Early Hinduism Written and Designed by: Isaac McClanahan

India I have traveled from Great Britain to India to find facts about Hinduism for my journal. I visited almost every temple along the Ganges Rriver and asked the monks if they could explain their religion to me.

Hinduism I talked to the monks and they explained that Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world and is believed to have had it’s beginnings in the Indus River Valley around 8,000 years ago in what is today, Pakistan. Hinduism has no specific founder and includes many sacred texts. The oldest being the Vedas. The ancient peoples of India also wrote other stories such as two great epics known as, the Mahabharata and Ramayana.

Hinduism cont. The Vedas The Ramayana Two sacred texts in Hinduism

The Importance of the Ganges river They explained to me what their most sacred site is, and they said the Ganges River. The Ganges River to the Hindus is a sacred, and terrestrial home of the goddess Ganga. People from all over the subcontinent make pilgrimages to temples, shrines, and other religious sites along its shore. Bathing in the Ganges is a purifying ritual that is thought to wash away one’s sins. After death people find it opportune to have their ashes scattered in the river after being cremated.

Ganges river cont.

Origins of Sanskrit They also told me about their old written language Sanskrit. Sanskrit is believed to have been introduced by ancient peoples who call themselves “Aryans” (or noble ones). Sanskrit’s first written record is located in the Rig-Veda. Sanskrit is divided into two categories, the most ancient being Vedic Sanskrit ( BCE) and Classical Sanskrit (500 BCE AD) The great Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were originally written in Sanskrit.

Sanskrit cont.

Hindu Gods They also told me about some of their gods two of which are Krishna and Radha. Krishna is one of the most important and one of the most widely worshipped gods in all of India. Some traditions within Hinduism acknowledge Krishna at the Supreme Being. In the middle ages the love between Krishna and the cowgirl Radha inspired a rich devotional literature still treasured by communities of all kinds today.

Hindu Gods cont.

Varanasi They even told me about one of their most sacred cities, Varanasi. Veranasi is the holiest of India’s sacred cities. Varanasi’s mythical status within Hinduism has attracted religious seekers and pilgrims since antiquity. Veranasi was previously known as Benares and Kashi (“city of light”), Varanasi is referenced in the Vedas and the Mahabharata. Hindus believe that if they die in the city it will liberate them from the cycle of death and rebirth. The name Varanasi comes from the rivers, Varuna and Asi, that join the Ganges River here and the city is the most celebrated pilgrimage destination in all of India

Varanasi

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