The Emergence of Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim Dynasties

The roots of what is now known as Hinduism on the Indian subcontinent – and its intersection with politics – can be traced back to the Vedic Period (1500-500 BCE). The Vedas, ancient Sanskrit texts, relate the role of the Brahmin priestly caste in conducting ritual sacrifices at the official level. The end of the Vedic period coincided both with the life of the Buddha (Siddharta Gautama), who sought to purify Hinduism of its perceived worldly entanglements, and with the emergence of larger, regional kingdoms in what is today India. One of the first kings to unify most of the region, the Emperor Asoka Maurya, adopted Buddhism around 260 BCE but did not persecute Hinduism, establishing a dominant pattern of state tolerance of religious diversity. The Gupta Empire, a Hindu dynasty that also patronized Buddhism, rose to prominence during the 4th century CE, followed by the Buddhist Pala Dynasty, which ruled from the 8th to the 12th century CE. The medieval period saw the gradual decline of Buddhism as a social and political force, as well as the largely peaceful spread of Islam through commerce, followed in the 12th century by the Turkish Sultanate. The rise of the Muslim Mughal Empire in the mid-16th century marked a critical turning point. Akbar the Great (1524-1608) tolerated religious diversity, but Muslim-Hindu relations declined in the 17th century when his successors abandoned his policies.