Aryans
Sanskrit for “the noble ones”: the name used by the people who moved into India from Central Asia in the 2nd Century BCE.
Hindu
• Originally Persian or Greek for “people on the Indus River”;
• Adopted by Muslims in the 8th Century and later by the British as a term of religious affiliation;
• Taken up by Hindus themselves only in the course of the Indian struggle for independence as a self-designation to distinguish its users from those of other religious affiliations.
Hinduism
A collective term for a broad spectrum of religious traditions:
• priestly (Brahmanic) cults and traditions, introduced by the Aryans and mingled with local traditions,
• popular and tribal religions,
• religious movements and monastic communities, often founded in opposition to the Brahmans.
