Religions of India

There are many different religions that India has to offer but the one that we are going to talk about is Hinduism. Hinduism is considered to be a polytheistic religion, but people of the religion believe in one god that can appear in many different forms. They believe that their religion is a way of life rather than beliefs. Hinduism originated and developed the Indus Valley civilization years before the Common Era. They believe in karma and the law of cause and effect. This religion has several more beliefs, sacred text, sacred symbols. and just the way they believe to live your day to day life.

We will start off talking about the history of Hinduism. The Persian word Hindu means Indian. That's why today 80 percent of the Indian population consider themselves to be Hindu. This religion has no founder. Most historians believe that Hinduism started around 2300 B.C. and 1500 B.C. in the Indus Valley. The Indo-Aryan People migrated to the Indus Valley and merged their language and culture with the indigenous people of this region. After this happens the Vedic period begins. During the early Vedic period time, the Hindus developed their main tenets. Later on, in the Vedic period, which also during the Brahminical religion, which emphasized ritual worship and social obligations. Then the Puranic and Classic periods started in 500 B.C. to 1000 C.E. Historians believe during this time Hindus began the worship of deities such as Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and their female forms or Devis. The concept of dharma was introduced in the new text.

Next, let's talk about their beliefs and rituals that they practice in this religion. Hinduism is considered a polytheistic religion, but they believe in one supreme god. This god is known as Brahman. According to the Vedas, he creates all worlds and beings for his enjoyment, for order he shares his duties to the beings of different worlds according to their nature and responsibilities. The Vedas also said that Brahman could take many forms and become different gods. Another main belief is Dharma, which is a code of living that highlights good conduct and morality. Puja is the most common form of worship in Hindus, and it usually happens at their homes, family shrines, or at a temple. It happens every day sometimes multiple times in a day, and the worship is tied to a family group or a singular person. They also believe that what you do and think can affect your current life and your future life. For example, if you think about good things and perform good actions you have great things to look forward to in your life. Hindus believe in reincarnation. This is basically that life is a continuous cycle and never ends. Lastly, Hindus believe that truth is eternal.

Now, let's get into Hinduisms sacred text. The Vedas or as it is known by Hindus as The Book of Knowledge , is their primary text. There are four Vedas, Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, and Atharva Veda. The Rig Veda was written in the early 1500 B.C. and is the oldest of the four Vedic collections of sacred text. It has 10,552 verses of hymns and mantras which is collected in 10 different books. The Sama Veda is a liturgical work that contains primarily of selections from the Rig Veda. It consists of 2,000 verses and was chanted by adhvaryu priests. The Yajur Veda was used by udgatri priests and consists of brief prose to accompany ritual acts. This Veda contains 2,000 verses as well as the Sama Veda. Lastly, Atharva Veda was added later than the first three. It was added about 500 B.C. and consists of 20 books of hymns and prose. The Atharva Veda focuses on adoring the gods and performing sacrifices. They contain magical prayers for specific purposes.

This Religion is so important our history and the religions today. The main reason that this religion is so significate because it is considered the oldest religion and has various traditions and beliefs form today's religions. This religion has also contributed to humanity with astronomy, mathematics, health and personal growth. Hinduism is a great religion and has many good qualities. All of the other religions after Hinduism share some of the beliefs from that of the Hindus. This religion was fun to learn about and I hope you learned something you didn't know about Hinduism.

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