Hindu Nationalism - History

History

The term Hinduism derives from a Persian word that refers to the Sindhu (or Indus) river in northwest India; "Hindu" was first used in the 14th century by Arabs, Persians, and Afghans to describe the peoples of the region. The usage of the word 'Hindu' to describe the native polity of India have been found in the historical accounts of medieval India. These usages show that the word Hindu, until the early nineteenth century was emphasized by nativity rather than by religion.

Prominent among the southern Indian rulers of the fourteenth century were the Sangama rulers of Vijayanagara empire who were hailed as 'Hinduraya suratana', the best among the Hindu rulers. The Sangama rulers were in constant conflict with the Sultanate of Bijapur, and this usage of the word 'Hindu' in the title, was obviously to distinguish them as native rulers as against the Sultans who were "perceived to be foreign in origin".

In the sixteenth century in north India, in the year 1556, Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, native of Rewari, Haryana established vedic 'Hindu Raj' from Delhi after defeating Akbar's Mughal forces at Agra and Delhi, albeit for a short period. Prior to his coronation on 7th October,1556, at Purana Quila ( Pandvon Ka Quila ) Delhi, Hemu had won 22 battles, between 1553-1556, against Afghans and Mughals from Punjab to Bengal, without losing any. Hem Chandra was killed in the Second Battle of Panipat.

According to Palmer-Fernandez "Hindus" did not conceive themselves as a religious unity in any sense except in opposition to foreign rule. For example, the early seventeenth-century Telugu work, 'Rayavachakamu', condemns the Muslim rulers for being foreign and barbarian and only rarely for specifically religious traits.

The other references include the glorification of the Chauhana heroes of Jalor as 'Hindu' by Padmanabha in his epic poem, Kanhadade-prabandha, which he composed in AD 1455. The Rajput ruler, Maha Rana Pratap became renowned with the title of 'Hindu-kula-kamala-divakara' for his relentless fight against the Mughals. Maharaja Pratap Aditya was the most prominent of the Hindu rulers of Bengal. He declared independence from the Mughals and established an independent Hindu state in Bengal. 'Hindavi Swarajya' (self rule of the natives) was how the rule of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the most notable of the rulers of the seventeenth century was described. The usage of 'Hindavi' (translated as 'of Hindus' in Marathi) in 'Hindavi Swarajya' is considered to mean Indian Independence rather than the rule by a religious sect or a community.