Hinduism began in the Indus River Valley, which spans northwest India and present-day Pakistan. This region was home to the Indus Valley Civilization (also called the Harappan civilization), which originated around 4500–5000 BCE and flourished between 2300 and 2000 BCE
. The religion evolved as a synthesis of various cultural and spiritual traditions, including the ancient Indus Valley practices, the Vedic religion brought by Indo-Aryan peoples around 1500 BCE, and local tribal and renouncer traditions. The Vedic period (circa 1500–500 BCE) saw the composition of the Vedas, sacred texts central to early Hinduism
. Over time, Hinduism incorporated diverse beliefs and practices, evolving through the early classical period (circa 500 BCE to 300 CE) into the form recognized today
. In summary, Hinduism's origins lie in the ancient Indus Valley civilization and the Indian subcontinent, developing over millennia through the blending of indigenous and Indo-Aryan religious traditions
