefs that worship particular gods, such as B. Vishnuism, Shivaism and Shaktism, falls into this period. Furthermore, a codification of the Brahmanic teachings in the Dharma Shastra and the Dharma Sutra. It was only in the 4th century that the Hindu religions were favored again by the kings of the time. Until then, they lost followers through Buddhism, but never completely disappeared. A large number of historical, mythological and didactic writings are characteristic of the subsequent period from 400 to 1000. These are called Puranas. The first Hindu order was founded by the philosopher Shankara in the 8th century.