Hinduism: A Short History (58 page)

Hanvaṃśa Purāṇa, AUrbudhnya Saṃhitā.
Age of Kālīdasa, the greatest Indian dramatist. Spread of Vaiṣṇavism, especially Kṛṣṇa cult. Beginning of Tāntricism.

c.
400–500

Vyāsa’s
Yoga-bhāṣya.

c.
450–500

Huna invasions.

c.
500

Devī-māhātmaya
(in
Mārkaṇḍeya Pūraṇa).
Spread of Śāktism into larger āreas.

c.
500–800

Álvārs; composition of
Kūrma Purāṇa.

    547

Kosmas Indikopleustes travels to India

c.
600–650

Poet Bana, author of
Kādambarī
and
Harṣacarita.

c.
600–800

Peak of Pāñcarātra Vaiṣṇavism.

c.
600–900

Late (metrical) smrtó; composition of
Agni
and Garuḍa Pūrāṇa.

    after 600

Strong development of Vedānta.

c.
600–800

Brahmanical renaissance; successful fight against strongly tantric Buddhism.

c.
640

King Harsa of Kanauj sends embassy to China.

c.
650–1200

Several independent kingdoms in Western, Central, East and South India.

c.
650–700

Life of Kumārila Bhaṭṭa and Manikavācaka.

    since
c
.700

Prevalence of
bhakti
religions.

c.
700–750

Gaudapāda, author of a
kārikā
on the
Māṇḍukya Upaniṣad
and
prācārya
of Saṅkarācārya.

    since
c
.700

Flourishing of Kāśmīr Śaivism.

c.
788–820

Life of Saṅkarācārya.

c.
800–900

Composition of the
Bhāgavata Purāṇa
in its present form;
Śūkra-ṇiti-sāra.

c.
800–1250

Cola dynasty in Tamilnadu.

c.
825–900

Medathiti, writer of a commentary on
Manusmṛti.

c.
900

Udāyana’s
Nyāyakusumañjalī.

c.
900–1100

Śiva Purāṇa;
Saivite Tāntricism in Indonesia.

c.
900–1100

Composition of
Yogavasistharāmāyaṇa
and
Bhaktisūtra.

    999–1026

Mahmud of Ghazni repeatedly raids northwestern India.

    1026

Muslims loot temple of Somnath.

    1017–1137

Life of Rāmānuja.

c.
1100

Buddhism virtually extinct in India; life of Abhinavagupta; composition of Hindu Tantra.

c.
1100–1400

Composition of
Sākta Upaniṣads;
rise of Vīrasāivism in South India.

c.
1150–1160

Kalhana’s
Rājatarāṅginī.

c.
1150

Śrīkaṇṭha-bhāṣya;
building of Jagannath Temple at Puri.

c.
1197–1276

Life of Madhvācārya.

c.
1200–1250

Life of Viṣṇusvami.

    1205–1300

Life of Lokācārya Pillai.

c
. 1250

Beginning of
Śaiva-siddhānta;
building of Sun Temple in Koṇārāka.

    1211–1236

Reign of Iltutmish, first Sultān of Delhi; beginning of Muslim rule over large parts of India.

c.
1216–1327

Rule of Pāndyas at Madurai; foundation of Mināksī and Śiva Temple of Madurai.

    1269–1370

Life of Vedanta Deśika.

c.
1275–1675

Jñānesvara of Mahārāṣṭra and other
bhakti
mystics.

    1288

Marco Polo at Kalyan

c.
1300–1386

Life of Sāyaṇa, famous commentator of the Vedic
Samhitās
and
Brāhmaṇas.

    1327

Muslims loot temple at Śrīrañgam.

c.
1333

Ibn Battuta’s travels in India.

c.
1340

Life of Mādhava, author of
Sarvadarśanasañgraha
and
Pañcadaśī.

    1336–1565

Kingdom of Vijayanagara, last Hindú empire in India as far as Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

c.
1350–1610

Vīrasāivism state religión of Mysore.

c.
1350–1650

Composition of many works of the Pūrvamīmāṃsakas.

    1365–98

Life of Jāyatīrtha.

c.
1400–1470

Life of Rāmānanda.

c.
1420

Life of Mīrābāī.

    1440–1518

Life of Kabīr.

c.
1449–1568

Life of Sañkaradeva, great Vaiṣṇava preacher in Assam.

c.
1475–1531

Life of Vallabha.

c.
1469

Birth of Gurū Nanak, founder of Sikhism.

    1478–1539

Life of Vyāsarāya.

c.
1485–1533

Life of Caitanya.

    1479–1584

Life of Sūrdās.

    1498

Vasco da Gama, after having rounded the Cape of Good Hope, lands on the Malabar coast.

c.
1500

Composition of
Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa
and of Sādānanda’s
Vedānta-sāra.

c.
1500–1800

Peak of Durgā worship in Bengal.

c.
1550

Life of Brahmānanda Giri, author of a famous commentary on Śañkara’s
Śarīraka-bhāṣya.

    1510

Portuguese occupy Goa.

c.
1526–1757

Moghul rule in India, destruction of most Hindu temples in North and Central India.

    1511–1637

Life of tulasīdāsa.

c.
1542

The Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier lands in Goa.

c.
1548–1598

Life of Ekanātha.

    1580

Akbar the Great invites some Jesuit missionaries from Goa to his court for religious discussions.

c.
1585

Life of Hit Harivaṃśa, founder of the Rādhā-Vallabhis.

    1608–1649

Life of Tukārāma.

    1608–1681

Life of Rāmdās.

    1610–1640

Composition of MitraMiśra’s
Vīramitrodaya,
famous digests of the
dharma-sāstras.

c.
1630

Composition of Śrīnivāsadāsa’s
Yatīndramatadīpikā.

    1631

Death of Mumtaz, in whose honor Shah Jahan built the famous Taj Mahal at Agrā.

    1651

The East India Company opens first factory on the Hugli (Bengal).

    1657

Darā Shikoh translates the Upaniṣads into Persian.

    1661

Bombay becomes a British possession.

    1664

Śivāji declares himself king of Mahārāṣṭra.

    1675

Foundation of the French colony of Pondichéry.

c.
1700–1800

Life of Nagojibhaṭṭa, author of numerous works on grammar,
dharma-śāstra,
yoga, etc.

    1690

Foundation of Calcutta through East India Company (Fort St. George).

c.
1700–1800

Life of Baladeva, author of
Govinda-bhāṣya.

c.
1750

Composition of the (reformist)
Mahānirvāna-tantra.

    1757

Battle of Plassey; Clive is master of India.

    1784

Asiatic Society founded in Calcutta by Sir William Jones.

    1791

Foundation of Bañaras Sanskrit College.

    1818

Defeat of the last Maratha Peshwa.

    1828

Rām Mohān Roy founds Brahmo Samāj.

    1829

Law against
Satī.

    1829–1837

Suppression of the
thags.

    1834–1886

Life of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

    1835

Introduction of English school system in India.

    1842–1901

Life of M.D. Ranade, great social reformer

    1857

The so-called Mutiny (“First Indian War of Independence” in more recent history books).

    1858

The British Crown takes over the administration of India from the East India Company.

    1875

Foundation of
Árya Samāj
by Swāmi Dāyānanda Sārasvatī.

    1885

Foundation of
Indian National Congress
in Bombay.

    1909

Foundation of Hindū Mahāsabhā by Pandit Mohān Malaviya.

    1913

Nobel prize in literature for Rabindranath Tagore.

    1920

Mahatma Gandhi begins first All-India Civil Disobedience Movement.

    1925

Foundation of
Rāstriā Svayamsevak Sangh.

    1947

Partition of India and creation of the Indian Union and Pakistān as independent nations.

    1948

Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Foundation of
Rām Rājya Pariṣad.
Pandit Nehru Prime Minister of the Indian Union. Śri Cakravarti Rajagopalacari appointed Governor General.

    1950

India declared a Republic within the Commonwealth. Acceptance of the Constitution. Death of Śrī Aurobindo Ghose and Ramana Maharsi.

    1951

Inauguration of the
Bhūdān
movement by Vinoba Bhave, Gandhi’s successor. Foundation of the
Bhāratīya Jana Sangh.

    1955

The Hindu Marriage Act passed in parliament.

    1956

Reorganization of states (provinces) according to linguistic principies.

    1961

Goa, Damao and Diu, Portuguese colonies in India, liberated in a military action.

    1962

Dr. Rajendra Prasād, the first Presiden! of the Republic of India (since 1950), dies. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Vice-President, succeeds him.

    1964

Death of Jawaharlal Nehru. Lal Bahadur Sastri succeeds as Prime Minister. Foundation of Viśva Hindū Pariṣad (VHP).

    1965

Conflict with Pakistān (West). Indira Gandhi succeeds as Prime Minister.

    1984

Sikh agitation for an independent Khalistan. Central Government forcefully evicts Sikh extremists from Golden Temple in Amritsar/Punjab. Indira Gandhi assassinated by two of her Sikh guards.

    1985

Rajiv Gandhi, Indira’s oldest son, elected Prime Minister.

    1991

Rajiv Gandhi assassinated by Tamil extremist.

    1992

Hindu agitation on behalf of temple on Rāma’s presumed birthplace in Ayodhyā culminating in destruction of Babri-Masjid and major riots in many Indian cities.

    1998

Electoral victory of Hindu parties: establishment of a Bhāratīya Janatā Party minority government. India detonates nuclear devīces. Celebration of Kumbhamelā at Hardwar with several million pilgrims attending.

    1999

Bḥāratīya Janatā Party wins majority in new elections.

NOTES

1.

   The present text of the

is a later redaction of an earlier collection of hymns that probably were not focused on Indra as much as the more recent version. See A. Esteller, “The Quest for the Original Rgveda” in ABORI 48/1 (1969) pp. 1–40 and “The Rgveda Saṃhitā as a ‘Palimpsest’” in

(3rd Series) 4/1 (January 1967) pp. 1–23 and also R. N. Dandekar

in ABORI 30/1 (1951) pp. 1–55.

2.

   See W. S. Fairservis, “The Harappan Civilization and the Rgveda” in M. Witzel (ed.)

pp. 61–8. The last page consists of a comparative table of traits attested in the Rgveda paralleled by archeological finds in the Indus civilization.

3.

   The dates given below are those provided by A. D. Pusalker in the chapter “Historical Traditions” of

[Vol. I of

General editor R. C. Majumdar, Bombay: Bhāratiya Vidyā Bhavan, 1965; 4th impression] pp. 271–336.

GLOSSARY

(Mahratti) devotional poem.

nonperception (in the Nyāya-system); nonbeing (in the Vaiśeṣika-system).

fearlessness; in iconology:
abhaya mudrā
is the hand pose of a deity, inspiring confidence and trust.

conversion.

desire; in the
yoga
-system: instinctive craving for life.

anointment, part of installation ceremony of a king and an image of the deity.

exercise, practice, exertion.

rinsing of mouth with water before worship and before meals.

immobile (used as an attribute of the Supreme Being).

way of life; mode of behavior.