Philosophy in India, it is said, remains stationary and represents an endless process of threshing old straw. It is the intense spirituality of India, and not any great political structure or social organisation that has enabled it to resist the ravages of time and accidents of history. Indian Philosophy finds its interests in the haunts of men and not on the supra-lunar solitudes. The philosophy of India originates into life and again transcends into life itself. In India the main interest is in the self of man. Indian Philosophy believes that within the self of man is the spirit which is the center of everything. Indian thought attempts to explore vast, impersonal views of existence. The tendency of the Indian thought is to interpret life and nature in a monistic idealism. Darshanas or the Indian Philosophy refers to the several thoughts that had sprung in the Indian sub continent during different time periods. The main components of the Indian philosophy are the Hindu philosophy, the Buddhist philosophy and the Jain philosophy with little influences of Sikhism and Islam during various time periods. All the major three components of the Indian Philosophy emphasise on the concept of Dharma. The idea of salvation or Moksha occupies a central position in the realm of Indian philosophy. The idea that God is the only omniscient being with the ultimate authority was first resonated in the earliest scripture of the Hindus, the Rig Veda. It was Rig Veda which mentioned that the Almighty was transcendent, timeless and was beyond all kinds of human knowledge.

History of Indian Philosophy
Indian Philosophy has undergone a complex stage of development and hence it is difficult to find an exact chronological sequence of Indian Philosophy but it can roughly be predicted that Indian Philosophy had begun in 2500 B.C.E and had continued till the 1700 C.E. During this period the Indian thought process had undergone two major declines. The first was in the sixteenth century when India was under the Muslim Rule and the second was during the British occupation of India. Apart from the two set backs which Indian philosophy had received, the Indian thought can be divided into different time periods. The first is the Vedic Period (1500 B.C.E. - 600 B.C.E). During this time the development of the Aryan Civilisation took place in India and the main literatures of this period were the four Vedas, the Upanishads and the Aranyakas. The origin of Indian Philosophy lies in the Rig Veda, one of the four Vedas. The Upanishads and the Aranyakas mostly contain discussions about various philosophical problems.

Next is the Epic Period, (600 B.C.E. - 200 C.E.). During this time the philosophical thoughts was presented through non-systematic literature like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. It was also the time when the doctrines of Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Jainism and Buddhism gained primacy in the Indian lands. The period also saw the commencement of the orthodox school of Hinduism. Importantly many of the philosophical treaties and doctrines were compiled during this period.

During the Sutra Period (after 200 C.E), the treatises of the various schools were written down and each of the school adopted their own systems of thought and philosophy. Rather it can be said that the Sutra Period had initiated the systematic form of philosophical thinking. The various doctrines of philosophy were written down in the form of Sutras and the Sutras were basically a collection of small statements, questions and answers. The Scholastic Period commenced just after the Sutra Period and continued till the 1700 C.E. During this time came into action the interpretative philosophical commentaries or Bhasyas instead of the Sutras. In fact it can be said that the commentaries that originated during this time gave rise to a number of philosophical literatures and it was also the period during which many notable philosophical writings were gifted to India by some of the eminent philosophical thinkers.

The philosophical tradition of India was carried forward by eminent personalities like Swami Vivekananda, Aurobindo Ghose and many more during the British period that is from 1750-1947 and is termed as the modern phase of Indian philosophy. Rather it can be said that the growth of Indian philosophy has not stopped since the end of 1700 C.E. Till today the Indian Philosophy continues to grow with similar fervour and strength.

Schools of Indian Philosophy
Indian Philosophy has been subdivided into different schools according to their beliefs, opinions, thoughts and way of action. Classical Indian philosophy can be approximately categorised into `orthodox` (astika) schools of Hindu philosophy which considers the Vedas as the supreme authority and the `heterodox` (nastika) school which do not acknowledge the authorities of the Vedas. These astika and nastika schools are further sub-divided into even more schools. The orthodox or Astika School incorporates the Nyaya, Vaiseshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva-mimansa and Vedanta schools under its flank. On the other hand, the heterodox or Nastika School incorporates Jain philosophy, Buddhist philosophy and Carvaka under its realm.

Religious Influence on Indian Philosophy
The problems of religion stimulate the philosophic spirit. The Indian mind has been traditionally concerned with the nature of Godhead, the end of life and the relation of the individual with the universal soul. Hence it is very evident that the development of Indian Philosophy will have ample instances of being closely influenced by religion. In fact Indian Philosophy has tried hard to amalgamate religion and philosophy in order to depict the true self. Hinduism being the most dominant religion in Indian subcontinent it has had major contribution on the Indian school of thought. For instance the concept of eternal bliss is similar in both Hinduism and in Indian Philosophy. The religious tolerance that has existed in India from time immemorial is the main reason as to why the Indian Philosophy has been enriched with different concepts and beliefs. The Indian soil has been the cradle of many world religions like Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. The country has also seen the upsurge of some foreign religions like Islam and Christianity and the result has been that the basic tenets of all these religions have influenced the Indian Philosophy to some extent. The religious influence on the Indian Philosophy has been so great that almost all the philosophical writers have been influenced by their respective religions while writing their philosophical accounts. But at the same time it cannot be said that the Indian Philosophy has been dogmatized by religion, rather it has assimilated the common themes of religion and has tried to provide a way of life to the people.

Characteristics of Indian Philosophy
India reverberate the spirits of religion and spiritualism and that is the reason the concept of Dharma and the Almighty have been focused by all the philosophical trends that have originated in India. Philosophy is the theoretical aspect and religion is the pragmatic aspect according to the Indian principles and the uniqueness of Indian philosophy lies in the unification of the Metaphysical God or the Eternal Truth with the Personal God or with the one who is the inspiration of a righteous and true life. Such a trend in the Indian philosophy allows the land of India to accept all the religions with equal grace and tolerance. The core of Indian philosophy is to realise the power of the Divinity within the inner self. All the schools emphasises that the ultimate goal of human life is to merge with the Lord and the only way to attain the goal is to lead a moral life. With regard to Indian philosophy, Hegel a prominent scholar has said that in the Indian land philosophy has become synonymous with religion and the goal of all the schools of philosophy is to design a path which will guarantee eternal bliss to the soul. It is true that the various philosophical schools of India have different approaches but the concept that there exists a supreme authority is constant with the belief system. All the philosophical schools may call the supreme authority by different names like the atman, Brahman or ishvara but the ultimate goal of the Indian philosophy remains the same to search for this omnipotent and omniscient identity.

Indian Philosophical Texts
In the early times there was no documentation of the Indian philosophical doctrines. Only from the Sutra Period followed by the Scholastic Period documentation of Indian philosophical thoughts began. Gradually the Indian ideologies came to be documented so that people could use it for future reference. Authors like Adi Shankara or Madhavacharya, Chanakya of the Mauryan period and more recent authors like Swami Vivekananda and Raja Ram Mohan Roy have contributed largely to the treasure of Indian Philosophy. Sacred texts like Bhagavad Gita, Manu Smriti, Nyaya Sutra, Vaisheshika Sutra, Arthashastra, Pali Canon or Upanishads have continued to nurture Indian Philosophy since its inception and also have made people more and more aware about the vastness and richness of Indian Philosophy. More importantly it is worth mentioning that the texts on Indian philosophical thoughts have been preserved with utmost care even till this day.

Hence it can be said that Indian philosophy is all encompassing. It has taken into account various religious ideologies in order to enrich it. Moreover as religion is an inseparable entity of India it is obvious that Indian philosophy will strongly be connected to religion. Indian philosophy focuses on the fact that various religions may have different ways to achieve the Lord but the ultimate aim remains the same that is unification with the Eternal and Universal Truth.