I am currently reading a book of world history and it mentions that the Aryan peoples invaded Northern India in the second Millennium BC and that they brought Hinduism or what would become Hinduism with them and displaced the Native population, mainly the Dravidian peoples.
Due to the nature of the book, being a global history of the world, it lacks any specificity regarding these claims. When it refers to the basis of Hinduism, is it simply referencing the Paganism of the Aryan people, such as various beliefs in Wotan amongst different European and Germanic peoples, or did Europeans already worship many of the modern Hindu gods and bring these deities with them to Northern India?
If it is the case that they worshipped Hindu gods and actually exported it to India with them, why did Hinduism die out in Europe even before the introduction of Christianity?
Hope this isn't a silly question, but I found it a rather interesting bit of history, but lacked much in the way of an in depth explanation of it.
There is an inherent historical fallacy in the question, post hoc ergo propter hoc, after this therefore because of this. You imply that the gods of the Aryans were the gods of later Hinduism. Hence, framing the question about Hindu gods being in Europe.
But the Aryan pantheon was not the Hindu pantheon nor was it the Greek pantheon or the Norse pantheon. But all those shared a common Indo-European tradition.
The Hindu pantheon evolved from the cultural encounters between Aryan people and the existing populations of the subcontinent.
Just as Christianity encountered other Indo-European beliefs in Europe and was changed through that encounter. But it would be wrong to say that the proto Indo-European pantheon was the Hindu pantheon.
One specific oversimplification I would be careful with the idea is that there was some great Aryan invasion in the second century BC. Recent genetic, linguistic and historical suggests that the migration of people's from the northwest into India was a long-standing process, and that the founders of the Indus Valley civilization were genetically largely "Aryan." There's a lot we don't know about the period between the collapse of the Indus Valley civilization, and the rise of major states in the aftermath. There probably was an invasion, but what exactly this means is very hard to say. That said , I would be very careful with all of these pseudo racial categories for pretty much any period.
I unfortunately can't really answer this question. But one thing to keep in mind is that Hinduism is constantly evolving, and people from 3,000 years ago would only sort of recognize Hinduism today. For example, if Jain shastra is to be trusted, Indra was the most important god thousands of years ago, yet is considered pretty secondary today. Even in the last couple of centuries, you have seen major changes in what Hinduism means. For example, the worship of Swami Narayan has grown at a rapidly in the part of India my family is from.
There's a constant interaction between pre existing Gods, the Gods of the "Aryans" and continuous religious innovation. So what happened to Hinduism in Europe. I'd say Hinduism, or at least anything recognizable to modern Hindus, probably never existed in Europe.
Which book specifically are you reading? Was it published within the last few decades?