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Introduction: in Time and Space

Preview As a phenomenon of human culture, Hinduism occupies a particular place in time and space. To begin our study of this phenomenon, it is essential to situate it temporally and spatially. We begin by considering how the concept of Hinduism arose in the modern era as a way to designate a purportedly coherent system of beliefs and practices. Since this initial construction has proven inadequate to the of the Hindu religious terrain, we adopt “the Hindu traditions” as a more satisfactory alternative to "Hinduism." The phrase “Hindu traditions” calls attention to the great diversity of practices and beliefs that can be described as “Hindu.” Those traditions are deeply rooted in history and have flourished almost exclusively on the within a rich cultural and religious matrix.

As strange as it may seem, most do The Temporal Context not think of themselves as practicing a reli- gion called Hinduism. Only within the last Through most of the millennia of its history, two centuries has it even been possible for the we know today as Hinduism has them to think in this way. And although that not been called by that name. The word Hin- possibility now exists, many Hindus—if they duism (or Hindooism, as it was first spelled) even think of themselves as Hindus—do not did not exist until the late eighteenth or early regard “Hinduism” as their “religion.” This irony nineteenth century, when it began to appear relates directly to the history of the concept of sporadically in the discourse of the British Hinduism. A brief overview of this history will and administrators who occupied help prepare us for our study of the diverse colonial .1 Within a few decades of its cre- array of phenomena that we include in that ation, Hinduism became more widely accepted concept. Appreciating the origin of the idea of by both Westerners and Indians. But before Hinduism and the context in which Hinduism the word was invented, there was no specific thrives will allow us to approach our subject in name in any language to refer to the religion the proper frame of , with expectations of the Hindus. The indigenous phrase that appropriate for a cultural that is consid- most closely approximates what is now called erably different from that to which most West- Hinduism is sanātana , a erners are accustomed. expression that might be translated as “eternal

1 T he Hindu T r ad i t i ons 2 to theEnglishword religion. equivalent word a fact, lack India,in of guages Indian concept of concept Indian the to equivalent adequate an not is Westthe word the because satisfying completely not religion.”is translation this But was known as known was ,now is and India northwestern once was what in region, This Sanskrit. in Sindhu the called River, was Indus which the flanking tury cen- twelfth the around appeared initially that Hindus. known as people been long had there religion, their for term special no was there Although The Hindus India and,India later, subcontinent the and India for stan became a common name for all of northern c.e. to identify the inhabitants of the area the of inhabitants the identify to a a Od esa word Persian Old an was Hindū . .dharma - lan indigenous The 2 Eventually, as used in used as religion Hindu- of teachings, scriptures, creeds, communities, or identified in that way. There was no central core be might who those to even apparent, readily be “Hindu”to ,meant not it was what from Indians non-Muslim distinguish to way a primarily was it Because clear.from far was term the of way, meaning religious specific the a in intended when Yetboth. even sometimes and identity, geographical sometimes identity, ous. It was sometimes used to indicate religious of meaning the so, Even Muslims. not were who those India identify of to inhabitants used always almost was It a with a particular religious orientation. however,word the would meanby “Indian.” today we what than more nothing meant all;it sense, Intro.2).(figure original whole its Thus,a in as oeie ewe 10 ad 1500 and 1200 between Sometime had no religious connotations at connotations religious no had Hindu also came to refer to refer to came also Hindu and S and wiki/File: http://commons.wikimedia.org/ of N A Pakistan, I of nations modern the comprises region H called then was what of divisions political the displays map century nineteenth- early This century. nineteenth the in Subcontinent Indian Fig. - ambigu was Hindu industan. Today, this industan. epal, B epal, I ri L ri ntro.1 H indostan_1814.jpg.) angladesh, B angladesh, anka. anka. fghanistan, fghanistan, (Photo courtesy courtesy (Photo ndia, ndia, hutan, hutan, c.e., 3

3 Introduction—Hinduism in Time and Space - - - Brah- Adi Adi Shankaracha- Advaita Advaita , a pandit , , which they took to be the With these assumptions, the British and (see chapter 8). They(see identifiedchapter 8). sacreda set systematically. A clearlysystematically. identifiable was responsible for interpreting these texts to the who laity, gathered at for meetings to . their and express understand other Europeans involved in managing studying created a conception and of Hinduism that met They their expectations. identified a system of thought that constituted That Hinduism. of core the be to took they what essential was highly influential system formulated great south Indian by the rya of texts, the scriptural source of this And philosophy. they the identified an ecclesiastical hierarchy, mins, members of the priestly and intellectual Hindu- considered Europeans the whom , authorities interpreters. religious and ism’s The Hindu Adoption of “Hinduism” The Once created, this conception became widely influential,governing the way notonly West erners but also many Hindus thought Indian aboutIndian religion. adoption of the idea of Hindus Hinduismto somemeant degree, that, relied on Europeans to tell them what Hindu ism was. For instance, before the eighteenth century, only a small number Vedas, of the with acquaintance much upper-castehad Indians the , or even the , some of the most important texts history. But in when Indian these texts were translated by Europeans and heralded as Hindu ture, other scrip upper-caste Hindus became aware of these books for the first time andaccepted them as the sacred sources of With their these religion. texts in hand, they began to take pride in the historically ancient but newly came to be an be to came Hindu . . Hindū Hinduism thus Indian—came to - desig Hindu as a religious identity , , Hinduism an English neologism The British tended to think of this “Hindu- this of think to tended British The -ism to the Persian ism” in the much same manner as they thought ism” of their own religion. , especially its thus Protestant manifestation, served as the largely unconscious prototype for the way they the British From point of imagined Hinduism. a was religion fundamentally a unified set view, of doctrines pertaining to in and a code of behavior based on this belief. were doctrines these which on books sacred had founded and creeds in which they were set out As Western cultures developed greater inter- est in India—especially as the British sought control of India’s commerce beginning in the eighteenth century—understanding the Hin- dus and their religion became more important to Both administrators Western the and West. Christian missionaries considered it necessary to their work to describe and comprehend this were efforts century, nineteenth the By religion. under way to ascertain the essential nature of Hindu beliefs and Thepractices. Britishrelied on their own observations, as well as informa- tion provided to them by upper-caste Hindus, to shape their conception began they word, of indigenous suitable a Lacking this “religion.” to refer to formed by adding the anglicized Greek fix suf- joined as one of the only world - reli named forgions a place. The Invention of “Hinduism” Invention The practices practices that could be specified as forming the of Hindu identity. As other terms— particularly the word identity, geographical nate no clearer. remained exclusively religious designation. But the spe- cific meaning of T he Hindu T r ad i t i ons 4 that was substantially articulated by Westerners. the West a version of indigenous to Indian religion teaching representatives, global its became Hinduism of conception homogenized ated, negoti this adopted who intellectuals Hindu attractive.Nevertheless,less found have might of the ancient traditions that Western audiences aspects those omitting Hinduism, of diversity essence the as it presenting in but Hinduism, of form genuine a describe fact in did view kananda’s Vive Hinduism. genuine of expression the as interpretation his Hindus—accepted as Westerners—aswell many that successful so was Vivekananda god. one the about ideas of tion exposi systematic a was itwell: very religion a AdvaitaVedanta the fit expectationWestern of Hinduism. of form authentic Vedanta—asthe teaching a particular Hindu tradition—Advaita England,and States United thetoured quently subse Vivekananda speech, his received Following warmly world. the to acceptance and toleranceuniversal gions,”taught that faith the reli of mother “the be to Hinduism declared Vivekananda world, the around from religions of representatives of assembly this to address Vivekananda this act was the renowned appearance of Swami of symbol foremost The construction. British the by informed substantially was that duism Hin of interpretation an audiences Western to present to began Hindus concept,some the it. presented books these believed they as least Hinduism—at identified ate is how impoverished—and distorted—this distorted—this impoverished—and how is ate appreci - to increasingly begun have we What The Problemswith“Hinduism” ment of Religions in Chicago in Religions ofment n n motn se twr solidifying toward step important an In f idim e elce te great the neglected he Hinduism of t h 1893 the at ol’ Parlia World’s . 4 In his keynote keynote his In ------ism, , of elements contains Hinduism view, of points various From reality. ultimate the about believe to possible is that everything almost believe Hindus contrary, the On god. traditions Hindu the that suggest to not is This Hinduism. defining for inappropriate clearly is it traditions, religious other for suitable is characterization this not or god.Whether about beliefs of set a as religion define still many today even that view this was British were first colonizing India.So influential among European intellectuals near the time the zenith its reaching was which Enlightenment, the of legacy a was manner this in religion of Conceiving god. about doctrines or beliefs of system a as traditions Hindu the imagined it Western construction of Hinduism was the way turn. every complex that defies our expectations at virtually religious a approach we as have may ourselves we expectations problematic dispel help also will it era; modern the in Hinduism of history not only provide us with key information about the will construct this of distortions the ing Explor- Hindus. of experience religious actual this initial construction of Hinduism the skews which in ways the examine to us for vital is it territory,this of religiousstudy our begin we terrain.As Hindu the of reality empirical vast the to compared when is conception original entirety of the Hindu religious structure.religious Hindu the of There entirety the characterizes coherence or system such no divine,the about views of but coherentset ably reason- a hold may community Hindu ticular par - a or Hindu individual An Hinduism. of that can be defined as the essence orfoundation not comprise a uniform set or integrated system ism. ehp te ot ruln apc o the of aspect troubling most the Perhaps u a ti ls sget, hs bles do beliefs these suggests, list this as But , , , and even even and , , eif about beliefs lack , panthe- athe- 5 Introduction—Hinduism in Time and Space

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7 Rig-Veda. ) an attitude that is possibly as closepossiblyas to is that attitude an ) by Since the Hindu traditions lack a single Yet Yet Hinduism’s and plural- laity. Thelaity. often serve as priests and specialists, particularly in temples. They are chiefly concerned with the sacred texts for - exege not recitation, ceremonial of purpose the are Brahmins Furthermore, explanation. and sis homes, In priests. as serve who ones only the not the Hindus, most forlife religious of center the as functions usuallyfamily the of woman senior or ritual leader. pujari, scripture or ecclesiastical hierarchy, admit no and single embrace creed, an immense array of fashion, unsystematic an in practices and beliefs discovering an essence of - Hinduism—some thing that characterizes all well-nigh impossible. Hindus—seems Novelist E. M. Forster said it “Thewell: fissures in the Indian soilare infinite: so Hinduism, solid from a is distance, riven into and clans, which radiate and join, and change their names according to the which approached.” they are aspect from Hindu traditions, Hindu at traditions, their honor best, all seek- ers after this truth and recognize that different and to relating of ways different require thinking about . ism have produced (or perhaps have been - pro duced a characteristic Hindu quality as we may find. That outlook is the belief that there are many justlyA partiallyeach correct. viewpoints, valid famous passage from the oldest Hindu scrip- ture makes this “Thepoint: wise speak of what is One in many ways,” states the Hinduism Today Today in India, the concept of Hinduism increasingly accepted is by the communities who Westwere identified asreligiously Hin- by the In dus. the last several there decades, has been There is 6 believe many Abrahamic traditions, It is hard to overstate the - tremen 5 Nor do the Hindu traditions have a sacred, do Nor the Hindu traditions have a sacred, It would be misleading to think, further - dous range of ideas and practices embraced by the Hindu traditions. One scholar calls India a “veritable laboratory of religion: everything imaginable seems to have been tried out, and nothing ever completely rejected.” canonical scripture that or the the New Tanakh, Testament, Qur’an functions of like the there are sacred True, the . texts in Hinduism—indeed, more texts than one finds in Judaism, Christianity, and . major- vast the by read not are books these But ity of and Hindus, those for whom these texts are meaningful—mainly the not function Brahmins—do principally as interpreters for the this is not the case with the traditions origi- nating in India. Hindus not only different and sometimes contradictory things, but the significance they assign to belief itself an is belief Hindus, some For widely. varies also ’s of realization complete the to impediment beliefsthese For Hindus, must ultimate reality. the attain to is one if transcendedaltogether be highest level of spiritual awareness. more, that more, the Hindu traditions are essentially belief While doctrine. and belief with concerned and doctrine have been extremely important for practitioners of the probably no theological or religious conception observance that cannot be found in Hinduism. incorpo- and preserved are ideas and Traditions rated into the larger whole without an attempt to make the various parts consistent with one highlyis and Hinduism individualistic another. encourages its practitioners to structure their spiritual in ways that best suit their indi- vidual needs and temperaments. are, therefore, no therefore, are, creeds or statements of faith to which all Hindus—or even most—would subscribe. T he Hindu T r ad i t i ons 6 The term term The Hinduism.as known be to come has that plex related to and constituent of the historical com- , mores, , and social structures array of religious complete communities, the systems of belief, mean we phrase this By tions.” tradi- “Hindu expression the prefer shall we book this throughout , and gions reli- these for term umbrella an as Hinduism defining their religious identity. precisely about concerned much not simply are practice,of level Hindus many everyday the on indicate,examples these saint.As Muslim a or venerate the spirits of a sacred tree, Christ, might ,Shaivites or and the ship wor- occasion on might Vaishnavitesentities. discrete as devotion of forms these of conceive we if misleading potentially is religions many these comprising as Hinduism Yetof thinking word the first things Westerners think of when they hear markings called forehead by symbolized is duism” - “Hin called religion a to than rather god lar - particu a to Devotion goddess). the , of follower “Shakta”(a or ), of follower (a “Vaishnavite” Shiva), of follower (a “Shaivite” as themselves toclassify likely more are They community a of as such goddess, or god particular a of as devotees themselves consider Hindus most duism, Hin- practicing as themselves regarding Rather than India. in acceptance universal enjoys tion inHindufestivals, , andpilgrimage. - participa of upsurge an by accompanied been has it and , Hindu in rise a this which translates as “Hinduness.” We might call word the of use the in increase an ,Shiva Although a case can be made for retaining for made be can case a Although means no by Hinduism of idea the But wih r feunl oe f the of one frequently are which ,tilaks may be fine as long as its as long as fine be may Hinduism Hindu or ,Vishnu dedicated to a specific . specific a to dedicated (box Intro.1; figure Intro.2). figure Intro.1; (box o a members as or , Hindūtva, or ed ntig hy ae od o quite fits.” you told have they nothing head, your raise you when and teachers, of best the with when he wrote of Hinduism, “Study it for years this understood Forster M. E. language. simply defy traditions Hindu the of components textures,and arevital that smells and tastes the sounds the forms, and colors there.The being of experience the for substitute cannot simply no matter how accurate and beautifully written, India,of descriptions travel.Literary course,is India. The best way to acquire this familiarity, of of especially,land and,most the context Asian South its with acquaintance musttionsinclude an adequate understanding of the Hindu tradi- Jews, for meaning its and Palestine of land the of appreciation requires Judaism of study the as traditions.Just Hindu the with case the not is such contours, geographical their to erence ref- no or little with religiousgrasped be can traditions some of features salient the While The SpatialContext andpractices. trines doc- of set core a share Hindus that assume to temptation any disrupt to serves and practices Hindu natureof pluralistic the to attention ing - draw in forthright traditions”more is “Hindu But mind. in kept is character problematical the areas immediately adjacent to India (figure India to adjacentimmediatelyareas the Asia,South of countries other the in live cent per 5 remaining the of Most there. live dus Hin all ofpercent 95 that traditionsis Hindu reasonsimportantthethe soofto OneIndia is Where HindusLive the Hinducontext. understanding for impressions essential some 9 But short of a journey, we can still provide - - 7 Introduction—Hinduism in Time and Space (Photo evi wear indus wear the induism. 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ntro ndia Cultural Center and , E I ntro.2 evotees who apply horizontal stripes across the forehead using vibhuti lthough H ox I tilak but for some only, I wear it every day. of spiritual insight. Particular markings furthermay symbolize the deity whom to one especially is devoted. D B A preclude their worship of other . is a specialA tilak is marking frequently used indicate to religious identity inH not be confused with the allegiance the to god Shiva. They also apply may a dot made with sandalwood paste or kum-kum (colored turmeric or saffron to thecenter of thepowder) forehead. The those tilak for Vaishnavites, dedicated to the worship of the god Vishnu, comprises thin vertical lines connected the at bridge of the nose in a U shape. from Clay a sacred river or sandalwood paste used is design. this make to Worshipers of D a single red dot or a vertical line made of kum-kum Fig. courtesy of I T he Hindu T r ad i t i ons 8 mirns rm ni hv as established also have India from Immigrants world.the of parts other in Hinduism of eties vari from different quite form religious a tice prac and Hindu are of islandIndonesian nesia.percent90 theinhabitantsOver of theof Indo ,and ,,the Laos, , Burma, , especially Asia, Southeast across found be may Hindus of populations smaller Subcontinent, Indian million.twothe Beyond nearnumber and tion popula total the of percent 15 about up make Lanka,island Sri of justsouthIndia, of Hindus the On Britain. Great from independence its to prior India of part were ,which PakistanMuslimstatesofthe living in dusand democracy. largest world’s There are about the fifteen million Hin being on itself prides and nation a secular officially is India of Republic earth,religiousonmostpeople the the perhaps are Indiansreligion. Although the is ism Hindu where nation only the , in live Intro.3).Approximately millionHindustwenty 1/28/11 First proof Subcontinent 0.2Indian AFP15 Map IRAN 0 0 n a i b a r A DADRA &NAGAR HAVELI a e S PAKISTAN 500 km 500

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9 Introduction—Hinduism in Time and Space anskrit antali indhi S S S Tamil Telugu nglish, which has become a lingua is a religious tradition that Muslims make up about 13 percent of the Concentrated in the region known as the Religions When it comes to religion, the India is one of the Republic most pluralistic of all places of currently who Hindus, the Besides world. the in comprise about 80 percent of the population, tradi- religious of variety wide a profess Indians tions and practices. Each of these non-Hindu traditions has a historical Hinduism. relationship Sometimes with that relationship involved friction and has sometimesconflict; it has been has it sometimes competition; of one been enrichment. of mutual a relationship Indian population. The Republic Indiaof has the world’s third-largest Muslim population, next to In and many Pakistan. ways, Islam is diametrically opposed to and theologically, Hinduism this difference has been the source of much conflict between practitioners North- in live Muslims Most religions. those of ern WhenIndia. we study modern Hinduism, we shall explore the between relationship Hin- detail (chapter 12). duism and Islam in greater , - - - ndia I

Indi f 11 o - Conse s 12 riya epali Konkani Maithili Malayalam Manipuri Marathi N O Punjabi anguage ndia lists twenty-two official languages. E L icial ndians, not is one of them. epublic of I Off

.2 ntro I ox t present, the R ogri indi ssamese engali odo franca for I many B A A B B D Gujarati H Kashmiri ans derive from a host of racial and ethnic stocks. stocks. ethnic and racial of host a from derive ans appear Indian standard no is there Accordingly, Indians manifest many colors different ance. of characteristics. physical different many and skin Languages The many languages spoken in India further compound and complicate this cultural rich- ness. According to the Republic government of India, there of are twenty-two the offi- cial languages with at least one million native speakers each (box In Intro.2). addition, there are hundreds of which dialects, raise the count to an estimated 850 languages do not furthermore, allThese derive in languages, daily use. from the same language groups. tinue, India will surpass China by 2030. tinue, People People Republic the people, billion one than more With in country populous most second the is India of con trends If current to next China. the world, quently, basic communication between Indians quently, from differentregions is often difficult at best. English Increasingly, is often used as a lingua franca educated among Indians. T he Hindu T r ad i t i ons 10 about 2percent oftheIndianpopulation. Today,constitutefrictions. those to reduce sought initially Sikhism conflict, Hindu- Muslim of deal great a seen has that area an in century Hinduism fifteenth the Islam.Foundedin and both of elements together brings Fig. Kashmir is that of Jesus of N of Jesus of isthat Kashmir T LINE r Ito5. udim rs drn a time a during arose Buddhism (fig- Intro.5). today ure there following small a only has the of population. Indian total percent 2 about comprise Presently, Intro.4). (figure messiah Christian the of that be to reputed Kashmir in tomb a even is There his there. died with and Mary, India mother, to returned Jesus accounts), some to according survived, he (which cifixion cru his after Palestine; in ministry public his before sages Hindu and Buddhists with India in studied himself Jesus that Other suggest Chennai. legends of city the near buried and martyred apostles.Jesus’was of twelve Thomas one Thomas, “Doubting” by India to brought was faith Christian the legend, to According espe India, subcontinent. the of part southern the in in cially established long tradition a O C I lhuh one i India, in founded Although is Christianity that unaware are Many ntro.4 ntro.4 O M E C REDI

T T LINE S Tomb Jesus. of O C O M E azareth. azareth. .) ome believe this tomb in in tomb this believe ome (C REDI T T LINE Buddhism O C O M E C 13 REDI T - - period (fifth century century (fifth period Fig. Commons, Tevaprapas.) Commons, in the religious history of S of history religious the in B by played role important the recalls Museum, share common ideas and practices.and ideas commonshare Bud- Many traditions two easy.The always not is two the distinguishing that Hinduism, and such dhism has long been a close relationship between Bud- today,there million four or three only around extinction. Although Indian Buddhists number subcontinent was brought nearly to the point of the on Buddhism’s following period, medieval dominant religion of the country. But in the late and even threatened to eclipse Hinduism as the history,Indian of periods flourished Buddhism medieval early and ancient late the In 4). ter - (chap and traditions Hindu classical the of formation precipitatedthe that upheaval millennium first the of middle the in ferment religious intense of I ntro.5

This image from the Gupta the from image This Buddha. The c . e .), now on display at the S the at display .), on now outh A outh , the same cultural cultural same the b.c.e., sia. (Photo courtesy of Creative Creative of courtesy (Photo uddhism uddhism arnath arnath 11 Introduction—Hinduism in Time and Space - - henotheism Jainism monism monotheism panentheism pandit polytheism pujari Conclusion By considering the development of the idea of Hinduism and its problematic aspects, and by introducing the cultural contexts of the Hindu traditions, we are better prepared to how and what these traditions discuss came We to be. assume readily too not should we that seen have that the Hindu traditions fit Western expec- tations of what a religion ought to we should resist be. the temptation to importantly, Most impose a coherence and consistency on these would “Hinduism” a Such whole. a as traditions not be Hindu. lim control in SmallIran. Jewish communities have existed in India for at least 2,500 years. hightoleration religiousof diversity India’s has meant that Indian Jews have suffered almost none of the anti-Semitism they have experi enced in other parts of the world. thirtythanmore Theresynagogues throughoutIndia, are sev although notToday, all of them are active. eral hundred thousand Indians belong to the Jewish and communities. Parsi ) ------ahimsā to avoid Mus . Both religious . c.e. c.e. S is not as widely known in the West West the in known widely as not is TERM

EY , practitioners of the ancientreliIranianpractitionersthe of , K urga Jainism diver religious of picture this out round To industan brahamic traditions brahamic ◆ A animism Bhārata Brahmins Buddhism D H Hindūtva as Buddhism, but it has much in common with common in muchhas it but Buddhism, as of think Hindus Some Hinduism. with it—and as another Hindu reli like Buddhism, Jainism, dhists pray to Hindu gods (although Buddhists Buddhists (although gods Hindu to pray dhists do not consider the gods “Hindu”), and many Hindus revere the Buddha as a manifestation denomination a as Buddhism regard and god of of Hinduism. mil two (about numbers in small Though gion. lion), the Jains significantly influenced Indian life in general and Hindus in particular. The Jain practice of nonviolence ( helped foster the customs of cow and protection vegetarianism in the Hindu traditions and had a profound effecton Mohandas Gandhi’s philosophy. sity in India, let us mention the Jews and the Parsis gionknown as ers fled persecution in their homelands. Zoro astrianism is based on ancient teachings very closelyrelated to the foundations of Hinduism (see chapter The12). Parsis began to leave for India in the eighth century traditions developed in India as their follow T he Hindu T r ad i t i ons 12 ◆ Zoroastrianism World’s Parliament ofR Vivekananda Vishnu Vedas tilaks Sindhu Sikhism Shiva A Shankaracharya, sanātana dharma Rig-Veda Punjab 4. 3. 2. explainthedevelopment oftheidea 1. Q H contributed to (orbeenproduced by) the ofI What aspects Why domostH more adequate alternative? might H “the Why is “H H UE indu appreciation ofdiversity andtolerance? induism. S TION induism” aproblematic concept? Why S F S indu traditions” beconsidered a di OR indus live inI ndian culture may have eligions

REVIEW ndia? ugirtharajah, Sharada. ImaginingHinduism:A Sugirtharajah, L King, R I ◆ 4. 3. 2. 1. ◆ nden, R orenzen, David. I “Who Q For Furt For 2003. Postcolonial Perspective. New York: R ( 41:4 Comparative andHistory StudiesinSociety R Theory, East.” Mystic Indiaand“the New York: 1990. polytheism, andatheism? Can asinglereligion embrace monotheism, “essence”? What isthevalue ofdetermining areligion’s word Hinduism? for theirreligion to prior thecreation ofthe Why might H religion? others beconcerned withunderstandingtheir Why might personsinterested incontrolling UE O outledge, 1999. ichard. andReligion:Postcolonial ct. 1999):630–59. ct. onald. ImaginingIndia . O S TION h S F S er Study er indus have lackedaspecific word OR F nvented H URT H ER xford: Blackwell, induism?”

RE F outledge, LECTION