HINDUISMHINDUISMMr. Thomas Cole10433 42nd Ave

SWLondon, England

To the ReaderI, Thomas Cole, am a retired British soldier who

devoted many bloody years to my country establishing power in east India. I learned of many things there, including the religion of Hinduism. Though at first it

seemed quite peculiar, I soon became quite accustomed to it. This collection of pictures and text

are some things I have gathered and decided to share with you. I can only wish that you have the chance to

experience what I have had the privilege of witnessing.Best wishes,

Mr. Thomas ColeMr. Thomas Cole

The Gods and Goddesses of Hinduism

There are four main sects of HInduism in which only a certain god/s is worshipped:

Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism, Smartism.

Above is a god known as Brahma, the creator. To the right is his wife, Saraswati, the goddess

of knowledge, music and the arts.

This is Vishna, The Preserver and main god of

Vaishnavism. He was reincarnated nine times and his wife is Lakshimi,

the goddess of wealth and prosperity.

Shiva is The Destroyer as well as the transformer and is the main god of

Shaivism. Parvati/Shakti, to the right, is the

reincarnation of Shiva's first wife and The Divine

Mother. She is the female aspect of god and is the

main goddess of Shaktism.

In Smartism, six main gods are

worshipped: Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti,

Ganesh, Murugan, and Surya.

Murugan

Shiva

Ganesh

Shakti/Parvati

Saraswati

Brahma

Surya

Vishna

Lakshimi

Durga, a fiercer form of Parvati

1,569 miles long, India's Ganges River is an important source of water for the people and the land. Its tributaries bring water filled with sediment

from the mountains that makes a long and fertile plain. This plain provides food, water, and a great many other necessities. Hindus have worshipped it since the ancient times because Ganges is considered to be a goddess who was brought down to earth by The Creator, Brahma. However, when she found out her fate, she was so bloody enraged that she threatened to destroy the earth. Before she could, Shiva caught Ganga in his hair and released her. She came down to earth in small streams and became a

river.

The Ganges River

Between the years 1500 and 600 BCE, Hinduism's oldest and most sacred texts were compiled by a man called Vvasa Krishna

Dwaipavana. They are collections of hymns and ritual instructions that are used today to perform Vedic ceremonies. Hinduism was

formed from the theology and philosophy contained in these writings.

There are four different works that form the Vedas: the Rig-Veda, which is the oldest and contains 1,000 hymns; the Atharva-Veda, which is made up of myths, verses, spells, and prayers; the Yajur-

Veda, a book that goes through Vedic sacrifice; and the Sams-Veda, which is a series of liturgical chants.

The Holy Vedas

The Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path

The Four Noble Truths:Ordinary life brings

about sufferingThe origin of suffering

is attachmentThe cessation of

suffering is attainableThere is an eightfold path to cessation the

suffering

The Eightfold Path:

Right ViewRight IntentionRight SpeechRight Action

Right LivelihoodRight Effort

Right MindfulnessRight

Concentration

Sanskrit

The Indo-European language of Sanskrit was supposedly introduced by a group called the Aryans, which can be

translated into 'noble ones.' Around 2000 BCE, they began to migrate to India and the language spread. Between 200 and

1000 CE, it became an international language across Asia, much like Latin in the medieval west. In modern India, it is used

mainly for ceremonial and religious purposes. In fact, many of the languages in India now are descended and based upon

Sanskrit.

This is has been my experience in India. I do hope you enjoyed reading this and were able to take a lot

from it.Thank you

Websites used to create this scrapbook by Annika Bjornson are as listed below:

-Matt Baker. "Hindu Gods and Goddesses." Useful Charts. 8 Jan 2013. Useful Charts Publishing. 27 Feb 2013 <

www.usefulcharts.com/religion/main-hindu-gods-chart.html>.

-"Lesson 1: Tracking Early Hinduism." PBS.com. 25 Feb 2013 <www.pbs.org/thehistoryofindia/teachers/lessons/1//>.

-Stephen Knapp. "A Short Story of India - Its Heroes and Invaders." Stephen-Knapp.com. 27 Feb 2013

<www.stephen-knapp.com/a_short_history_of_india_its_heroes_and_invaders.htm>.

-"Lord Shiva Holding River Goddess Ganga in his Matted Hair." Exotic India. unlimitedfx.com. 26 Feb 2013

<www.exoticindiaart.com/product/paintings/lord-shiva-holding-river-goddess-ganga-into-his-matted-hair-WL74/>

-Karen Leeson. "Works CIted." 10/4. MLA. 28 Feb 2013 <schools.4j.lan.edu/north/library/support/workscited.html>.