Where is hinduism from

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Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets CSS if you are able to do so. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. At a Glance Last updated On this page Page options Print this page. Introduction to Hinduism Hinduism is the religion of the majority of people in India and Nepal.

Defining Hinduism The term 'Hindu' was derived from the river or river complex of the northwest, the Sindhu. Most Hindus believe in a Supreme God , whose qualities and forms are represented by the multitude of deities which emanate from him. Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth , governed by Karma. Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of successive lives and its next incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life was lived.

The main Hindu texts are the Vedas and their supplements books based on the Vedas. Veda is a Sanskrit word meaning 'knowledge'. However, there are numerous gods and goddesses in Hinduism. These gods represent aspects of the One Supreme God.

An important trio of these appearances of Brahman, sometimes called the Hindu trinity of Brahman, consists of the creator Brahma , the preserver Vishnu , and destroyer Shiva of the universe.

Though Brahma is the creator, he is the minor god of the three and is said to have gown in a lotus out of the navel of the sleeping Vishnu. He has four heads, but once had one, grew four more, and then lost one. Vishnu is the god of duration, preservation, and of natural cycles. Vishnu's completeness and greatness exceeds the other three gods because he contains every possible contradiction and in consequence. Hindus often portray Vishnu dressed lavishly and having four arms.

Vishnu usually carries his symbols in his hands and often has a U shaped symbol on his forehead. Shiva is the aspect of perpetual change, destruction, and transition. Shiva, also known as the "good One," is more complex than Vishnu.

Hindus often portray Shiva as sitting upon a tiger or panther skin, having three white horizontal stripes upon his forehead, and a third vertical eye. Shiva's vertical eye gives light to the world. Another popular Hindu God is Ganesha, who is easily identified by his elephant head. It inaugurates the coming of spring and is celebrated primarily by throwing colored paste and water on anyone who happens to be out walking around. It, too, is celebrated over a period of days.

For Hindus, there is no weekly worship service, no set day or time in which a community is called to gather publicly. Instead, all worship can be performed to icons in the home shrine, which is why the home is a very important place of worship in India.

The best word that describes and summarizes Hindu worship is puja, which means respect, homage, or worship. Each morning, one member of the family, usually the father or the mother, will perform a short puja at the altar. This may include saying prayers, lighting a lamp, burning incense, making offerings of fruit and flowers, and ringing a bell.

The goal in this worship is to please the gods through all five senses. Much the same thing happens in temple worship, though the rituals are much more elaborate there, since deities are believed to inhabit the temple images at all times, rather than just when invited, as in a home puja. In temple worship, the priest performs the puja , then on behalf of the god he returns to the people some of what they first brought as offerings—food, flowers, etc.

This is called prasad , which means grace, goodwill, or blessing. In this way, the offerings are then received back by the devotees as a blessing.