Explore the chronological development of Hindu sacred literature from ancient Vedic texts to modern interpretations.
The foundational period of Hindu literature with the composition of the Vedas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and early Upanishads.
The period of the great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, including the Bhagavad Gita, and early Dharma Shastras.
The compilation of the Puranas, sectarian texts, and philosophical commentaries.
The flourishing of devotional literature in regional languages, including works by saints like Tulsidas, Kabir, and Mirabai.
Modern interpretations, translations, and new religious movements producing their own literature.
The Rigveda, composed around 1500 BCE, is one of the oldest religious texts still in continuous use today. Its hymns are still recited in the same manner as they were thousands of years ago, preserved through a remarkable oral tradition.
