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Brahminism refers to the religious views and ideology historically promoted by the priestly class of Brahmins in India. It may be used in the context of their domination of Indian society and their exclusivist ideology, which sees Brahmins as naturally privileged people entitled to rule and dominate society.'Hindutva Is Nothing But Brahminism', Outlook, 5 April 2002.
The term "Brahminism" is used interchangeably with the term Brahmanism. Brahmanism, and the Brahminical ideology, developed from the historical Vedic religion, and formed one of the constituents of the complex of Indian religions called Hinduism. The Srauta tradition still preserves elements of Brahmanism.
Historically, and still by some modern authors, the word was used in English to refer to the Hindu religion, or that part of it following brahmin priests and their writings, as opposed to the wide range of popular cultic activity with little connection with them. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Brahminism was the most common term used in English for Hinduism, and "Hindu" meant "Indian" when applied to people.
See also Indian religions History of India History of Hinduism
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