Sanatana Dharma,which later came to be known as Hinduism,goes back at least five thousand years.In the course of its long journey through the centuries,it evolved,transformed,flourished and sometimes floundered.A succession of invasions by foreign powers significantly changed the ancient culture,in many ways contributing to it s richness and at the same time damaging and redefining it. In this honest and introspective study of the history of Hinduism,the author analyses it s strengths and weaknesses,and addresses it s contradicitions through contemporary eyes.He traces the origins of negative practices like untouchability and casteism that have crept into Hindu society.Debating the issue of conversion in India,he examines the nature and meaning of secularism in a multi-religious society.This book helps to clarify many misconceptions about Hinduism.