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The Vedic religion, also referred to as Vedism, was the religion of an ancient Indo-European-speaking civilization that existed in India beginning around 1500 BCE. The Vedic religion is named for a collection of sacred texts known as the Vedas. Vedism centered on the practice of sacrificial rites and often involved sacrificial meals shared between the people and the gods. The Vedas are the only textual documentation of this period in India's religious history and are an important resource to religious scholars. The Vedic religion was influential to the beginnings of the Hindu religion, with many Hindu practices deriving from Vedic texts. The end of the Vedic period of the early Indo-Aryan culture is marked around 500 BCE, when an observable decrease in activity among the Vedic schools made way for the era of classical Hinduism. A vedic sacrificial ritual. By Srkris at English Wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Kaushalya performing the Ashvamedha Vedic ritual in Ramayana. By Sahib Din [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Nair, sometimes spelled Nayar, refers to a community of people from the Kerala State in India. Traditionally, they were a warrior people, with strong connections to nobility. While they are often called a caste, there are numerous subcastes under the larger Nair group. The Nairs originated in India, but they can now be found living in many places around the world. A traditional Nair tharavad. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Brahmins are those who make up the smallest, but most elite, varna, or social class, of the Hindu caste system. Traditionally, members of the Brahmin caste were seen as being of greater spiritual purity than people of the other castes were. As a result, Brahmins alone were allowed to serve as priests, dispense spiritual knowledge, and carry out other important religious duties. Thanks to their elite status, Brahmins also traditionally played a key role in government, often acting as spiritual advisors to India's political leaders. Although many still work as priests, contemporary Brahmins are free to participate in a wide variety of possible occupations, including those previously reserved for people of other castes. As the caste system evolved over time, Brahmin increasingly came to be seen as a class of elitists who contributed significantly to social inequality. While government officials banned caste-based discrimination in the twentieth century, the caste system remains a deeply embedded part of Indian culture. A Brahmin priest praying on a street corner, 1863. By Joseph Austin Benwell (1816-1886) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons A Brahmin priest, 1907. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The eighteenth century term “Brahmanism” (BRAH-muh-nih-zuhm) refers both to orthodox, conservative interpretations of ancient Hindu scriptures, especially the Upaniṣads (compiled c. 1000-c. 200 b.c.e. ), and to the stratified social system associated with this orthodoxy. The term derives from Brahmā, the name of the highest of the Hindu deities. In the social sense, the term “Brahmanism” also refers to the dominance of the priestly caste, the Brahman, the most favored of the four main hereditary groupings of people within India’s traditional caste system.