Hindustan - the peninsula in the south of Asia, which is part of the Indian subcontinent.On the peninsula is home to a large number of people belonging to different nations and tribes with different languages and professing different religious doctrines.
traditional religion of the peoples of the Indian subcontinent - rather, it is religion, as during the existence of this territory for five thousand years of history of paganism, animism, polytheistic and monotheistic beliefs varied and mixed with each other.
from civilization of Mohenjo-Daro to the colony of Great Britain
the peninsula since ancient times has been inhabited by people - changing history epochs and civilizations can be traced from the Neolithic.The earliest settlement here has an age of supposedly 20 thousand. BCIt's about Mohenjo-daro - one of the oldest settlements in the open.
According to some scientists, the lower layers of the city appeared in the area of 20-15 century BC, although the official date of the appearance of the place - 2600 years before the birth of Christ.What is the traditional religion of the peoples of the Indian subcontinent that period?It was a time of occurrence of Hinduism, which was formed on the basis of the civilization of Harappa and Dravidians.
Since then and until our time on the Indian subcontinent living different peoples belonging to Dravid, the Dravidian-speaking groups Veddas (they are probably the oldest population of South India), kusunda.In addition to these, there were also representatives mundskoy and Tibeto-Burman language families and others.
Later, after the arrival of the Aryans in the region gradually began to form a caste system.Based on the doctrine of karma, it has divided the population levels are gradually becoming more structured and rigid.
At the political level in the region at different times to spread its influence are many kingdoms and empires, including the Indo-Greek, Indo-Saka, Kushan, Gupta and Harsha, Magandha and others.The traditional religion of the peoples of the Indian subcontinent while Hinduism, Buddhism, in some places - paganism.
Gradually the area of the peninsula, going through a period of conquest by Alexander the Great, the formation and development of Islamic countries and the time of the Mughal Empire, became a colony of Great Britain.
After gaining independence from Britain, the Indian subcontinent was divided into three independent states: here is the area Pakinstana, Bangladesh and part of India.
traditional religion of the peoples of the Indian subcontinent
three largest religious doctrine in this area - Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism.Also they have a lot of followers of Jainism, Sikhism, Animism.Hinduism - the most traditional religion of the peoples of the Indian subcontinent: it originated approximately in the 3rd millennium BC.on the foundations of an even more ancient beliefs.Since this belief system is rooted in the Vedic, harapskuyu and Dravidian civilization, it is considered the oldest in the world.
not known a single source or a founder of Hinduism, there is not even a common doctrine or tradition.In fact, a family of beliefs, in its various embodiments, taking into account mono-, poly- and pantheism, monism and even atheism.
Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism
other two religions, also related to the traditional for this region - it is Buddhism and Jainism.None of them is not dominant in any of the modern states of the peninsula, but a lot of followers and the first and second.
Buddhism originated approximately in the 6th century BCThe development of one of its currents, Mahayana, was greatly influenced by the Greco-Buddhist culture.Thus, it is quite traditional religion of the peoples of the Indian subcontinent, who lived in what is now north-western Pakistan (Greco-Buddhist culture was the result of mixing Indian, Central Asian, Persian and Greek and developed until the 5th century AD in the lands eastAfghanistan and northwestern Pakistan).
Jainism and Sikhism originated in 9-6 centuries BC.e.and the 15th century AD, respectively.Although the first of them much older, both played a significant role in the history of the region.
Islam
Which religion of the peoples of the Indian subcontinent can compete with Hinduism?The answer is - Islam.It was this monotheistic belief system, bringing to the region in the process of conquest, since the VIII century.
Islam is the dominant belief system in Pakistan and Bangladesh.It is relatively new, however, is among the major religions for centuries.
