Choose your journey through the divine traditions of India โ 1,666 entries across traditions born on Indian soil and those that sailed across oceans to find a home here.
Sedentary vs. pastoral โ two ancient worldviews shaped by land and movement.
How faiths met on this land โ by birth, mission, trade, refuge, and conquest. Early dates are approximate and scholarly accounts of prehistory are debated; living traditions' own tellings come first.
The earliest spiritual layers โ proto-Shiva and mother-goddess worship. Links to Elamite-Dravidian prehistory are one hypothesis among others.
Urban ritualism, sacred baths, and the establishment of Bull and Tiger totems.
In one widely-discussed scholarly account, Indo-Aryan groups enter through the northwest, bringing the Rigveda, horse sacrifice (Ashvamedha), and barley-based rituals. The account is debated; Vedic traditions speak for themselves in their own hymns.
Buddhism and Jainism emerge as indigenous movements re-centring ethics and liberation beyond Vedic ritualism, re-establishing the Bull and Elephant as primary symbols.
St. Thomas arrives on the Malabar coast, bringing the first Semitic spiritual layer to South India.
Islamic traditions enter through trade (Malabar) and conquest (Sindh), bringing the Camel and Crescent archetypes.
Zoroastrians flee Persia to escape persecution, bringing the sacred Fire to the shores of Gujarat.
Indigenous traditions, and those that entered India from across the world.
Bull ยท Rice ยท Peacock โ traditions born of the Indian soil.
Traditions rooted in the Pashupati seals, the rice paddies, and the sacred peacock groves. 16 traditions.
Explore Indie Path โHorse ยท Barley ยท Eagle โ traditions that arrived via migration, trade, and conquest.
Defined by the horse, the eagle, and the barley-altars. 16 traditions.
Explore Aditis Path โ