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The Hindus of Hindustan: A Civilizational Journey
Notwithstanding the views of a section of historians and literati, spiritual, religious, and cultural continuity in India goes back many millennia. Identification with, and adoration of, the land was expressed in the sixty-three verses long Prithvi Sukta of the Atharva Veda, described as the first “national song” in the world. Veneration of the land remained a recurrent theme in sacred literature.
Kautilya, in the Arthasastra, articulated the ideal of political unification, when he said that from the Himalayas to the seas, the land should have one ruler. That ideal was accompanied by a consciousness of cultural union.
Evidence of continuity of religious beliefs and motifs could be traced to the late Upper Palaeolithic (c. 9000-8000) site of Baghor I (Sidhi district, Madhya Pradesh), to the celebrated Indus Valley Civilization, and well thereafter.
Rulers of foreign origin, who ruled over parts of the north-western regions for significant periods, wholly immersed themselves in the spiritual traditions of the land. Ancient lawgivers facilitated the assimilation of foreign groups within the capacious embrace of Indian civilization. Things took a dramatically new turn with the advent of a new group of invaders in the eighth century CE.
The book highlights the underlying features of Indian civilization, that were manifest from its founding moments, and that remained unchanged over the millennia.
Kautilya, in the Arthasastra, articulated the ideal of political unification, when he said that from the Himalayas to the seas, the land should have one ruler. That ideal was accompanied by a consciousness of cultural union.
Evidence of continuity of religious beliefs and motifs could be traced to the late Upper Palaeolithic (c. 9000-8000) site of Baghor I (Sidhi district, Madhya Pradesh), to the celebrated Indus Valley Civilization, and well thereafter.
Rulers of foreign origin, who ruled over parts of the north-western regions for significant periods, wholly immersed themselves in the spiritual traditions of the land. Ancient lawgivers facilitated the assimilation of foreign groups within the capacious embrace of Indian civilization. Things took a dramatically new turn with the advent of a new group of invaders in the eighth century CE.
The book highlights the underlying features of Indian civilization, that were manifest from its founding moments, and that remained unchanged over the millennia.
334 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2023
7 people are currently reading
223 people want to read
About the author
Meenakshi Jain
35 books206 followersMeenakshi Jain is an associate professor of History at Gargi College, University of Delhi. She was Fellow, Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, Teen Murti. Her recent works include Parallel Pathways. Essays on Hindu-Muslim Relations (1707-1857). She is the co-author of The Rajah Moonje Pact. Documents on a Forgotten Chapter of Indian History.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 13, 2023
Great book covering the history of Hindus from geo-politico-dharmic aspects. Gives interesting facts from literature and archaeology to understand the timelessness of Hindu culture and why it survived since every other civilization didn't.
Although book is a bit difficult to read since its written in more of an academic style with lot of references/citations and storytelling aspect was missing.
Nonetheless must read to understand the grand narrative of the Indian Civilization 👍
Although book is a bit difficult to read since its written in more of an academic style with lot of references/citations and storytelling aspect was missing.
Nonetheless must read to understand the grand narrative of the Indian Civilization 👍
March 13, 2024
After having read J Sai Deepak’s book “India that is Bharat”, I chose to examine an alternate history of India; a history that sheds its colonial interpretation. Digging deeper, I learned about Jain’s work that was authored to address the idea of India as a civilisational state. The preface of the book sets the stage for the discourse, “During British rule, Colonial administrator/ scholars, confronted with the vastness and diversity of the country, declared “there is not, and never was an India or even any country of India possessing, according to European ideas, any sort of unity, physical, political, social, or religious; no Indian nation, no ‘people of India,’ of which we hear so much” (Strachey, 1911;5).
It is a dense book that is not written in a strictly chronological fashion. The book begins from antiquity and culminates with the Mughal Era. The book is divided into two sections; ‘The Making of Early India’ and ‘ The Advent of Islam’. She begins by drawing on ancient texts to examine the civilisational understanding of the geographical landmass of India. She affirms that the geographical idea of India has been consistent through time, although the political integration of India in the Westphalian sense of the modern world has waxed and waned. She argues that people were aware of the entirety and extent of the landmass of India by 500 BCE.
She studies the idea of the veneration of the land in Prithvi Sukta and Nadi Sukta and studies the notion of Bharata. The complexity of Dharma as an “umbrella concept” that included all customs, practices, rules, conventions, rights, obligations, contracts, laws, and rituals has also been treated with balance and depth.
The chapters which are of great significance are the ones devoted to examining civilisational continuities. She argues that there was a fundamental unity of existence across India and supporting this assertion she enunciates ideas, material and social constructs, and religious rituals that have been embedded in the Indian consciousness. For instance, she highlights that historians such as Romila Thapar have vehemently denied religion being linked to Harappan culture however, the elements which later became important in Hinduism can be evidentially traced to the Harappan civilisation. She presents significant evidence of the Vedic character of the Harappan cities.
Jain chronicles the continuity of cultural practices such as, ‘the worship of the pillar’, edicts on pillars, worship of female deities, tree worship, fire altars, the use of earthen ladles for yagnas, construction of ritual tanks adjacent to Hindu temples, and certain yogic postures. She argues that well before the commencement of the Common Era, there was awareness and expression of diversity in its various manifestations. This diversity was accompanied by cultural congruence and intertwining of belief systems. Borrowing from Arthashastra, she outlines the concept of political unity with the central idea of Chakravartin. Jain outlines the open-mindedness of rulers of ancient India highlighting how they patronised all faiths. She presents evidence to support the assertion that the Brahmi script which appeared in 3 BCE was a pan-Indian script and the source of all modern Indic scripts. She presents irrefutable evidence of the pan-Indian prevalence of sacred literature as a common wellspring.
In the chapter titled, “ They Came and Were Conquered” she describes how foreigners which included Greeks (Yavanas), ancient Iranians, Kushans, Sakas (Scythians and Parthians), and the Huns embraced the Indian faiths and their cultural and spiritual practices. Simultaneously, their cultural practices seeped into the Indian way of life. She also discusses the ready acceptance of foreigners into Indian society in the chapter titled, “ The Maligned Lawgivers”. She informs that there was no distinction due to faith or place of origin or an attempt to impose any belief system on the populace.
The last section of the book highlights the fierce fights that ensued as Arab armies invaded India. It was only in 712 CE, after almost seventy-five years of effort that the Arabs could claim victory in Sindh. The Arab and the Turkish onslaught ruined fortunes and forced migration to safer regions. However, it was the invasions of the 8th century that distinctly altered the idea of India. She draws on the evidence from Kitab ul-Hind by Alberuni and chronicles the death, destruction, and desecration of temples and the brutal imposition of an alien faith. She closes her book with the chapter titled, “ Living Together Separately- The New Normal” as she summarises the new normal with the ascendancy of the Mughals and the Indians were ruled by foreign elements in the nobility. This hold was consolidated under Aurangzeb along with societal measures such as the imposition of Jizya and Persian becoming the sole language of administration. Even the physical landscape of the imperial and regional capitals bore the stamp of the changed political and cultural equations
Jain’s work is timely and stands in sharp contrast to the prevalent literature on Indian history. The evidence presented from antiquity to the Mughal era is comprehensive, incisive, and scholarly. The chapters stand out as segments that can be read independently. However, herein also lies the problem for readers used to a chronological narration of history. The foundational question of cultural and civilisational continuity has been sufficiently established however; the idea of political continuity does not appear as convincing. The other challenge in reading the book is the dense usage of treatises and sacred texts which is not easy to assimilate. The book is also visually rich with a large number of historical illustrations that support the discussion. Overall, it is a book that deserves to be read by all those who need to broaden their understanding of Indian history with a uniquely different civilisational examination.
It is a dense book that is not written in a strictly chronological fashion. The book begins from antiquity and culminates with the Mughal Era. The book is divided into two sections; ‘The Making of Early India’ and ‘ The Advent of Islam’. She begins by drawing on ancient texts to examine the civilisational understanding of the geographical landmass of India. She affirms that the geographical idea of India has been consistent through time, although the political integration of India in the Westphalian sense of the modern world has waxed and waned. She argues that people were aware of the entirety and extent of the landmass of India by 500 BCE.
She studies the idea of the veneration of the land in Prithvi Sukta and Nadi Sukta and studies the notion of Bharata. The complexity of Dharma as an “umbrella concept” that included all customs, practices, rules, conventions, rights, obligations, contracts, laws, and rituals has also been treated with balance and depth.
The chapters which are of great significance are the ones devoted to examining civilisational continuities. She argues that there was a fundamental unity of existence across India and supporting this assertion she enunciates ideas, material and social constructs, and religious rituals that have been embedded in the Indian consciousness. For instance, she highlights that historians such as Romila Thapar have vehemently denied religion being linked to Harappan culture however, the elements which later became important in Hinduism can be evidentially traced to the Harappan civilisation. She presents significant evidence of the Vedic character of the Harappan cities.
Jain chronicles the continuity of cultural practices such as, ‘the worship of the pillar’, edicts on pillars, worship of female deities, tree worship, fire altars, the use of earthen ladles for yagnas, construction of ritual tanks adjacent to Hindu temples, and certain yogic postures. She argues that well before the commencement of the Common Era, there was awareness and expression of diversity in its various manifestations. This diversity was accompanied by cultural congruence and intertwining of belief systems. Borrowing from Arthashastra, she outlines the concept of political unity with the central idea of Chakravartin. Jain outlines the open-mindedness of rulers of ancient India highlighting how they patronised all faiths. She presents evidence to support the assertion that the Brahmi script which appeared in 3 BCE was a pan-Indian script and the source of all modern Indic scripts. She presents irrefutable evidence of the pan-Indian prevalence of sacred literature as a common wellspring.
In the chapter titled, “ They Came and Were Conquered” she describes how foreigners which included Greeks (Yavanas), ancient Iranians, Kushans, Sakas (Scythians and Parthians), and the Huns embraced the Indian faiths and their cultural and spiritual practices. Simultaneously, their cultural practices seeped into the Indian way of life. She also discusses the ready acceptance of foreigners into Indian society in the chapter titled, “ The Maligned Lawgivers”. She informs that there was no distinction due to faith or place of origin or an attempt to impose any belief system on the populace.
The last section of the book highlights the fierce fights that ensued as Arab armies invaded India. It was only in 712 CE, after almost seventy-five years of effort that the Arabs could claim victory in Sindh. The Arab and the Turkish onslaught ruined fortunes and forced migration to safer regions. However, it was the invasions of the 8th century that distinctly altered the idea of India. She draws on the evidence from Kitab ul-Hind by Alberuni and chronicles the death, destruction, and desecration of temples and the brutal imposition of an alien faith. She closes her book with the chapter titled, “ Living Together Separately- The New Normal” as she summarises the new normal with the ascendancy of the Mughals and the Indians were ruled by foreign elements in the nobility. This hold was consolidated under Aurangzeb along with societal measures such as the imposition of Jizya and Persian becoming the sole language of administration. Even the physical landscape of the imperial and regional capitals bore the stamp of the changed political and cultural equations
Jain’s work is timely and stands in sharp contrast to the prevalent literature on Indian history. The evidence presented from antiquity to the Mughal era is comprehensive, incisive, and scholarly. The chapters stand out as segments that can be read independently. However, herein also lies the problem for readers used to a chronological narration of history. The foundational question of cultural and civilisational continuity has been sufficiently established however; the idea of political continuity does not appear as convincing. The other challenge in reading the book is the dense usage of treatises and sacred texts which is not easy to assimilate. The book is also visually rich with a large number of historical illustrations that support the discussion. Overall, it is a book that deserves to be read by all those who need to broaden their understanding of Indian history with a uniquely different civilisational examination.
June 27, 2024
A fantastic book on the wheels of the indian civilization and the unbroken flow for more than five millenium. Very thankful to Meenakshiji to focus on the continuum. I am yet to start the massive work of Shri Dilip Chakravarthi or the late Shri RC Majumdar, but this is a great beginning to know how we got here.
December 4, 2024
Influence of #Aryavrat on #Tamil #Language and #Literature during the Vedic Period
( 'The Hindus of Hindustan' by Smt Meenakshi Jain)
https://amzn.to/3x4Ypmk
The Vedic period, characterized by the composition of the Vedas, significantly influenced various aspects of Indian culture, including language and literature across different regions. Tamil language and literature, deeply rooted in the Dravidian tradition, exhibit notable influences from Aryavrat, the northwestern region of India, demarcated by the Himalayas in the north and the Vindhya mountains in the south.
Vedic Elements in Tamil Vocabulary:
One of the most direct influences of the Aryavrat on Tamil is the incorporation of Vedic Sanskrit vocabulary into Tamil lexicon. This assimilation is evident in Tamil religious texts and classical literature, where many Sanskrit words are used, often retaining their original meanings or slightly modified to fit the phonetic structure of Tamil.
Literary Themes and Motifs:
The themes and motifs prevalent in Vedic literature, such as the hymns, philosophical discourses, and mythological stories, found their way into Tamil literary works. The early Tamil Sangam literature, though primarily secular and focused on themes of love and war, reflects an underlying layer of Vedic philosophy and cosmology. This is seen in the ethical and moral undertones that align with dharma (righteousness) and karma (action and consequence) central to Vedic teachings.
Religious and Philosophical Influence:
The influence of Vedic religion is profound in Tamil literature, especially in the Bhakti (devotional) movement that emerged prominently in the early medieval period. The #Nayanars (Shaivite saints) and #Alvars (Vaishnavite saints) drew heavily from Vedic traditions, integrating Vedic deities and rituals into their devotional hymns. This synthesis helped in the spread of Vedic religious practices in the Tamil-speaking regions, leading to the construction of grand temples and the performance of elaborate Vedic rituals.
Integration of Vedic Rituals:
Vedic rituals and ceremonies, described extensively in the Vedas, were integrated into Tamil society and literature. Descriptions of yagnas (sacrificial rituals), recitations of mantras, and other Vedic customs are found in Tamil texts, indicating a blend of Dravidian and Vedic practices. This cultural amalgamation is vividly portrayed in the classical Tamil epics such as "#Silappatikaram" and "#Manimekalai," where Vedic rituals are depicted alongside indigenous traditions.
Influence on Tamil Grammar and Poetics:
The development of Tamil grammar and poetics also bears the mark of Vedic influence. The #Tolkappiyam, the ancient Tamil grammar, reflects an understanding of linguistic principles that resonate with the grammatical frameworks of Sanskrit. The categorization of sounds, the structure of poetry, and the rules of prosody in Tamil literature show a sophisticated interplay with the Vedic linguistic tradition.
For many such nuggets from the history of Bharat do dive into this book.
( 'The Hindus of Hindustan' by Smt Meenakshi Jain)
https://amzn.to/3x4Ypmk
The Vedic period, characterized by the composition of the Vedas, significantly influenced various aspects of Indian culture, including language and literature across different regions. Tamil language and literature, deeply rooted in the Dravidian tradition, exhibit notable influences from Aryavrat, the northwestern region of India, demarcated by the Himalayas in the north and the Vindhya mountains in the south.
Vedic Elements in Tamil Vocabulary:
One of the most direct influences of the Aryavrat on Tamil is the incorporation of Vedic Sanskrit vocabulary into Tamil lexicon. This assimilation is evident in Tamil religious texts and classical literature, where many Sanskrit words are used, often retaining their original meanings or slightly modified to fit the phonetic structure of Tamil.
Literary Themes and Motifs:
The themes and motifs prevalent in Vedic literature, such as the hymns, philosophical discourses, and mythological stories, found their way into Tamil literary works. The early Tamil Sangam literature, though primarily secular and focused on themes of love and war, reflects an underlying layer of Vedic philosophy and cosmology. This is seen in the ethical and moral undertones that align with dharma (righteousness) and karma (action and consequence) central to Vedic teachings.
Religious and Philosophical Influence:
The influence of Vedic religion is profound in Tamil literature, especially in the Bhakti (devotional) movement that emerged prominently in the early medieval period. The #Nayanars (Shaivite saints) and #Alvars (Vaishnavite saints) drew heavily from Vedic traditions, integrating Vedic deities and rituals into their devotional hymns. This synthesis helped in the spread of Vedic religious practices in the Tamil-speaking regions, leading to the construction of grand temples and the performance of elaborate Vedic rituals.
Integration of Vedic Rituals:
Vedic rituals and ceremonies, described extensively in the Vedas, were integrated into Tamil society and literature. Descriptions of yagnas (sacrificial rituals), recitations of mantras, and other Vedic customs are found in Tamil texts, indicating a blend of Dravidian and Vedic practices. This cultural amalgamation is vividly portrayed in the classical Tamil epics such as "#Silappatikaram" and "#Manimekalai," where Vedic rituals are depicted alongside indigenous traditions.
Influence on Tamil Grammar and Poetics:
The development of Tamil grammar and poetics also bears the mark of Vedic influence. The #Tolkappiyam, the ancient Tamil grammar, reflects an understanding of linguistic principles that resonate with the grammatical frameworks of Sanskrit. The categorization of sounds, the structure of poetry, and the rules of prosody in Tamil literature show a sophisticated interplay with the Vedic linguistic tradition.
For many such nuggets from the history of Bharat do dive into this book.
August 6, 2023
Its an important book that gives us better perspective.
May 23, 2023
The author, Dr. Meenakshi Jain, is one of the few legitimate historians on the Indic anti-left. After hearing recently that this was her lifelong(-ish) project on tracing the civilizational history of Bharat, I was eager to get my hands on the book and I'm mostly not disappointed.
The book is extremely well-researched and rigorous with its analysis and tracing the history of the civilization. What's especially rewarding is her exploration of Hindu law and how it related to different communities, and serves as a great reference point for the ancient Aryan perspective in relation to foreign empires. The book personally helped me trace the origin of brahmanical slurs such as "hunavidya", "turkavasi", "yavana" and such - each of these invasions left an intergenerational trauma on the indic high culture.
Having said that, the book shouldn't be used as evidence of absence of conflict in the Indic subcontinent. Firstly, the author skips over the timeless history of peaceful abrahamic settlements along malabar coast. Secondly, there is no mention of intra-hindu conflicts such as the lingayat-jain conflict or even the (pre-historic) naga-arya culture clash. Lastly, the book sticks to an "indo-gangetic" perspective on Bharat, and does not explore the indochinese history of the civilization.
The book is extremely well-researched and rigorous with its analysis and tracing the history of the civilization. What's especially rewarding is her exploration of Hindu law and how it related to different communities, and serves as a great reference point for the ancient Aryan perspective in relation to foreign empires. The book personally helped me trace the origin of brahmanical slurs such as "hunavidya", "turkavasi", "yavana" and such - each of these invasions left an intergenerational trauma on the indic high culture.
Having said that, the book shouldn't be used as evidence of absence of conflict in the Indic subcontinent. Firstly, the author skips over the timeless history of peaceful abrahamic settlements along malabar coast. Secondly, there is no mention of intra-hindu conflicts such as the lingayat-jain conflict or even the (pre-historic) naga-arya culture clash. Lastly, the book sticks to an "indo-gangetic" perspective on Bharat, and does not explore the indochinese history of the civilization.
October 1, 2023
Meenakshi Jain studied and worked for this book for almost a decade. I was eagerly waiting for this book of her when I came to know that she is writing on this topic. This book will give you answers of what civilization is all about. Meenakshi Jain highlights the underlying features of Indian civilization, that were manifest from its founding moments, and that remained unchanged over the millennia. The book is a spellbinding work of meticulous research on what make us Hindus. Meenakshi ji outlines the streams of thoughts and ideas of the Hindus of Hindustan through the ages to help us understand the civilisation and the people we were.
It's a mammoth work of incredible painstaking research and unfailing citations in establishing continuity, adaptability and resilience of our civilisation. All your life you have been a Hindu and maybe many lives before, but still you've never had this goldmine of information that only Meenakshi Jain could provide. She points out that all three major religions of the ancient era, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, grew in tandem, often sharing the same cultural roots and symbols that emerged on this soil. This book educates us about the landscape of Bharat and why we worship our land. she gives a fair referenced than those agenda driven history. She proves it that unifying the whole subcontinent was not a British phenomenon.
Historian Meenakshi Jain has become the leading light of truth, writing real history against ideological posturing, and forging paths for future historians. Meenakshi Jain has been vilified and cancelled by the Left ecosystem long time back. She didn’t cowed down to any bully. Her earlier work laid the foundation for reclaiming Ayodhya; her previous book gave us evidence for Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura and her other book demolished colonial construct of Sati. This latest book proves how the Hindu Civilisation has always been a continuum. Hindus owe a huge debt of gratitude to Jain and her tireless scholarship.
It's a mammoth work of incredible painstaking research and unfailing citations in establishing continuity, adaptability and resilience of our civilisation. All your life you have been a Hindu and maybe many lives before, but still you've never had this goldmine of information that only Meenakshi Jain could provide. She points out that all three major religions of the ancient era, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, grew in tandem, often sharing the same cultural roots and symbols that emerged on this soil. This book educates us about the landscape of Bharat and why we worship our land. she gives a fair referenced than those agenda driven history. She proves it that unifying the whole subcontinent was not a British phenomenon.
Historian Meenakshi Jain has become the leading light of truth, writing real history against ideological posturing, and forging paths for future historians. Meenakshi Jain has been vilified and cancelled by the Left ecosystem long time back. She didn’t cowed down to any bully. Her earlier work laid the foundation for reclaiming Ayodhya; her previous book gave us evidence for Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura and her other book demolished colonial construct of Sati. This latest book proves how the Hindu Civilisation has always been a continuum. Hindus owe a huge debt of gratitude to Jain and her tireless scholarship.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews