Hindu Ideology in Ancient India

Introduction

For over 2,000 years, Westerners have been travelling to India and returning with incredible tales of a mysterious and exotic land. Many of the early descriptions came from adventurers who were also splendid storytellers, fond of weaving fascinating and fantasy-filled accounts of their exploits and experiences. Since that time, a rich and varied fabric of narratives and interpretations has been stitched together to form the legacy of Indian studies. One of the most formidable tasks for one seeking to understand an academic survey of Indian history, culture, and religion is the investigation and comprehension of the various threads that constitute this creation, so that they may be more accurately used in any contemporary study of the land and her people. In this context, the path resembles that of the ancient Indian sages who filled their days seeking to discriminate the real from the unreal. It must be remembered that the concept of objective recording and analysis by dispassionate observers, foundational in an academic study, is a relatively recent phenomenon, itself possessing a decidedly subjective quality.

Hindu culture and civilisation, including religion, were from the very beginning closely tied to the geography of India. The Matri-bhumi, 'Mother India', has an emotional connotation for Indians: the distinctive physical features of the country are directly associated with the gods and goddesses of Hinduism, the religious practices and the eschatological expectations of the Hindus. The Ganga, the Yamuna, the Narbada, the Kaveri, to mention only a few of the mighty rivers of India - are not only reservoirs of water and means of transportation, but also sources of inspiration and ritual purification. They are divine entities who invite worship and along their banks, there are thousands of tirthas, places where pilgrims in large numbers congregate to obtain supernatural blessings and spiritual benefits. India's mountains, the mighty Himalayas, the Vindhyas, the Ghats, the Nilgiris, or single peaks like Gauri-Sankara or Arunacala, are not only the abodes of gods. Numberless pilgrims, individually or in groups, have climbed over dangerously high mountain passes to reach remote sacred places like Amarnath and Kedarnath associated with Siva. Ancient and medieval India was dotted by numerous sacred groves, large areas where the gods were believed to dwell and where nobody could harm a living being with impunity. Countless temples, large and small, embellish India's landscape, visibly transforming the country into a holy land, where gods dwell among humans (Dow, Pp. 213).

Ancient History

India's history and culture are dynamic and it is up to the beginning of human civilization. Begins with the mysterious culture of the Indus Valley and India goes back to the farming community in southern areas. The history of India with the diverse cultures that surround India is punctuated by constant integration of folks. Available evidence suggests that iron, copper and other metals used in the early period, were prevalent in the Indian sub-continent, which is indicative of the progress made by this part of the world. By the end, of a highly developed civilization of India ...