| Summary: | This paper deals with the evolution of the Hindu religious right and its role in Indian politics from the end of the 19th century to the present day. The first section takes into account early reform groups arisen at the time of the British colonial rule, and the process which led to the emergence of the ideology known as hindutva, with the creation of the Rāṣṭrīya Svayaṃsevak Saṅgh (RSS) in the 1920s. The following part describes the growth of this organization and the creation of a network of RSS-affiliated groups (which is commonly referred to as Saṅgh Parivār), devoting particular attention to the most religiously-oriented of these organizations, the Viśva Hindū Pariṣad (VHP). The last section deals with the role played in Indian politics by the RSS-affiliated Bhāratīya Jantā Party (BJP) – formed in 1980 – which led the political coalition ruling India from 1998 to 2004.
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