HINDUISM

ORIGINS Product of Aryan invasions 1700 – 1200 B.C.E. Indus Valley is believed to have a lot to do with gods and ceremonies Also believed that Aryans absorbed the culture Remarkable ability to assimilate tribal gods into mainstream deities Ten percent of Indian population are regarded as tribal's Sacrifice was more dominant than personal prayer Caste system can be traced back to original texts Deals with specific territory, India

CENTRAL BELIEFS Not as many dogmas are other religions Lots of flexibility and variety in belief system Same sacred texts Same basic beliefs and orientations Introduction of new texts evolved Hinduism, lifestyle, beliefs and practices Important changes from place to place Not very many changes as it moved Caste system changed

MAJOR GODS Brahma – The creator god, whose four heads and four arms represent the four Vedas ( scriptures), castes, and yugas (ages of the world). Ganesh – The elephant –headed god, bringer of good luck. Kali – Shiva’s fierce consort – the goddess of death – is shown as a fearsome, blood-drinking, four-armed black woman. Krishna – The eighth avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu, depicted with blue or black skin. He is honored for his skills as a lover and a warrior; with his consort Radha.

Rama – The personification of virtue, reason, and chivalry; with his consort Sita, revered for her loyalty. Shiva – God of destruction, whose dancing in a circle of fire symbolizes the eternal cycle of creation and destruction. Sitala – Mothers traditionally pray to this goddess to protect their children from sickness. Vishnu – The preserver, a kindly god, who protects those who worship him, banishes bad luck, and restores good health. MAJOR GODS

MAJOR TURNING POINTS When the Rigveda was written – It brought along the caste system The introduction of Krishna – The supposed tribal god who gained national recognition and is now nationally worshiped Around the seventh century B.C.E. – When personal prayer replaced sacrifice to the gods As the religion spread across India – since the religion has a lot of flexibility one village can represent a lot of different things that another village may not, such as the caste system.

CURRENTLY PRACTICED Stages of life brahmacharga, which takes place during the school years, is focused on acquiring knowledge and developing character; grastha, the middle years, is focused on worldly pursuits and pleasures such as marriage, family and career; vanaprastha, when one's children reach adulthood, is a time of increased focus on spiritual things; sanngasu, in the last years of life, one may abandon the world entirely for a life of contemplation. Some people become “Holy Men”, they give up all physical possesions and devote themselves to one specific god or practice.

Ayurveda – special practice that involves natural healing There is three places of worship in the home, temple, or on a street –side shrine In festival time they dress a statue and bathe it then carry it around There are many festivals that take place throughout the year, many are to represent gods Each family goes through different rituals in the morning, consisting of multiple offerings to the gods that they represent CURRENTLY PRACTICED

WORKS CITED