Rig Veda
The Rig Veda is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns dedicated to the gods. These poems were first recited and sung around 1000 BC, and then written down in Sanskrit, the language of the Aryans.
The Rig Veda tells the story of Prajapathi, the first God who created the word. His mouth, arms,thighs and feet turned into different groups of people. These groups became the different castes. The Rig Veda mentions many different gods, and it is the first written evidence of Hinduism. It refers to some rituals as marriage and funeral rites, which differ little from those practiced today. The Rig Veda is also considered to be the sourse of much Indian Thoughts.
It is believed that the Rig Veda was composed roughly between 1700-1100 BC. This puts it amoung the world's oldest religious texts in continued use.
