Hindu traditions

An editorial selection for comparing processes, events, and lives. The interval and counts describe selected records, not the historical boundaries or importance of the subject.

Canonical records: 64
Events: 29
People: 4
Processes and periods: 31

Compare in the atlas Selection criteria and limits

Topics represented

Religion (62) · Hindu traditions (62) · Temples and pilgrimage (14) · Bhakti (9) · Śaivismo (8) · Vaiṣṇavismo (7) · Living heritage (6) · Politics and nationalism (5) · Law and state (4) · Épicas y memoria (4) · Śaktismo (4) · Védico y brahmánico (4)

View distribution by region and period

Canonical records by regional label and start date. These are numerical analysis bins, not universal historical periods. A multi-region record appears in multiple rows; do not add rows as a unique-record total.
Region	3000–1 BCE	1–1499	1500–1799	1800–1899	1900–1999	Since 2000
Africa	0	0	0	0	0	0
Americas	0	0	0	0	1	0
Asia	12	25	4	5	9	9
Europe	0	0	0	0	0	0
Oceania	0	0	0	0	0	0
Global / no specific region	0	0	0	0	0	2

Records and sources

Ordered by start date. Long lives and processes may begin before the period you want to study.

c. 1100
Lingayat/Virashaiva movements
Communities linked to Basava developed distinctive practices and literatures; their classification as “Hindu” is contested.
c. 1238–c. 1264
Sun Temple at Konark
The Surya temple illustrates regional devotion, art, and patronage in Odisha.
c. 1238–c. 1317
Madhva and Dvaita Vedanta
Madhva founded a dualist Vedanta lineage continuing in southern Vaishnava communities.
1336–1646
Vijayanagara and pilgrimage centres
Vijayanagara patronized diverse temples and ritual centers; avoid a Hindu-bloc-versus-Islam narrative.
c. 1400
Kabir and shared bhakti idioms
Poetry attributed to Kabir crosses devotional and social boundaries and belongs exclusively to no one tradition.
c. 1479–c. 1531
Vallabha and Pushtimarg
Pushtimarg organized Krishna devotion with western Indian centers and later diasporas.
1486–1533
Chaitanya and Gaudiya Vaishnavism
Chaitanya became central to Krishna bhakti in Bengal and Odisha; later expansion created transregional networks.
1526–1707
Hindu traditions in Mughal India
Temples, elites, and local law changed unevenly; neither uniform coexistence nor uniform persecution fits.
c. 1574
Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas
The Awadhi retelling of Rama became an influential devotional text with diverse receptions.
1674–1818
Maratha ritual patronage
Maratha networks shaped shrine patronage and regional politics; a state is not all Hindu traditions.
c. 1772
Colonial construction of “Hindu law”
British administration reshaped plural practices into colonial “Hindu law” categories.
1828
Brahmo Sabha and Bengali reform
Rammohun Roy founded the Brahmo Sabha; its reform ideas critically engaged Hindu traditions.
1829
Regulation prohibiting sati
The colonial regulation requires context of reformers, local debate, and colonial power, not a single religious cause.
1860–1930
Mass devotional print culture
Chromolithographs and presses circulated deities and household images at scale without making practice uniform.
1875
Founding of Arya Samaj
Dayananda Sarasvati founded a Vedic reform movement with educational and shuddhi programs.
1893
Vivekananda in Chicago
His appearance helped shape global presentations of Vedanta and yoga but did not universally represent the traditions.
1915
Hindu Mahasabha
A political association articulating “Hindu” in modern nationalisms; it is not equivalent to devotional practice.
1925
Founding of RSS
RSS emerged as a Hindu nationalist organization: a specific sociopolitical actor, not a synonym for the tradition.
1936
Travancore Temple Entry Proclamation
It opened public temples to excluded communities; preceding Dalit and anti-caste struggles must also be recognized.
1947
Indian independence and Partition
Partition caused mass violence and displacement; it should not be coded as only religious conflict.
1949–1950
Constitution: religious freedom and administration
The Constitution took effect in 1950; its legal definitions do not settle theological boundaries.
1955–1956
Codification of Hindu personal law
Marriage and succession laws reformed personal law; their legal categories include distinct identities.
1964
Founding of Vishwa Hindu Parishad
VHP is a contemporary transnational Hindu mobilization organization, not a sole religious spokesperson.
c. 1965
New migration and diasporas in the United States
U.S. immigration reform enabled new Asian migration; it does not itself measure Hindu affiliation.
1966
Founding of ISKCON
ISKCON organized an international Krishna-centered Gaudiya bhakti network.
2008
Ramlila as living heritage
UNESCO inscribed diverse enactments of Rama’s story; local diversity of forms and audiences is retained.
2011
Census and religious self-identification
The census publishes declared administrative counts, not an inventory of beliefs, castes, or practices.
2014
UN creates International Day of Yoga
Yoga has Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and secular genealogies that must not be erased.
2016
Yoga inscribed by UNESCO
The heritage inscription describes a broad practice, not exclusive religious ownership.
2017
Kumbh Mela inscribed by UNESCO
The inscription recognizes a major pilgrimage and gathering cycle with diverse sites, calendars, and authorities.