Vedic Period

(noun)

A period in Indian history during which the the oldest scriptures of Hinduism were composed; the time span of the period is uncertain, though is thought to span from 1700 BCE to about 500 BCE.

Related Terms

Examples of Vedic Period in the following topics:

  • Vedic and Upanishadic Periods

    • The Vedic period in India (c. 1700 - 500 BCE) is marked by the composition of the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism.
    • The Vedic period (or Vedic age) in India was a period in history during which the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, were composed.
    • Transmission of texts in the Vedic period was by oral tradition alone, and a literary tradition began only in post-Vedic times.
    • The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in from the Vedic period.
    • Evaluate the crafts and texts found during the Vedic Period in India.

  • The Indo-Aryan Migration and the Vedic Period

    • Different theories explain the Vedic Period, a time of Indo-Aryan people on the Indian subcontinent migrating to the Ganges Plain around 1200 BCE.
    • Most history of this period is derived from the Vedas, the oldest scriptures in Hinduism, which help chart the timeline of an era known as the Vedic Period from 1750–500 BCE.
    • The Indo-Aryans settled various parts of the plain during their migration and the Vedic Period.
    • As the Indo-Aryans developed an agricultural society during the Later Vedic Period (c. 1000-500), they further developed crafts like pottery.
    • Describe the defining characteristics of the Vedic Period and the cultural consequenes of the Indo-Aryan Migration

  • The Caste System

    • A caste system developed among Indo-Aryans of the Vedic Period, splitting society into four major groups.
    • The caste system in India may have several origins, possibly starting with the well-defined social orders of the Indo-Aryans in the Vedic Period, ca. 1750-500 BCE (Before Common Era).
    • The Vedas were ancient scriptures, written in the Sanskrit language, which contained hymns, philosophies and rituals handed down to the priests of the Vedic religion.
    • By around 1000 BCE, the Indo-Aryans developed four main caste distinctions: Brahamin, consisting of priests, scholars and teachers; Kshatriyas, the kings, governors and warriors; Vaishyas, comprising agriculturists, artisans, and merchants; and Sudras, the service providers and artisans who were originally non-Aryans but admitted to Vedic society.
    • Society during the Vedic Period (ca.1750-500 BCE) was patriarchal and patrilineal, meaning to trace ancestral heritage through the male line.

  • The Sramana Movement

    • The Vedic Religion was the historical predecessor of modern Hinduism.
    • The Vedic Period refers to the time period, from approximately 1750–500 BCE, during which Indo-Aryans settled into northern India, bringing with them specific religious traditions.
    • Most history of this period is derived from the Vedas, the oldest scriptures in the Hindu religion.
    • Sramana existed in parallel to, but separate from, Vedic Hinduism.
    • The Sramana traditions drove the so-called Hindu synthesis after the Vedic period that spread to southern Indian and parts of Southeast Asia.

  • The Rise of Hinduism

    • Hinduism evolved as a synthesis of cultures and traditions, including the Indo-Aryan Vedic religion.
    • While this synthesis is believed to have developed after Vedic times, between 500 BCE (Before Common Era) and 300 CE (Common Era), Vedic ritualism, a composite of Indo-Aryan and Harappan culture, contributed to the deities and traditions of Hinduism.
    • The Sramana traditions drove the so-called Hindu synthesis after the Vedic period that spread to southern Indian and parts of Southeast Asia.
    • The Rig Veda describes the varied deities of Vedic religion.
    • These gods persisted as Vedic religion was assimilated into Hinduism.

  • Sanskrit

    • Vedic Sanskrit was orally preserved as a part of the Vedic chanting tradition, predating alphabetic writing in India by several centuries.
    • The classical period of Sanskrit literature dates to the Gupta period and the successive pre-Islamic middle kingdoms of India, spanning approximately the 3rd to 8th centuries CE (Common Period).
    • Hindu Puranas, a genre of Indian literature that includes myths and legends, fall into the period of Classical Sanskrit.
    • Poetry was also a key feature of this period of the language.
    • The scholar Panini standardized the grammar of Vedic Sanskrit to create Classical Sanskrit.

  • Jainism

    • Jainism is based on an ancient Indian religious philosophy called Sramana, which began as an offshoot of the Vedic religion.
    • Sramana existed in parallel to, but separate from, Vedic Hinduism, which followed the teachings and rituals found in the Vedas, the most ancient texts of the Vedic religion.
    • Sramana, meaning “seeker,” was a tradition that began when new philosophical groups who believed in a more austere path to spiritual freedom rejected the authority of the Vedas and the Brahmins, the priests of Vedic Hinduism, around 800-600 BCE.
    • However, other scholars believe the Sramana traditions were separate and contemporaneous with Indo-Aryan religious practices of the historical Vedic religion.
    • Other important festivals include Diwali, marking the Nirvana, or liberation, of Mahavira’s soul, and the holy event of Paryushana, also known as Das Lakshana, which is a period of between eight and 10 days in August or September of fasting, prayer and meditation.

  • Buddhism

    • Buddhism is based on an ancient Indian religious philosophy called Sramana, which began as an offshoot of the Vedic religion.
    • Sramana existed in parallel to, but separate from, Vedic Hinduism, which followed the teachings and rituals found in the Vedas, the most ancient texts of the Vedic religion.
    • Sramana, meaning “seeker,” was a tradition that began when new philosophical groups who believed in a more austere path to spiritual freedom rejected the authority of the Vedas and the Brahmins, the priests of Vedic Hinduism, around 800-600 BCE.
    • In addition to the Vedic Brahmins, the Buddha’s lifetime coincided with the flourishing of influential Sramana schools of thought including Jainism.
    • Siddhartha began this quest through a period of starvation and according to legend grew so thin he could feel his hands if he placed one on his back and the other on his stomach.

  • The Vedas

    • Vedic ritualism, a composite of ancient Indo-Aryan and Harappan culture, contributed to the deities and traditions of Hinduism over time.
    • The Vedas are split into four major texts and contain hymns, mythological accounts, poems, prayers, and formulas considered sacred to the Vedic religion.
    • Vedas, meaning "knowledge," were written in Vedic Sanskrit between 1500 and 500 BCE in the northwestern region the Indian Subcontinent.
    • Agni, the Indian God of Fire from the ancient Vedic religion, shown riding a ram.
    • A manuscript copy of the Rigveda, the oldest and most important of the four Vedas of the Vedic religion, from the early 19th century.

  • Rise of the Gupta Empire

    • Gupta rule, while solidified by territorial expansion through war, began a period of peace and prosperity marked by advancements in science, technology, engineering, art, dialectics, literature, logic, mathematics, astronomy, religion, and philosophy.
    • To celebrate his conquest, Samudragupta performed the royal Vedic ritual of Ashwamedha, or horse sacrifice.
    • The period of Gupta rule, especially the reign of Chandragupta II, is still remembered as the Golden Age of India.
    • A coin from the period of Indian Emperor Samudragupta, 335-380 CE, depicting his parents, King Chandragupta and Queen Kumaradevi.