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Book Review A History of Hinduism: The Past, Present and Future: By R.Ramachandran (2018), Sage Publications India Pvt. Ltd. And Vitasta Publishing Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi 110044, India, pp XXXI+298 including Contents; List of Figures; Chronology of Personalities, Events and Institutions; Preface; Introduction; References and Index ISBN 978-93-528-0698-0(PB) A History of Hinduism: The Past, Present and Future is a book written by R.Ramachandran, an Indian Indologist and retired professor of Geography, University of Delhi. Professor Ramachandran, since his retirement in 1996, has been devoting his time to the study of Hindu scriptures in original Sanskrit and the book under review is an outcome of his post retirement time utilisation. The book is in the nature of a historiography reecting author's perception and understanding as well as his professional training and experience as a social scientist. At the outset, author clearly states that it is not a treatise on religious text, or a religious document rather it is an academic contribution adopting humanistic approach with spatial and temporal lenses. He believes that Hinduism has existed from the time the Indian subcontinent was settled around 12000 years ago and since then it has grown into a giant tree having thousands of roots and branches in course of time. He compares Hinduism with the example of an elephant being described by six blind men and everyone explaining it in their own manner. A History of Hinduism: Past, Present and Future implies that there are more than one history of Hinduism and none of them are the sole truth. Hence it needs a framework to understand the linkages and the author established a chronology of religious texts in terms of their style and content and extending it to the history by relating to the events and movements outside the Hinduism. Main body of the text begins with Sanskrit based religion starting with Rigvedic, Mimamsa, Buddhism, Jainism, Smritis, Epics, Puranas and Bhakti Movement in a time sequence. Rigveda as a religious text written in Sanskrit and its verses and language have many unique attributes which has separate dictionary. It also gives an account of the migration stream in ve distinct stages during 1500 BC to 1000 AD when it moved from central Asia to upper Indus Basin, upper Yamuna, Middle Ganga Plain,Vindhyan and Vidarbha to the far south. Mimamsa is considered to be the core of Vedic religion practiced diligently for over 2000 years which formed the base of Manusmriti. Uttara Mimamsa deals with Upanishads and its basic concepts, their types, contents and mode of presentation (question-answer format) and its need for understanding Hinduism. Chapters on Buddhism and Jainism emphasized that the two sects dominated the religious scene but witnessed downfall because of its elitist approach. The two Epics Ramayana and Mahabharata) hold a special place among Hindus and the author considers that the two epics are mythology which aims to educate the common people on the principles of Dharma through the behavior and life style of Rama and Yudhisthir in Treta yuga and consequences of Adharma representing Ravana and Duryodhana in Dwapar yug. On the basis of texts cited in the epics it has been rmly established that these two epics have nothing to do with history or geography However the concept of territory, core, periphery and boundaries are well explained. The emergence of Puranic religion is viewed in the context of changing relation of Brahman and Kshatriya and the mechanism to retain the power, importance and 432 relevance and to obtain benets from the king. The author has justied the addition of two chapters one on Adi Sankara, who successfully integrated Bhakti and Jnana: the two paths which most of the Hindus follow; and the other chapter is on the origin and growth of Hindu temples from 5th Century AD onwards. Unlike the Epics and Puranas, temples have been more accessible and have always been the focus of religious activities. The Author has vividly explained geographical characteristics, functions, periodicity, source of income and the area of inuence of such temples. Origin and growth of temples is closely related to the origin and growth of Bhakti Movement and has been critically examined in a separate chapter. The bhakti movement originated in the south during 6th century AD and moved northward when it was under the Muslim inuence whose impact differed sharply over the space. In the extreme south, Islam had virtually no impact on Hinduism while the Northwest came entirely under its inuence. Elsewhere particularly in the gangetic plain, Muslim impact led to the elimination of vedic religion. But Hinduism survived in the form of Puranic religion with idol worship, bhakti and bhajans. The impact of Muslims over Hindus led to the emergence of a common language (Hindustani) which established a cultural bond in South Asia. With the East India Company, Christian Missionaries started converting the local population to Christianity in the 19th century where they could succeed in converting the less privileged classes of the society in south India resulting into the establishment of educational institutions in big towns and cities. The success was less in north India but the pattern remained the same. In the 20th century, Christian Missionaries focused more on tribal areas of Bihar, Odisha and North Eastern region and a great success was recorded in Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland. While talking about the present status of Hinduism, author rmly believes that there is a considerable move towards liberal attitude and religious freedom observing their own choices of ritual practices. As far as future of Hinduism is considered, it is at the crossroads because of the ongoing transformation in the contemporary society, economy and culture and in coming years, people might not be associating with any religion and the method of meditation, yoga and Vedanta may form the bases of future religious practices. The book is an original contribution of the author, lucidly written, brilliantly explained and logically interpreted, exfoliating various layers of Hinduism with authentic citations from the original Sanskrit texts which is a testimony of author's understanding for Sanskrit knowledge. However the chapters on Uttara Mimamsha, Jainism and Buddhism have introduced some confusion regarding the chronology of events. Besides, while giving an account of Mahabharata, Vidura is claimed to be the eldest half brother which does not match with the prevailing acceptance. Similarly, the debate between Adi Sankara and Mandan Misra (a scholar of Mimamsha) took place at Mahishmati on the northern bank of Narmada. This is also against the notion that Mahishi dominated by Maithil Brahmins is a village in Saharsa district of North Bihar. I believe the author would certainly have the reliable sources for these facts. The book could be useful for the large section of academia and indologists interesting in understanding the diversied nature of Hinduism. Dr.Arun Kumar Singh Professor of Geography Banaras Hindu University Varanasi-221005.