Rigveda

The Rigveda is the oldest section of the Indian Vedas, and the oldest texts of the religion now called Hinduism. Written in Sanskrit sometime in the second millennium BCE, the Rigveda consists of poetic hymns to the early Hindu gods, including Indra, Agni, Vishnu, and others. Also important is soma, an intoxicating drink that allows the Vedic sages to directly contact the gods. Hindus still read the Vedic hymns today, making it probably the oldest continuously used religious text in the world. For scholars, the Rigvedas are a crucial window into the very early stages of Indic society and religion.