Hinduism
Introduction Hinduism is a religion that originated in India and is still
practiced by most of the Natives as well as the people who have migrated from
India to other parts of the world. Statistically there are over seven hundred
million Hindus, mainly in Bharat, India and Nepal. Eighty five percent of the
population in India is Hindu. The word Hindu comes from an ancient Sanskrit term
meaning "dwellers by the Indus River," referring to the location of India's
earliest know civilization, the Pakistan. There is not much organization and
hierarchy is nonexistent. The religion suggests commitment to or respect for an
ideal way of life know as Dharma. Hinduism absorbs foreign ideas and beliefs
making it have a wide variety of beliefs and practices. This has given it a
character of social and doctrinal system that extends to every aspect of life.
The Hindus own definition of their community is "those who believe in Vedas."
History/Origin The practices and beliefs of Hinduism cannot be understood
without knowing the background. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, it
dates back more than 3,000 years. Hinduism is unique in the fact that it has no
founder. Its origins are lost in a very distant past. In 1500 BC the Indo-Aryan
tribes invaded India and took over the Mahenjo-daro. From the combination of
these two tribes came the worship of goddesses. The Hindus started practices
such as bathing in temple tanks and the postures of yoga. Soon gods of war
started being created and worshipped. Sakas then began invading the Hindus and
made a large impact on the religion. The sacred temples started to be built a ...