Human world

Hinduism and India

For thousands of years different peoples brought their beliefs, languages and arts to the Indian subcontinent. As a result many religions developed.

In the 16th century the Mughal dynasty built an empire in north India. They were Muslim, but some Mughal leaders adopted Hindu traditions.

This created great cultural change in many parts of India.

By the 18th century the Mughal Empire was collapsing. The British gained power and ruled the country as a British colony until independence in 1947.

At this point, two countries were created:

• the Hindu majority state of India
• the Muslim majority state of Pakistan (later split into Pakistan and Bangladesh)

Follow the links in the navigation panel to see some of the objects created in India and how Hinduism influenced the sculpture of India and Southeast Asia.