The religion of early Vedic Aryans was primarily characterized by the worship of natural forces personified as deities (Indra, Agni, Varuna, Surya etc.) and the performance of Yajnas (fire sacrifices). Image worship was not a feature of early Vedic religion — it came later with Puranic Hinduism. Bhakti as a devotional movement developed much later (post-Vedic period).