Why the sixth century B.C. is called the landmarks in the history of Indian culture?
The reasons are:
(i) The sixth century B.C. may be regarded as an important landmark in the history of Indian culture. The old ritualistic Vedic tradition were questioned and so were the authority of it.
(ii) The Upanishads had initiated freedom of speculation into the fundamental problem of life.
(iii) The brooding over the ills and sorrows of life, a passionate desire to remove them by finding out new mode of salvation became the concern of the learned. It created a ferment of new ideas and philosophic principles leading to the establishment of numerous religious sects, which had never occurred in India before or since.
(iv) We come to know of about 64 such religious sects, many of which were based on local customs and rituals.
(v) Of these religious sects, which may be regarded as direct or indirect products of thought currents of this period, Jainism and Buddhism were two main sects and influenced India’s all major aspects of culture and life.
