>>20717436>>20717434>>20717383In summary, most sects of what people call Hinduism are between 500 - 1000 years old. But there are much older strands of thought and practice going back at least 3,300 years and probably much further than that, maybe 5000 years.
But it is not one unified religion now, nor are the practices today the same as the practices 3,3000 years ago.
The religion of the Rg Veda is no longer practiced, except maybe by a handful of revivalists here or there. Nor are Mitra, Varuna,, Indra Ushas, the gods of the Vedas, even worshiped. The only one worshiped regularly is Agni, as part of fire sacrifice. Nor do Hindus see the world as the Aryans of the Rg Veda did.
Their worldview is based on the Upanishads, and even moreseo on later Puranic and medieval devotional literatures.
Most of all modern Hinduism is based on various cults and philosophies that arose in the 1800's. Many of them are not even Indian such as the occult system Theosophy. Many are more New Age and universalist. Many are influenced by Christianity and Islam.
Modern Hinduism is more or less medieval schools of thought as interpreted by saints from the late 1800's and early 1900's like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Vivekananda, or numerous other less famous local saints, gurus and avataras. This is more or less what Hinduism has always been.
Saying modern Hinduism goes back 3,300 years is like saying Christianity goes back to the time of Abraham, erasing any distinction between Christianity and Judaism.