hindouism and state

[alishan]

how was organise the state in the history of hindouism?

was it a king? what was the link between the king and the religious autority?

thanks

[Andal]

Namaste Alishan,

This depends on which part of India your were in at any given time. Also Hinduism exists outside of what is traditionally considered India. The state systems of Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, and Trinidad for example are all different.

The state most often had a king or queen. This is different than how kingships worked in the West though. Sometimes a kingdom could be handed down from father to son but there were also kingdoms that were gifted to people and in some cases kings were also elected by citizens. There were even cases were kingdoms were left to royal servants.

Outside of the kingship model there were also tribes, chiefdoms, empires, democracies, and communist states that have existed throughout history. Hinduism adapts to the state systems of the cultures it's brought to. It also changes with the changes in society.

Sanatana Dharma is fluid and doesn't rely on a single state system.

In terms of religious interaction, this gets murky. Some Hindu states had very close relationships with the religious authority. Others did not. Leaders even today will consult priests to oversee important functions and bring blessings.

Over the last three decades in India there has been a lot that has changed though. There are some religious figures trying to enter the political field. Also with the rise of Hindutva as a tangible political force the lines between politics and religion have been blurred.

Aum Hari Aum!