The Rigveda is an ancient collection of hymns and the oldest surviving sacred text of Hinduism. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, its hymns were transmitted orally for centuries before being preserved in written manuscripts. Most scholars place the main period of composition roughly between 1500 and 1000 BCE, while acknowledging that its layers developed over time.
The Rigveda is the oldest of the four Vedas, the Hindu śruti scriptures regarded in tradition as revealed knowledge. Its core Samhita contains 10 mandalas, or books, with 1,028 hymns and about 10,600 verses in the best-known recension. The poems praise deities such as Agni, Indra, Soma, and Ushas, while also exploring ritual, kingship, nature, death, and the origins of the universe.
A common mix-up is treating all four Vedas as one text. The Samaveda largely rearranges verses for chanting, the Yajurveda organizes ritual formulas, and the Atharvaveda contains spells, prayers, and domestic rites. The Rigveda’s hymns influenced later Hindu ritual and philosophical literature, and some remain part of ceremonies today.