The following is a chronological list of major events within Hinduism as it developed in India from the years 2000 BC to 1994. This covers approximately 4000 years. Note: The following dates with c. in front of them are rough estimates.

• Before 2000 B.C. – Existence of the Harappa culture of the Indus River valley
• c. 2000 B.C. – Aryan migration into India
• c. 1500 B.C. – Beginning of the creation of the Vedas and the development of Hindu polytheism
• c. 1250 B.C. – Rig Veda hymns composed
• c. 800 – 500 B.C. – Beginning of the creation of the Upanishads; this period also known as the Axis Age
• c. 600 – Caste System Becoming Established
• c. 500 – Upanishads Develop
• c. 200 B.C. – 200 A.D. – Creation of the Bhagavad Gita
• c. 200 A.D. – Laws of Manu Compiled
• c. 300 A.D. – Early Puranas Composed
• c. 400 A.D. – Shiva Cult Emerges
• c. 550 A.D. – Bhakti Movement Begins
• c. 700 A.D. – Caste System Becomes Very Complex
• c. 788 – 820 A.D. – Life of the philosopher Shankara
• 1192 A.D. – Muslims enter into northern India
• 1498 A.D. – Portuguese enter into India
• c. 1750 – 1947 A.D. – British domination of India
• 1836 – 1886 A.D. – Life of Ramakrishna
• 1850 A.D. – First English Translation of the Rig Veda
• 1863 – 1902 A.D. – Life of Vivekananda
• 1869 – 1948 A.D. – Life of political activist Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi
• 1888 – 1975 A.D. – Life of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
• 1893 A.D. – Vivekananda at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago
• 1927 A.D. – Present  – Life of Sathya Sai Baba
• 1947 A.D. – Acquisition of Indian political independence from the British.
• 1949 A.D. – Lowest Caste Made Illegal in India
• 1950 A.D. – India Constitution Established
• 1957 A.D. – Hindu Temple Opens in San Francisco, California
• 1966 A.D. – Hare Krishna (ISKCON) Founded
• 1994 A.D. – Harvard University Reports 800 Hindu Temples in U.S.

Sources

• H. Wayne House, Charts of World Religions (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006), chart 57.
• Michael Molloy, Experiencing the World’s Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change (Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing, 1999), p. 59.