What is Hindutva, and what are the roots of this political movement?

A court ruling in Madhya Pradesh declared the Kamal Maula mosque in Dhar to be a temple dedicated to a Hindu goddess. Supporters then displayed saffron flags linked to Hindu far-right groups and celebrated rituals at the site. The Kamal Maula complex, also called the Bhojshala complex, has faced disputes for decades. Similar claims have been made across India that mosques were built over earlier temples, gaining momentum after Narendra Modi’s rise in 2014. Hindutva is a right-wing political and nationalist ideology that defines India’s cultural and national identity using a specific interpretation of Hindu values. Although India is constitutionally secular, Hindutva advocates want Hinduism adopted as the state religion. The term Hindutva combines “Hindu,” linked to the Indus/Sindhu, and “-tva,” meaning essence or being.

"Hindutva is very different from Hinduism. One is a 20th century majoritarian movement, the other an ancient faith. On May 14, the high court in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh ruled that the centuries-old Kamal Maula mosque in the city of Dhar was actually a temple dedicated to a Hindu goddess. Two days later, saffron flags associated with Hindu far-right groups were all over the site, with supporters celebrating and filming rituals that were carried out."

"The Kamal Maula mosque, also known as the Bhojshala complex, has been disputed for decades. And such claims are not unique to this mosque. Far-right Hindutva activists have made similar claims that a given mosque was built atop a temple across the country, emboldened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rise to power in 2014."

"Hindutva is a right-wing political and nationalist ideology that defines the cultural and national identity of India based on a particular interpretation of Hindu values. India is a constitutionally secular state, but advocates of Hindutva want the country to adopt Hinduism as its state religion."

"The term Hindutva consists of two linguistic parts: The first is the word Hindu, whose origin likely traces back to the Sanskrit word Sindhu, the ancient name for the Indus River. With the evolution of linguistic usage, the ancient Persians and others replaced the letter S with H, and the term Hindus came to be used for the inhabitants living beyond the river. The second part is the Sanskrit suffix -tva, which indicates essence or being, meaning that the term literally denotes Hindu essence or Hindu identity or being."

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