Hinduism- is a religion, or a way of life, found most notably in India and

Nepal. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners
and scholars refer to it as Santana Dharma, "the eternal law," or the "eternal way,"
beyond human origins.

Hinduism- is the religion of the majority of people in India and Nepal. It also exists
among significant populations outside of the subcontinent and has over 900 million
adherents worldwide. Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no
single scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings.
Main Holidays: Holi, Diwali, Mahashivaratri
Beliefs: One Supreme Reality (Brahman) mani...
Texts: Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Ra...
Symbols: lotus, swastika, trisula, om

Nine Beliefs of Hinduism

Our beliefs determine our thoughts and attitudes about life, which in
turn direct our actions. By our actions, we create our destiny. Beliefs
about sacred matters--God, soul and cosmos--are essential to one's
approach to life. Hindus believe many diverse things, but there are a
few bedrock concepts on which most Hindus concur. The following
nine beliefs, though not exhaustive, offer a simple summary of
Hindu spirituality.

1. Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is

both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest
Reality.
2. Hindus believe in the divinity of the four Vedas, the world's
most ancient scripture, and venerate the Agamas as equally
revealed. These primordial hymns are God's word and the bedrock
of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion.
3. Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of
creation, preservation and dissolution.
4. Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which
each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and
deeds.
5. Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through
many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha,
liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will
be deprived of this destiny.
6. Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and
that temple worship, rituals, sacraments and personal devotionals
create a communion with these devas and Gods.
7. Hindus believe that an enlightened master, or satguru, is
essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal
discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry,
meditation and surrender in God.
8. Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered,
and therefore practice ahimsa, noninjury, in thought, word and
deed.
9. Hindus believe that no religion teaches the only way to
salvation above all others, but that all genuine paths are facets of
God's Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.

Hinduism, the world's oldest religion, has no beginning--it precedes

recorded history. It has no human founder. It is a mystical religion,
leading the devotee to personally experience the Truth within, finally
reaching the pinnacle of consciousness where man and God are one.

Hinduism has four main denominations-

-Saivism,
-Shaktism,
-Vaishnavism and
- Smartism
 Formed c. 2000 B.C.E.

Origin India

Followers 1,000,000,000

Deity Polytheistic

Sacred Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad

Texts Gita, Epics

Headquart
ers None

Hinduism- is a collective term applied to the many philosophical and religious

traditions native to India. Hinduism has neither a specific moment of origin nor a
specific founder. Rather, the tradition understands itself to be timeless, having always
existed. Indeed, its collection of sacred texts is known, as a whole, as Sanatana
Dharma, "The Eternal Teaching." It is thus a complex tradition that encompasses
numerous interrelated religious doctrines and practices that have some common
characteristics but which lack any unified system of beliefs and practices. Hinduism
encompasses a number of major sects, as well as countless subsects with local or
regional variations. On one level, it is possible to view these sects as distinct religious
traditions, with often very specific theologies and ritual traditions; on another level,
however, they often understand themselves to be different means to reach a common
end. The Hindu worldview is grounded in the doctrines of samsara (the cycle of
rebirth) and karma (the universal law of cause and effect), and fundamentally holds
that one's actions (including one's thoughts) directly determine one's life, both one's
current life and one's future lives. Many, but not all, Hindus hold that the cosmos is
populated by numerous deities and spiritual beings gods and goddesses, or devas
who actively influence the world and who interact with humans.
The tradition is typically divided into four major sects:
- Shaiva (devotees of the god Shiva),
- Vaishnava (devotees of the god Vishnu),
- Shakta (devotees of the goddess),
-and Smarta (those who understand the ultimate form of the divine to be abstract and
all encompassing, Brahman).
 Here are just some of the many Hindu gods and goddesses:
Brahma, the Creator. ...
Vishnu, the Preserver. ...
Shiva, the Destroyer. ...
Ganapati, the Remover of Obstacles. ...
Avatars of Vishnu. ...
Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning. ...
Lakshmi. ...

Here are some of the key beliefs shared among Hindus:

Truth is eternal. ...
Brahman is Truth and Reality. ...
The Vedas are the ultimate authority. ...
Everyone should strive to achieve dharma. ...
Individual souls are immortal. ...
The goal of the individual soul is moksha.

Its history overlaps or coincides with the development of Indian religions since Iron Age India. It
has thus been called the "oldest living religion" in the world. Scholars regard Hinduism as a
synthesis of various Indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots and no single founder or
source.

Facts About Hinduism

Hinduism is the world's third-largest religion, after Christianity and Islam.
Today there are about 650 million Hindus worldwide.
The majority of Hindus live in India, where the religion was born.
One in every seven people in the world is a Hindu living in India

(Santana Dharma) Hinduism is the world's third most popular religion, with around 750
million followers. The religion of Hinduism originated in Northern India, near the river Indus,
about 4000 years ago.
A Hindu appellation for Hinduism itself is Santana Dharma, which translates as "the eternal
dharma." Similarly, Buddha dharma is an appellation for Buddhism. The general concept of
dharma forms a basis for philosophies, beliefs and practices originating in India.go and is the
world's oldest and existing religion.
 Hindu Sacraments
Tilaka.
Vibhuti.
Rudraksha.
Om (pronounced Aum)
Swastika.
Sri Chakra Yantra.
Shiva Lingam
The Lutos