Hindu peoples and beliefs stem from a blend of indigenous civilization and Vedic philosophy. The earliest civilization in India, known as the Indus Valley Civilization can be traced to 6000 B.C.E. Archeologists uncovered ruins of elaborate cities which traded with Middle Eastern civilizations and shared symbols and probably ancestry with peoples to the West.
On the other hand, Vedic scripture and philosophy came to the subcontinent much later, about 1500 B.C.E. Remarkably, it arrived fully formed on the backs of Aryan horsemen. These newcomers brought few material goods, but possessed of an impressive, fully formed and sophisticated language, Sanskrit, as well as an extraordinarily elaborate body of thought. How, where and when this language and world view evolved remains a mystery.
See “Origins” in The Gita, a New Translation of Hindu Sacred Scripture and On Hinduism by Irina Gajjar for more in this fascinating question.
