This is the sign that is used to represent Hindusim.

Hinduism is the oldest known religion Its not a unified body, but a group of beliefs, gods, and heroes who share a common element with each other No official founder Grew from many overlapping cultures from ancient civilizations in India A lot of knowledge came from the Aryans Aryans: group of people living in Northern India from BC. The text of the Aryan people is sacred to Hindus

Tolerant to other religions and their beliefs Free to worship whatever god they want All of the gods are connected to the one universal god Brahman Believe in Karma & every action a person performs(good & bad) has an effect on the persons next life Believe in Ascetism: self-denial Hindus test their body in order to free the spirit and deny the bodys needs There are 3 main gods known as the Hindu Trinity: Brahman, Vishnu, & Shiva Brahman was the creator of everything Vishnu was the preserver and protector of the world Shiva was the destroyer The oldest and most sacred writings are the Vedas Book composed of prayers, hymns, & rituals

h t t p : / / p o w. r e o n l i n e. o r g. u k / The picture on the left is a Hindu place of worship. The picture on the right is a picture on Mount Kailish, a sacred place in the Hindu religion, according to theVedas.

Society was divided into different social classes, or castes People could only marry inside their caste Bottom class: The Untouchables The Untouchables always had the dirtiest jobs and were often discriminated against because of their class Reincarnation and karma helped prove the caste system The Untouchables were people who had misbehaved in their last life and now they were being punished for their actions Hindus were taught to be nonviolent people All organisms were works of their god Brahman Disrespecting someone of something would be disrespecting Brahman Dharma: the religious and moral a person has to fulfill in order to be accepted into their next life Were different for everyone according to age, gender, class, and job Spread of Hinduism across India helped unite Hindus Hinduism helped spread the practice of yoga and meditation across the world

This is a picture of the social classes that existed in Hindu society. As you can see, the Brahmins are at the top and the Untouchables are at the bottom. The Caste System in the Hindu Society

Celebrated in all parts of India Lasts 2 to 5 days during month the of Kartika Diwali honors the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi Business owners & shop keepers pray to goddess They leave out lamps to help lead Lakshmi to homes of the faithful so she can give them prosperity People decorate homes & temples with earthenware oil lamps Lamps represent the turning of the season and of the human spirit from darkness to light Lamps light path of ancestors who had come to earth during Diwali Shows respect for the return of Rama and his wife, Sita, to the holy city of Ayodyha after 14 years in exile Rama was the hero of the ancient Saskirt poem The Ramayana Lamps welcome the couple back Some people visit each other, exchange gifts, & wear new clothes during Diwali High point of Diwali is the new moon Day of the new moon is New Years Day in some parts of India

Holi celebrates victories of good over evil & the triumph of devotion to a certain god Marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring Associated with the god, Vishnu Eve. of Holi: People gather to sing and dance around a bonfire Bonfire represents Vishnus power People often visit family and friends Playing Holi: a popular form of celebration in which people apply water and colored powder onto one another

Most Hindus live in India Hinduism is the main religion in India 82% or 1.25 billion people About 45 million Hindus live outside of India Those people mostly live in countries that are close to India; Nepel, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka Hinduism is the state religion of Nepel About 2.5% of Hindus line in North America

This is a map of the Hindu population. As you can see, most of the population is in the India area.

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