Vedic period

Vedic period or Vedic age (c. 1500 – c. 500 BCE) is the period in the history of the northern Indian subcontinent between the end of the urban Indus Valley Civilisation and a second urbanisation which began in the central Indo-Gangetic Plain c. 600 BCE. It gets its name from the Vedas, which are liturgical texts containing details of life during this period that have been interpreted to be historical and constitute the primary sources for understanding the period. These documents, alongside the corresponding archaeological remains, provide a detailed view of the period.

Overview

The Vedic period is characterised by Indo-Aryan culture associated with the texts of Vedas, sacred to Hindus, which were orally composed in Vedic Sanskrit. The Vedas are some of the oldest extant texts in India and one of the oldest religious texts in the world. The Vedic period saw the emergence of a hierarchy of social classes, or varna, which would later evolve into the caste system, and the laws of Manu.

Vedic Texts

The Vedas are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. The Vedas are Apauruṣeya ("not of human agency"). They are supposed to have been directly revealed, and thus are called śruti ("what is heard"), distinguishing them from other religious texts, which are called smṛti ("what is remembered").

Society and Culture

The society of this time was predominantly rural. The life of the people of the Vedic age was closely related to their natural environment. The society was patriarchal and patrilineal, but women were given a higher position than they got in the later periods. The society was divided into four varnas: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras.

Religion

The religion of the Vedic period was the religion of the Indo-Aryans of northern India. It is a historical predecessor of modern Hinduism, though significantly different from it. The religion of the early Vedic period is often called the Indo-Aryan religion.

Conclusion

The Vedic period was a significant era in the history of the Indian subcontinent. It laid the foundation for the development of classical Indian culture and had a profound impact on the social, religious, and cultural life of the people.