Full Idea
Around the eighth century BCE the gods ceased to be very important in India, and would be superseded by the religious teacher, who would be considered higher than the gods.
Gist of Idea
Around 800 BCE teachers superseded gods in India
Source
Karen Armstrong (A History of God [1993], Ch.1)
Book Reference
Armstrong,Karen: 'A History of God' [Mandarin 1993], p.38
A Reaction
At least there has been one culture that gave an appropriate status to teachers. It seems astonishing in that age that human beings could have higher status than gods - way before the European 'humanists'.