Introduction to Hinduism The oldest religion. No founder, no single teacher or prophet. A way of life!

This is the main symbol of Hinduism. It is called Aum. It means “sound heart in deepest meditation” and is what they view as the best symbol of God.

Place of worship: The temple or “Mandir”.

Most Hindus worship (puja) every day at home and have a shrine there Most Hindus worship (puja) every day at home and have a shrine there. A shrine can be anything from a room, a small altar or simply pictures or statues. Family members often worship together. At the shrine, Hindus make offerings to a murti. A murti is a sacred stautue of God, or a god or goddess.

Hindus only believe in one God – Brahman. BUT...they believe it takes different forms and that there is a part of it in all of us (our soul or “atman”). They have different images for different versions of Brahman. Here are some but there are many more: Brahma The Creator Vishnu The Preserver Shiva The Destroyer

Diet Believe that cows are holy. Are vegetarian and only take food that is made in a way that the animals are not hurt.

“Moksha” means reaching Brahman and no longer being reincarnated. How do Hindus achieve Moksha? 1 The path of knowledge Spiritual knowledge -leading to the knowledge of the relationship between the soul (atman) and God (Brahman) 2 The path of meditation The idea is to concentrate so you can reach the real self within you and become one with Brahman 3 The Path of Devotion Choosing a particular god or goddess and worshipping them throughout your life in actions, words and deeds. 4 The path of good works This involves doing all your duties correctly throughout your life.

Their Holy Books, the 4 Vedas, are written in Sanskrit.

Compliance with the rules of the caste system The caste system was 'a division of society to preserve society' similar to the society in ancient Egyptian times. Each group had rules of conduct to be obeyed. The caste system divided people by occupation i.e. teachers and philosophers were brahmins; fighters were kshatriya; shopkeepers, moneylenders and tradespeople were vaishya; and servants and cleaners were shudra. No caste was higher or more important (superior) to another. All were equal and aknowledged as essential to the society.

Diwali – main festival A 5 day festival that marks their New Year. Happens in October/November. Also called the “Festival of Lights”. They pray to Lakshmi to bring them wealth and prosperity in the coming year. Lots of small oil lamps are lit!

Diwali is all about bringing light and brightness. Rangoli patterns

Henna Tattoos

The people