1. Understanding World Religions
Chapter 7
The Origins of Yogic Religions
© 2011 Irving Hexham
© 2011 Irving Hexham

2. The Origins of Yogic Religions
Map of India from Zondervan. © 2011 Irving Hexham and Zondervan
The Indian sub-continent

3. The Origins of Yogic Religions
Photo of an Indus Valley site from the Harappa Bazaar: used with permission. © 2011 Irving Hexham
This photo shows the ruins of one of the many Indus Valley settlements. Since the discovery of ruins like these in the 19th century European scholars have speculated about the origins of the peoples of India and Indian religions.

4. The Origins of Yogic Religions
Although the ancient Indus Valley civilization had its own system of writing it has yet to be deciphered. What we have are many seals like the one shown above. Many scholars see the figure in the centre of the seal as a man sitting in a yoga position. If true, this is very important because it suggests that Indians were practicing yoga at least 1,500 years before the earliest records of Hindu religious practices.
Yoga seal from the Harappa Bazaar: Used with permission © 2011 Irving Hexham

5. The Origins of Yogic Religions
Another possible link between the Hindu tradition and the Indus Valley Civilization is the existence of what appear to be large baths used for some sort of ritual purpose. These are similar to later baths found in Hindu temples.
The Great Bath of Harappa from the Harappa Bazaar: used with permission. Photo of the Temple of Madura from R.C. Dutt, History of India, London: Grolier Society, 1906 – in the public domain. © 2011 Irving Hexham
The “Great Bath” from the Indus Valley city of Harappa.
The ritual bath from the Hindu temple of Madura.
Although scholars argue about precise dating these two “baths” were built something like 2,000 years apart.

6. The Origins of Yogic Religions
Diagram by Irving Hexham. © 2011 Irving Hexham
During the 19th. Century archaeological discoveries and academic speculation led to theories of Indian religion based on the “Aryan Invasion” theory which placed Indian religious development in an evolutionary context.

7. The Origins of Yogic Religions
Diagram by Irving Hexham. © 2011 Irving Hexham
Today, as a result of recent archaeological finds, scholars are increasingly questioning the evolutionary model. New views of Indian religion, suggests that all Indian religions go back to a common core, but their exact development and the ways they are inter-related remains unclear.

8. The Origins of Yogic Religions
Jain
Hindu
Buddhist
Photos by Irving Hexham – 2005 and © 2011 Irving Hexham
Until recently Western scholars saw the development of Indian religious traditions like shown above as historical developments of “the Hindu tradition” and therefore offshoots of “Hinduism.” Today a more complex picture is emerging.

9. The Origins of Yogic Religions
Statue of Shiva, Fallsburg, New York by Hermoine
From Wiki Commons, attributed to Hermione9753. Listed unde GNU Free Documentation License. Found on the Web at:
© 2011 Irving Hexham
Whatever the origins or relationships between the various religions of Indian origin they all share a core of similar beliefs and practices centred on some form of Yoga. Consequently, we may term them Yogic religions.