The period after 650 A.D. until 1000 A.D. is called the Age of the Later Puranas. This extends from the death of Harsha to the Muslim conquest of the land. This period gave the great renaissance to Hindu philosophy and a turning point at the end of the ancient period taking us into the medieval period of Bhakthi system and a foundation for the modern Hindu religious practice. King Lalithaditya ruled in Kashmir, Rajput kings as Kshathria dynasties came to power and Rashtrakuda kings ruled in Deccan. There were many intermarriages between Brahman dynasties like the Shunga and Kanva and the Kshathria dynasties. Popular Hinduism was reorganized into sects. Development of Kashmir Saivism was seen. Many Bhakthi schools in the South, Southern Saivism, Shakthism, Tantric Bhuddhism and Jainism flourished in this time. Large number of foreigners like the Hunas, Gurjaras and Maitrakas were taken into Hindu fold and assimilated as part of the Rajput clans. The Zorashtrians (Parsis) came to India as immigrants and refugees from Persia.

The Great Acharya Adi-Shankara explained and systematized Philosophic Hinduism, Advaitha Vedantha. Utthara Mimamsa (Vedantha) Darshana of Vyasa became popular with the decline of the teaching of Purva Mimamsa. During this time the rise of popularity of Buddhism and Jainism were the main catalyst for the start of Sankara's Advitha philosophy and many of the Bhakthi schools. Pancharathra Samhithas, Shaiva Agamas and Tanthra manuals were popularized. By the year 800 AD, Buddhism and Jainism were on the decline in the South. Vaishnava Agamas and Sakthi Agamas also later became popular. The great commentaries by Sankara on Vedanta, Bhagavatha Purana and Devi Bhagavatham were written. Naalayira Prabhandam and Thiruvachagam were writen in Tamil as major religious works. Lalithadithya, Kumarila, Sages Gaudapada, Aadi-Shankara, Manickavasagar and Nammalwar belong to this age. This concludes the ancient period and this was the start of reforms through the various devotional schools of the Bhakthi period of Hindu religion.