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Introduction
A History of Hindu Society and of Buddhism had their rise and expansion Hindu Civilization forms an important here. material for the study of sociology. The (5) It was here that the Varga and social history of India can claim the Caste system, with the predominent priessamo importance in the sociological tly caste of Brahmans at the head, a science as belongs to the social history feature which is peculiar to India, startof ancient nations like Sumer, Egypt, ed on its career and has enjoy ed a stable Assyria, Babylonia, Syria, China, Iran, existence extending over thousands of Greece, Rome and Arabia or of modern years. The Hindu society can very well countries like Germany, Spain, England, claim to be distinguished from other soFrance and U.S.A. In some respects the cieties by this institution. history of Hindu society can claim an (6) Hinduism,distinguished by the diverimportance of an altogether special sity of its methods of worship and of its character. The reasons for this impor- faiths and well-known as a source of di. tance are as follows:
verse philosophies, complimentary and . (1) Chronologically the Hindu society antagonistic to each other, is another forms one of the most ancient societies in feature of this society. the world. In the opinions of the scholars of (7) Like other ancient civilizations the West as well as of the East the history this civilization has also made great of Hindu society and of Hindu civili- advances and original discoveries in zation is at least five thousand years old ; | Literature, Law, Logic, Metaphysics, and the Hindu civilization is one of the Medicine, Astronomy, Mathematics and few great civilizations that have survived other positive sciences and in fine arts the ravages of time.
such as painting, sculpture, architecture. (2) Hindu society stands first amongst Many scholars, in some rare cases the ancient civilizations outside China in from the East but mainly from the West, view of its population and its geographical have in the past endeavoured to explore extent and diversity.
India's past and Indian scholars are now (3) India would rank probably as the putting forth their best efforts to write a greatest meeting-place of conflicting comprehensive history of Hindu society civilizations of ancient and modern times. at the different epochs and in its diverse It has been a scene of the immigrations, aspects, after carefully sifting the of the invasions and of the fusion of extant materials for such a history. They various peoples belonging to known and have explored the antiquities of India unknown races of mankind, such as and museums have been founded and an the Dravidians, Aryans, Nagas, S'akas, archaeological department maintained by Honas, Mahomedans and Europeans, and Govt. to collect and protect them. Stonethese diverse civilizations have made inscriptions, copper-plate grants and palmdeep and lasting impressions on the soci. leaf Mss.have been searched for and studi. ology of this country.
ed. Scholars have also investigated into (4) Three of the greatest world reli- the customs and manners, the religious gions, viz. Brahmanism, Jainism and belief, the dialects, the folk-lore and folk
