A - Sources of Authority

• Features of the IVC

  • Well-designed cities, advanced for their time (Mohenjo Daro)
  • Seal stones with proto-Shiva on them
  • Figurines → large eyes and exaggerated sexual characteristics
  • Great bath at Mohenjo Daro suggests ritual cleansing
  • Two fireplaces present in households
• Aryan culture


  • Nomadic european warriors
  • Violent disposition, known as the 'smashers of cities'
  • Authors of the Vedas
  • Potentially brought sanskrit with them
• Vedic practices


  1. Yajna → fire sacrifice, potential link to practise of Havan today

  2. Deified elements of the sacrifice e.g. Agni

  3. Mantras believed to have the power to change the world

  4. Offerings and sacrifices - ashvamedha, purushamedha
• Polytheism


  Had a mixture of separate Gods e.g. Indra, Rudra, Varuna
• Vedic society


  • Use of the varna system, originating from the purusha sukta in the Rig Veda
  • Defined by shruti and rta - idea of cosmic order
  • Aryans potentially placed themselves at the top of the varna system when they integrated into the IVC – high percentage of european blood in top varnas today
• Controversy surrounding word 'HINDUISM'
• Hinduism


  • Externally imposed title
  • River Sindhu - geographical location as opposed to common beliefs and practices
  • Idea of Sanatana dharma
• Issues with archaeologists – defining things that are unknown as cult objects
• Imposing ideas from other cultures e.g. hierogamy at the great bath
• Untranslated script leads to guess work
• Argument between invasion and migration

  • Invasion → IVC citizens lacked weapons, Aryans on horseback would greatly intimidate them, Aryans were described as 'smashers of cities'
  • Migration → no mass graves found, references in Vedas to settled cities, varna system and European traits
  • Other ideas → river drying up leads to migration south, where Shiva worship is more prominent today
• Sources of authority - the origins of Hinduism

  • The Indus Valley civilisation and its features
  • The Aryans and their culture
  • Vedic practices – the vedic sacrifice and the structure of Vedic society
  • The origins controversy – conflicting definitions of the word Hinduism
  • Conflict between theories on Indus and Aryan origins
• The Indus Valley civilisation

  • Well designed cities, advanced for their time
  • Mohenjo Daro and Harappa
  • Separate water systems
  • Hierarchy of building and objects found
  • Seal stones
  • Figurines
  • Great Bath
  • Two fireplaces
• The Aryans


  • Nomadic European warriors
  • Violent, 'smashers of cities'
  • Authors of the Vedas
  • Brought Sanskrit?
• Vedic practices – the vedic sacrifice

  1. Yajna

  2. Mantras

  3. Offerings - medha (ashvamedha, purushamedha)

  4. Polytheism

  5. Deified elements of the sacrifice

  6. Link to havan
• Vedic practices – the structure of Vedic society

  • The varna system
  • Purusha sukta in the Rig Veda
  • Shruti and rta
  • Aryans maybe placed themselves at the top when they integrated into IVC society
• Origins controversy – conflicting definitions of the word Hinduism


  • Hinduism as an externally imposed title
  • River Sindhu - geographical location as opposed to common beliefs and practices
  • Maybe no origin of Hinduism because Hinduism as a religion is not a reality
  • Followers of Sanatana Dharma
• Conflict between theories on Indus and Aryan origins

  • Issues with archaeology
  • Cultic objects - TV example
  • Imposing ideas from other cultures - hierogamy
  • Untranslated script leading to guess work
• Conflict between theories on Indus and Aryan origins

  • Invasion or migration?
  • Invasion - lack of weapons, Aryans potentially on horseback, called themselves 'smashers of cities'
  • No invasion/ migration - No mass graves found, Aryans speak about things found in settled cities, varna system and European traits
  • Other ideas - river drying up, Shiva worship more prominent in the South
  • Keep in mind the idea of discourses!