By Alexa Rispoli

 Hinduism is simply the religion of the people of India. It gradually developed over four thousand years.  Hinduism's roots date back as far as 2000 BC, making it one of the oldest surviving religions. Because it is so old, the early history of Hinduism is unclear.

 Hinduism started in Ancient India.

 Hinduism does not have a founder or a beginning.  It is made up of many philosophical and religious traditions native to India

 in the divinity of the four Vedas, the world's most ancient scripture, and venerate the Agamas as equally revealed. These primordial hymns are God's word and the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion.  in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds.  that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved.

 that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments and personal devotionals create a communion with these devas and Gods.  that an enlightened master, or satguru, is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry, meditation and surrender in God.  that no religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine paths are facets of God's Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.

 Hindus worship in public and in private.  In public, they go to temples and offer prayers. A priest may be present, who will conduct rites and ritual activity. If no priest is present, then the supplicant will offer the worship themselves.  In private, a person may have a home shrine, with statues, symbols and other objects of worship. They may make offerings to the Gods or place objects before the shrine to see blessings.

 Hindus have gods called Annapurna, Ganesha, Maya, Balrama, Garuda, Ram, Bhuvaneshwari,Hanuman,Sarawati,Brahma,Indr a,Shakti,Kali,Shiva,Dhanwantari,KartikaSita,Dhu mavati,Krishna,Vamana,Durga,Kurm,Vishnu,Ga nga,Laksmi and Matanqi.  There are 33 million gods. As you can see they are polytheistic and monotheistic, because some people only believe in one of these gods.

 Hindus believe that you will continue to be reincarnated until you have reached a certain spiritual level.  At that point you attain liberation and go to heaven.

 Hinduism is an ancient world religion with no known founder or known date of origin. The term "Hinduism" simply derives from the word "India" and refers to a wide variety of religious traditions and philosophies that have developed in India over thousands of years. Most Hindus worship one or more god, believe in reincarnation, value the practice of meditation, and observe festive holidays like Diwali and Holi.