HinduismBPD1

=  =    ﻿ Hinduism

History  Hinduism began 4,500 years ago along the Indus Valley, a corridor of fertile land stretching from the Himalayas through present day Pakistan. Today Hinduism is found in over 80% of India, but can mostly be found in present day Pakistan. Beliefs Hinduism followers have many beliefs. A belief of theirs is reincarnation-that when one dies, he/she are born again in a brand new life. They also believe in the Four Goals of Life. The first goal of the four goals in life is to live eternally, or to fulfill your duties in life. The second goal is very intriguing, Artha, "material success." This means to live as rich and powerful as possible, Hinduism is the only religion that encourages this. The third goal is the karma and/or pleasure. The fourth goal is called moksha, "salvation." This goal means to release from the otherwise endless cycle of rebirths. Another belief of theirs is karma-actions that effect their reincarnation. They believe that the circle of life, death, and rebirth is samara. ﻿ Sacred Writing There are many sacred writings Hindus have. One of the oldest is the Vedas. The Vedas dates back to 1000 B.C. It contains more than 1000 hyms written on sanskrit and is addressed to the elemental gods of earth, fire, and water. Another sacred writing is the Mahabharta. The Mahabharta is the largest single poem in the world containing about 200,000 lines. This sacred writing was written between 300 and 100 B.C.

Gods and Goddesses ﻿ Hindus are Polytheistic. This means that they believe in not just one god, but many. In the mandire, they have statues of gods and goddesses. They do not treat the statues as statues but like human. Every morning they are woken and bathed, commonly with milk. The unseen all-powerful force responsible for bringing all creation into being is a god known as Brahman. Another god is Vishnu, the preserver. Shiva is another god who is known as the destroyer. Ganesha is the most important god in Hinduism beliefs. Traditions and Holidays         Hindus celebrate many holidays. One holiday they celebrate is called Holi. Holi is the celebration of the coming of spring. Hindus celebrate this by spraying each other with different colored water, paint, and powder. They also celebrate a holiday or tradition is Raksha Bandi. This is a time when siblings honer each other. ﻿Caste System  ﻿The India system of strict social classes is called the Caste System. From most respected to least respected this is the order, Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras. Brahmins are the highest or most respected in the Caste System. Then it goes to the Kshatriyas, they are obviously the second most respected group. After the Kshatriyas comes the Vaisyas group. Then the group that is the least respected are the Sudras. Is there any way that you can move to another group? Well, honestly there isn't, other than if you die and are reborn into a new life. Spiritual Places If you are wandering where Hindus go to worship, well here is your answer, Hindus go to a Mandire to worship all there gods. In the Mandire they have shrines. Towers are built to protect the shrines. Before they start to pray they always say, "AUM!!!" Spiritual Leaders  ﻿Gandhi was one of the greatest leaders of the Hindus in the 1950s. He praised the simple life and raised the spinning wheel as a symbol of this way of life. Gandhi looked with great concern as the individual groups fell into disunity. He also found strong support among India's population.