Hinduism

Aley Blanchflower, Morgan Taddeo, & Tanvi Patel

Hindu religion first developed in India over 5,000 years ago The religion of the Aryans, the people living in northern India

between 1500 and 1000 BC, influenced many of the present beliefs of Hinduism (reincarnation)

Has no single prophet or founder of the religion The term Hinduism means “the religion of India” Hinduism is made up of a variety of traditions of belief and social

custom Is very tolerant of other religions

Indian saying: There are 333 million gods, and Hindus are free to worship whichever god they please.

History on Founding

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Belief in reincarnation, the rebirth of the soul over many lives Belief in caste system, a social structure in which Brahmans

were on the top, and laborers were at the bottom By 500 BC, many Hindus begun to practice ascetism, self

denial for religious reasons Ex; fasting, removing oneself from society, lying on thorns,

hanging upside down for trees, standing on one leg for a long period of time

Belief in Dharma, duties that each person is bound to perform Belief in Karma, destiny or fate as a result of a persons actions Belief in karma and reincarnation strengthened the idea of the

caste system This meant that there were more divisions in the classes of India

Spread of Hinduism across India unified the religion.

Core Beliefs & Impact on Societies

Brahma: creator of everything, but did not involve

himself in the world after creating it. Had four heads, each head was supposed to have produced

one of the four Vedas, ancient sacred writings of Hinduism. Vishnu: preserver and protector of the world, a friend to

humanity. Comes down to earth in different forms whenever the world

was threatened Shiva: destroyer- he regularly destroyed the world only to

recreate it again. Sat in Himalayas storing up energy, and released energy by

dancing

Gods

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Shiva

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Vishnu

http://www.usefulcharts.comBrahma

Gods

Ram (or Rama) was the oldest of four brothers- Bharat,

Laxman, and Shatrughana. Each of these four brothers shared the same father (King Dashrat), but different mothers. King Dashrat decided that he wanted to give the throne to his oldest son, Rama. But, the third and youngest wife of the King, was jealous and wanted her son, Bharat to have the throne. A long time before, the youngest Queen had saved the King’s life, so she was granted two wishes. She decided that it was finally time to claim her wishes so she demanded that Rama and his wife Sita be sent away to a forest and that her own son, Bharat, has the throne. The King could not break his promise so Rama leaves the holy town of Ayodhya with Sita, and brother Laxman. There, the three gods face a series of conflicts including running into the villain, Ravaan several times, and Sita getting kidnapped. When they came back after 14 years, the town celebrated by lighting candles to welcome the couple and Laxman back after 14 years. The Ramayana, is a detailed book explaining the events that happened in Rama’s life.

Story of Rama

Diwali, which can also be spelled as Divali or Dipavali, is

an important holiday in the Hindu belief. Diwali can be celebrated anywhere from two to five days.

It is celebrated in the Hindu month of Kartika (October to November)

Diwali is also known as the Festival of Lights because it occurs during the darkest period of the monthly lunar cycle.

Like during Christmas for Americans, Hindus during the celebration of Diwali receive a holiday bonus at work.

Tradition of washing coins and performing prayers for goddess of wealth, Laxmi.

Diwali is the day when Ram, a Hindu god, returned from the jungle after 14 years

Diwali

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Diwali

Where Hinduism Is Practiced Today

In South Asia, between 60 and 70 percent of the population practice the Hindu religion

Approximately 900 million adherents world wide Hinduism is the third largest religion practiced behind

Christianity and Islam Most Hindus live in India and the neighboring countries

in South America Most Hindus are of South Asian ethnic but the religion

has emerged in North America and Europe Nepal, located between China and India is the only

Hindu kingdom in the world

Hinduism Maps

http://www.pluralism.org http://ru.wikipedia.org

Works Cited

"Hinduism." Exploring Ancient Civilizations. Marshall Cavendish Digital, 2012. Web. 12 December 2012

"Hinduism." Exploring the Middle Ages. Marshall Cavendish Digital, 2012. Web. 12 December 2012

Clothey, Fred W. "Diwali." World Book Student. World Book, 2012. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.

Jones, Constance A. "Diwali." Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices. Ed. J. Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann. 2nd Ed. Vol. 2. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2010. 895-897. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.

"Festivals, Religious." Exploring the Middle Ages. Marshall Cavendish Digital, 2012. Web. 15 December 2012.