Hinduism is the world's third most popular religion, with around 900 million followers. Those who follow this faith are known as Hindus. About 80% of the population of India regard themselves as Hindus. Hinduism is the fourth most popular religion in Britain with around 400,000 followers.

• Hinduism is over 3000 years old, although elements of the faith are much older.
• No founder, single teacher, nor prophets.
• Not a single unified religion.
• Originated near the river Indus. Hindus believe in a universal soul or God called Brahman.
• There are many other deities such as Krishna, Shiva, Rama and Durga.
• Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, governed by Karma.

God or gods?

Contrary to popular understanding, Hindus recognise one God, Brahman, the eternal origin who is the cause and foundation of all existence. The gods of the Hindu faith represent different expressions of Brahman. Different Hindu communities may have their own divinities whom they worship, but these are simply different ways of approaching the Ultimate. Hindus recognise three principal gods:

Brahma

Brahma is the Creator. However, Brahma is not worshipped in the same way as other gods because it is believed that his work — that of creation — has been done. Hindus worship other expressions of Brahman (not Brahma), which take a variety of forms. Hindus are often classified into three groups according to which form of Brahman they worship:

• Those who worship Vishnu (the preserver) and
• Vishnu‘s important incarnations Rama, Krishna and Narasimha;
• Those who worship Shiva (the destroyer)
• Those who worship the Mother Goddess, Shakti, also called Parvati, Mahalakshmi, Durga or Kali.

Vishnu

Vishnu, the preserver is believed to be linked to a very early sun god and is considered by his worshippers to be the greatest among the gods. He is also referred to as Narayana. Vishnu preserves and protects the universe and has appeared on the earth through his avatars (incarnations) to save humankind from natural disasters or from tyranny. The most well-known avatars are Rama (see Ramayana), Krishna, who destroyed the wicked and established a new order, Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, and Kalki. Vishnu is represented in sculpture and painting in human form, often painted blue. Lakshmi is the consort of Vishnu who has appeared as the wife of each of Vishnu’s incarnations including Sita, wife of Prince Rama, and Rukmini, wife of Krishna. She is the goddess of wealth and good fortune who is offered special worship during the Divali festival.

Shiva

The god Shiva is part of the Hindu Trinity, along with Vishnu and Brahma. He is considered to be everything by those who worship him: creator, preserver and destroyer. In Shiva, the opposites meet. Shiva the destroyer is a necessary part of the trinity because, without destruction, there can be no recreation. His city is Varanasi, and any Hindu who dies there is believed to go straight to heaven. Shiva is the source of both good and evil who combines many contradictory elements. In pictures and sculptures, Shiva is represented as Lord of the Dance who controls the movement of the universe. He is also associated with fertility. Shiva has many consorts including Kali, often portrayed as wild and violent, Parvati, reknowned for her gentleness, and Durga, a powerful goddess created from the combined forces of the anger of several gods.

The Great Goddess (Mahadevi)

The great Goddess appears as a consort of the principal male gods and encompasses the thousands of local goddesses or matas. These can be both beautiful and benign, like Lakshmi, or all-powerful destructive forces like Kali. Great Goddess shrines are associated with agriculture and fertility and the female energy, or shakti, is important in ancient texts known collectively as the Tantras. Shakti is contrasted with Shiva, whose masculine consciousness is powerless without the creative female energy.

Other Vedic gods

Indra, the god of storms was once the Vedic king of all gods but has, over time, lost some influence. Indra's main function is in leading the warriors. Indra fights not only human enemies, but also demons. Agni is the Vedic god of fire and is one of the supreme gods of the Rig Veda. Agni is believed to take the offerings to the other world through fire. Agni is represented by the ram. Varuna is the third Vedic god whose influence persists today. Varuna presides over the orderliness of the universe. Varuna rules over the night sky. Varuna is believed to know everything. Varuna is the god of truth and moral judgements. Varuna knows the secrets of all hearts.

SCRIPTURES

The Vedas

These are the most ancient religious texts which define truth for Hindus. They got their present form between 1200-200 BCE and were introduced to India by the Aryans. Hindus believe that the texts were received by scholars direct from God and passed on to the next generations by word of mouth. Vedic texts are sometimes called shruti, which means hearing and for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years, the texts were passed on orally.

Contents of the Vedas

The Vedas are made up of four compositions, and each veda in turn has four parts which are arranged chronologically.

• The Samhitas are the most ancient part of the Vedas, consisting of hymns of praise to God.
• The Brahmanas are rituals and prayers to guide the priests in their duties.
• The Aranyakas concern worship and meditation.
• The Upanishads consist of the mystical and philosophical teachings of Hinduism.

The Samhitas

• Rig-Veda Samhita (c. 1200 BCE) is the oldest of the four vedas and consists of 1028 hymns praising the ancient gods.
• Yajur-Veda Samhita is used as a handbook by priests performing the vedic sacrifices.
• Sama-Veda Samhita consists of chants and tunes for singing at the sacrifices.
• Atharva-Veda Samhita (c. 900 BCE) preserves many traditions which pre-date the Aryan influence and consists of spells, charms and magical formulae.

The Upanishads

The Upanishads were so called because they were taught to those who sat down beside their teachers. (upa=near, ni=down, shad=sit). These texts developed from the Vedic tradition, but largely reshaped Hinduism by providing believers with philosophical knowledge. The major Upanishads were largely composed between 800-200 BCE and are partly prose, partly verse. Later Upanishads continued to be composed right down to the 16th century. Originally they were in oral form. The early Upanishads are concerned with understanding the sacrificial rites. Central to the Upanishads is the concept of brahman; the sacred power which informs reality. Whilst the priests (brahmins) had previously been the ones who, through ritual and sacrifice, had restricted access to the divine, now the knowledge of the universe was open to those of the high and middle castes willing to learn from a teacher.

Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita, or "Song of the Lord" is part of the sixth book of the Mahabharata, the world's longest poem. Composed between 500 BCE and 100 CE, the Mahabharata is an account of the wars of the house of Bharata. It is one of the most popular Hindu texts and is known as a smriti text (the remembered tradition). This is considered by some to be of less importance than shruti (the heard text, such as the Vedas). It has, nevertheless, an important place within the Hindu tradition. The Bhagavad Gita takes the form of a dialogue between prince Arjuna and Krishna, his charioteer, an incarnation of the supreme God, Vishnu. Arjuna is a warrior, about to join his brothers in a war between two branches of a royal family which would involve killing many of his friends and relatives. He wants to withdraw from the battle but Krishna teaches him that he, Arjuna, must do his duty in accordance with his class and he argues that death does not destroy the soul. Krishna points out that knowledge, work and devotion are all paths to salvation and that the central value in life is that of loyalty to God.

The Ramayana

Compoased in the same period, the Ramayana is one of India’s best known tales. It tells the story of Prince Rama who was sent into exile in the forest with his wife, Sita, and his brother, Lakshamana. Sita was abducted by the evil demon Ravana but ultimately rescued by Prince Rama with the help of the Monkey God, Hanuman. The story is written in 24,000 couplets. The symbolism of the story has been widely interpreted but basically is the story of good overcoming evil. Many people have said that it is a story about dharma or duty.

WORSHIP

Introduction

Hindu worship, or puja, involves images (murtis), prayers (mantras) and diagrams of the universe (yantras). Central to Hindu worship is the image, or icon which can be worshipped either at home or in the temple.

Individual Rather than Communal

Hindu worship is primarily an individual act rather than a communal one, as it involves making personal offerings to the deity. Worshippers repeat the names of their favourite gods and goddesses, and repeat mantras. Water, fruit, flowers and incense are offered to god.

Worship at Home

The majority of Hindu homes have a shrine where offerings are made and prayers are said. A shrine can be anything from a room, a small altar or simply pictures or statues of the deity. Family members often worship together. Rituals should strictly speaking be performed three times a day. Some Hindus, but not all, worship wearing the sacred thread (over the left shoulder and hanging to the right hip). This is cotton for the Brahmin (priest), hemp for the Kshatriya (ruler) and wool for the vaishya (merchants).

Temple Worship

At a Hindu temple, different parts of the building have a different spiritual or symbolic meaning. The central shrine is the heart of the worshipper. The tower represents the flight of the spirit to heaven. A priest may read, or more usually recite, the Vedas to the assembled worshippers, but any "twice-born" Hindu can perform the reading of prayers and mantras.

Religious Rites

Hindu religious rites are classified into three categories:

• Nitya
• Naimittika
• Kamya

Nitya rituals are performed daily and consist in offerings made at the home shrine or performing puja to the family deities. Naimittika rituals are important but only occur at certain times during the year, such as celebrations of the festivals, thanksgiving and so on. Kamya are rituals which are "optional" but highly desirable. Pilgrimage is one such.

Worship and Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage is an important aspect of Hinduism. It's an undertaking to see and be seen by the deity. Popular pilgrimage places are rivers, but temples, mountains, and other sacred sites in India are also destinations for pilgrimages, as sites where the gods may have appeared or become manifest in the world.

Kumbh Mela

Once every 12 years, up to 10 million people share in ritual bathing at the Kumbh Mela festival at Allahabad where the waters of the Ganges and Jumna combine. Hindus from all walks of life gather there for ritual bathing, believing that their sins will be washed away. The bathing is followed by spiritual purification and a ceremony which secures the blessings of the deity.

Varanasi

This city, also known as Benares, is one of the most important pilgrimage centers. It is said to be the home of Lord Shiva where legend has it that his fiery light broke through the earth to reach the heavens. Hindu who dies at Varanasi and has their ashes scattered on the Ganges is said to have experienced the best death possible.

River Ganges

The river Ganges is the holiest river for Hindus and Varanasi is situated on its banks.