The Myths of India: The History and Legacy of Mythology across the Indian Subcontinent

Though it was one of the most advanced civilizations of its time and responsible for the most ancient prehistoric urban sites across the Indian subcontinent, the Indus Valley Civilization was forgotten for millennia, until 20th century archaeologists rediscovered and began excavations at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. Although the civilization primarily flourished between approximately 3000 and 1500 BCE, these ancient Indians had longer lasting influences on the urbanization of the Indian subcontinent for centuries after, thanks to their monumental buildings and walls, enormous manmade platforms, innovative architectural techniques, and evidence that they engaged in trade over vast distances, with high-quality artifacts sent from the Indus Valley as far as Mesopotamia and even Africa.

Of course, the Indus Valley Civilization and their successors, the Aryans, also influenced indigenous Indian religion and mythology. In the West, Hinduism is a religion that everyone has heard of but one that few non-practitioners truly understand. Today it is widely regarded as one of the world’s great religions and considered the indigenous religion of India, with practices and beliefs stretching back thousands of years.

In reality, Hinduism as it is conceived of today is a conglomerate of a number of indigenous Indian religions. In fact, prior to the migration of Islam and the corporate invasion of the British, Hinduism may not have existed at all. Rather, a number of local religious traditions had very old belief systems dating back hundreds or thousands of years, depending on the tradition, and many worshiped gods that are no longer worshiped today. In essence, it was only through the non-indigenous populations in India, namely the Turks and later the British, who defined what Hinduism was.