HinduismDPD1

Hinduism is a polytheistic religion which means they believe in many gods. Hinduism has no true founder. It developed gradually over many years and many cultures and religions helped shape it.
 * Hinduism **

The religious leaders of the Hinduism religion are yogis and swamis. Yogis and Swamis are like priests in the Christian religion. The place where Hindus worship is a mandir. Mandirs are believed to be Brahma's houses on earth. Puja is a way of worship and prayer which they do at a mandir and to the shrines in their homes. All Hindus keep statues of dieties, or gods, in shrines that they worship daily.
 * Religious Leaders & Place of Worship **

Hinduism began in India in the Indus River Valley during 2000 B.C. to 4000 B.C. Hinduism is one of the oldest religions. 80% of India are Hindus.
 * History of Hinduism **

Hindus believe in deities. Deities symbolize the different forms of Brahma. They believe Brahman is the supreme ruler of the gods. Murtis, or sacred images, are symbols of the deities. One of the deities are Ganesh. Ganesh has an elephant head and a human body. He is believed to remove obstacles. 3 Main gods (Trimurti)- Brahma is the creator. He is the essence of god. Vishnu is the Preserver of the Universe. Shiva is an interesting god. He destroys the universe but then recreates it again. Hindus believe in over 330 thousand gods from the Hindu dharma. Dharma means duty. If Hindus fulfill their dharma to the best of their abilities, this will result in good karma. If they have good karma, they will achieve Moksha. Moksha is when Atman, or your soul, is reunited with Brahman.
 * Deities and Main gods **

Hindus believe the sound aum was the first sound ever spoken. Samara is the cycle of life, death and rebirth. Karma is what determines what life you will be reborn into or if you will go to moksha. Moksha is Hindu heaven.
 * Most Beliefs **

There is no single book that is the source of how Hindus should live and act. But it has many sacred writings. The most important and oldest is the Vedas**.** The Vedas includes prayers and hyms. This is one of the writings that teaches Hindus the way they should live, but there are many more.
 * Sacred Writings **

There are many rituals during religious services in the mandir. These rituals are associated with sculptures and images of gods in home shrines and mandirs. Most true Hindus ignore the gods and focus on Realization of the Self through Meditation.
 * Practices **

Holi is a festival of colors and spring. During Holi, Hindus splash colored water on each other to worship the start of spring. Diwali is the festival of lights. Hindus light all the candles in their home and keep it like that for 7 days. Dassera is the festival of the victory of Rama over the demon king to save his wife. Raksabandhana is a festival of renewing bonds between brothers and sisters. They tie hand-made bracelets around each others wrists.
 * Religious Festivals **

Aum (om) is the most important Hindu sign. Swastika is the symbol of good luck. Lotus is the sign of purity. A trident is the sign of Shiva, one of the 3 main gods. Dipa is the symbol of light. A conchshell is one of the symbols of Vishnu.
 * Main Symbols **

The Caste System is a system of place. It tells where somebody's place is in the world. There are Brahmins- priests and teachers, Kshaistryas-warri ors, kings, and knights, Vaisyas-merchants, Sutras-slaves, and finally the untouchables. Untouchables are people who are out of the Caste System completely. When they died and were reborn, they had bad karma so they went to the end of the Caste System. If you have good karma, you can move up and even go to Moksha.
 * Caste System **

The End. Today, Hinduism is a religion of 80% of India and many celebrate it. What do you know about Hinduism?