MYSURU: Stoking a fresh controversy, rationalist and author K S Bhagwan, known for his sharp views, questioned the historical backing of the Hindu religion and said there was no mention of even the term Hindu anywhere in texts including the Vedas and it was coined by a Persian travellers first.
Bhagwan said the term Hindu finds mention first through a Persian traveller’s accounts who termed the river Sindhu as Hindu because in their language ‘Si’ was not there. “The term is not mentioned anywhere in the Upanishads, Vedas or any other ancient texts,” he said.
Speaking to media persons here on Sunday to announce the Mahisha Dasara celebrations this year, he said that what was being projected as Hinduism was nothing but Brahminism which is based on the supremacy of certain sections and demeans Shudras through texts like the Manusmriti. On the contrary, he said that Buddhism finds rich mention because it was the major religion of the country.