HISTORY AND ORIGIN

Most scholars believe Hinduism started somewhere between 2300 B.C. and 1500 B.C. in the Indus Valley,
near modern-day Pakistan. But many Hindus argue that their faith is timeless and has always
existed.Unlike other religions, Hinduism has no one founder but is instead a fusion of various
beliefs.Around 1500 B.C., the Indo-Aryan people migrated to the Indus Valley, and their language and
culture blended with that of the indigenous people living in the region. There’s some debate over who
influenced whom more during this time.The period when the Vedas were composed became known as
the “Vedic Period” and lasted from about 1500 B.C. to 500 B.C. Rituals, such as sacrifices and chanting,
were common in the Vedic Period.The Epic, Puranic and Classic Periods took place between 500 B.C. and
A.D. 500. Hindus began to emphasize the worship of deities, especially Vishnu, Shiva and Devi.The
concept of dharma was introduced in new texts, and other faiths, such as Buddhism and Jainism, spread
rapidly.It originated around the Indus Valley near the River Indus in modern day Pakistan.

INTRODUCTION AND SYMBOL

Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back
more than 4,000 years. Today, with more than 1 billion followers, Hinduism is the third-largest religion
worldwide, after Christianity and Islam. Roughly 94 percent of the world’s Hindus live in India. Because
the religion has no specific founder, it’s difficult to trace its origins and history. Hinduism is unique in that
it’s not a single religion but a compilation of many traditions and philosophies: Hindus worship a number
of different gods and minor deities, honor a range of symbols, respect several different holy books and
celebrate with a wide variety of traditions, holidays and customs. Though the development of the caste
system in India was influenced by Hindu concepts, it has been shaped throughout history by political as
well as religious movements, and today is much less rigidly enforced. Today there are four major sects of
Hinduism: Shaivism, Vaishnava, Shaktism and Smarta, as well as a number of smaller sects with their
own religious practices.
Founders Aryans (1500 B.C.)
Sacred Texts Vedas, Upanishads, and
Bhagavad-Gita
DOCTRINES Dharma, Karma, Artha,
Moksha, Brahman,
Atman, the Four Yogas
 Writers and religious scholars GOD 33 million gods and goddesses
often refer to Hinduism as a SACRED SPACE temple
way of life or a family of RELIGIOUS LEADERS Swami
religions rather than a single POPULATION Approximately 1.2 billion
religion COUNTRIES WITH India (78.9% ) & Nepal (80.6% )
 Hinduism teaches about a LARGEST HINDU
Supreme God whose qualities POPULATIONS
and forms are represented by ISSUES Gender Inequality, Caste
the multitude of deities which System, Poverty
are believed to have been emanated from him. This is the reason why Hinduism is considered
highly polytheistic.
 Hindus believe that man's existence is a cycle of rebirth, death and rebirth that is governed by
 karma, and thus, their ultimate goal is the liberation of the soul (atman) from the cycle of
rebirth.

Doctrines

In order to understand fully what Hinduism is as a religion, it is important to explain some

key concepts and basic doctrines that define its belief system.

• Atman

Atman means “eternal self.” The atman refers to the real self beyond ego or false self. It is often

referred to as "spirit" or "soul" and indicates the true self or essence which underlies man's existence.

The understanding of the self as eternal supports the idea of reincarnation and that the same eternal

being can inhabit temporary bodies.

• Dharma

In Hinduism, dharma means 'duty', ‘virtue’, ‘morality’, even 'religion', and it refers to the power

which upholds the universe or society. Dharma is the power that maintains society, makes the grass

grow, the sun to shine, and makes people moral or gives human the opportunity to act virtuously.

• Varna

An idea that developed in classical Hinduism is that the dharma refers specially to a person's

responsibility regarding class (varna) and stage of life (ashrama). This idea gave birth to the Hindu

class system or “caste system.” The four classes are:

1) Brahmans or Brahmins - the intellectuals and the priestly class who perform religious rituals.

2) Kshatriya is the class of nobles or warriors who traditionally had power

3) Vaishyas are the ordinary commoners and merchants who trade and produce commodities, tend

the farms and earn a living

4) Shudras are the workers who traditionally served the higher classes, including laborers, artists,

musicians and clerks.

5) Untouchables are a class of citizens that are outside the caste system and considered to be in the

lowest level of the social hierarchy.

• Karma

Karma is a Sanskrit word which means "action." It refers to the law that every action has an equal

reaction either immediately or at some point in the future. Good or virtual actions (actions in harmony
with dharma) will have good reactions or responses. While bad actions (actions against dharma) will

bring negative effects. In Hinduism, karma operates not only in this lifetime but across lifetimes - the

results of an action might only be experienced after the present life in a new life.

• Samsara

Samsara in Hinduism is the process of rebirth or reincarnation. It is a continuous cycle in which the

soul is reborn over and over again according to the tow of karma. At death many Hindus believe the

soul is carried by a subtle body which can be a human or non-human form (an animal or divine being).

• Moksha

Moksha is the ultimate goal of Hindu believers. This is the goal of liberation or freedom from the

cycle of action and reaction and from rebirth. This concept is related to the idea of atman - that in this

world, a spiritual being the atman) has a human experience, rather a human being having a spiritual

experience. The attainment of moksha for a Hindu is for the atman to be completely detached from the

material world and identify itself with the Supreme Spirit (Brahman). This state of liberation,

Hinduism explains, can be attained by going through the process of the Four Yogas.