HinduismBPD4

= Hinduism =

History:


 * Hinduism is the oldest religion
 * It was founded in the Indus Valley located in India
 * 80% of people in India are Hindu
 * There is no person that founded Hinduism, it was a group of people [[image:in-lgflag.gif width="345" height="146" align="right" caption="India Flag"]]



Beliefs:
 * Karma
 * Reincarnation which is the cycle of life
 * Believe in many gods
 * Caste System
 * The Ganges river washes away sickness and sin.

Spiritual Places:
 * Temple or Mandir: before entering temple you have to take of your shoes, then wash your feet, then ring the bell to let the god know that your there
 * They build towers around the building to keep the gods safe
 * Some people build shrines in there house

Spiritual Leaders:
 * Ghandai: he developed a nonviolent protest and freed the Hindu people
 * Polytheist
 * Brahama: Creator: is seen in many different forms
 * Vishnu: Preservation
 * Shiva: Dissolution: can destroy everything in the world
 * In the temple they have a religious official called pujarand and a priest called a paradit
 * Ganesha: is the remover of obstacles in everyday life

Sacred Writings:
 * There holy book is the vedas
 * The vedas consist of for parts the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Atharva Vedas
 * The Dharma Symbol is believed to be the natural universal law
 * The oldest writing is sanskrit

Traditions and Holidays
 * Holi; is the festival of colors
 * Holi is celebrated the day after the full moon
 * During Holi you go around and spray your friends with paint
 * Rakhi: is the celebration of the bond between a brother and a sister
 * During that time they give each other bracelets