Mary Scoggins, Domonique Bolar, and Brittani Hoffman

Hinduism originated in India, and came from the culture meaning it is an Ethnic religion. Its impossible to trace exactly when Hinduism was created because it evolved as the culture and beliefs in India developed over time, though c B.C.E. could be used as an approximation.

Just as Hinduism does not have a specific date of creation, there is no one founder of the religion. The tradition understands itself to be timeless, and to have always been in existence. In some sense the founder of the tradition is thought to be Manu, the first human to receive the sacred text. Manu was only the recipient of the texts, not the author. Many of the numerous sub-sects and sub-schools that together form the religion do, however, have individual founders.

While many Hindu’s believe in a vast diversity of gods and goddesses, others claim an essential monotheism- believing that all the gods are manifestations of one. A common Hindu belief is Karma which is the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words, and deeds. Another belief is that all life is sacred, and is meant to be loved and revered. Hindus believe that universe undergoes endless cycle of creation, preservation, and dissolution. Hindus believe in soul reincarnation. This evolves many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. They believe not a single soul will be deprived of this destiny.

The religious life of many Hindus is focused on devotion to God or several gods. The devotion to their God(s) usually takes the form of rituals and practices associated with sculptures and images of gods in home shrines The structure of Hinduism is autonomous, people can chose to practice how ever they want when ever they want. There is no one person in charge of the religion and its practices.

For Hindus visiting holy places is an act of great religious merit. Great emphasis is laid on visiting the holy places once in a life-time for the attainment of salvation. Four of the holy places have been established by Adi Shankaracharya (a saint) and it signifies a farsightedness of vision towards national integration as they are situated at the four corners of India, making the devotees criss-cross the country. The most sacred among the holy places is Benares, also known as Varanasi and Kashi. It is the city of Shiva, having over two thousand temples and over half a million idols, most of them dedicated to Shiva and his family. It is situated on the banks of the holy river Ganga. Other sacred places include Mathura, Dwaraka, Puri, Rameswaram, Gaya, Ujjain, and Haridwar.

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