Hinduism is the world's oldest religion! It can be considered a culture, way of life, or philosophy, and it is the most tolerant religion. What makes it unique from other religions is that it doesn't have one religious book but many, it has no founder, and the religion teaches in the deities. A deity is a god or goddess.

overview:

History of Hinduism

The history of Hinduism is very complicated. Some followers believe that their religion has always been around.  Hinduism does not have one specific founder. There is no “who” as to the creation of the religion. Scholars say that it started in the Indus Valley (area that is  near the modern day border between Pakistan and India) in between 2300 & 1500 B.C. Around that time, the Indo-Aryan people migrated to the Indus Valley, and their culture blended with the indigenous people living in the region; that was the beginning of Hinduism, It did not spread as much as Christianity and Islam did. The religion has stayed in India for the most part.

Out of all the religions Hinduism is the odd one out. It isn’t monotheistic {belief in one god} or Polytheistic {belief in more than one god} like the other major religions. Hinduism is a Henotheistic religion which means that they worship a single deity, but still acknowledge the other gods and goddesses. The religion is very large and diverse. The believers of it will not follow a certain set of laws. Hinduism  holds 6 core beliefs, a united goal, worship of the three major gods, caste system, as well as a whole lifestyle.

Hinduism explained

Hindu Symbols

Hinduism is filled with symbolism: the use of a symbol to get a point across. Each symbol will show or explain a major teaching of the religion.  Some symbols are- om: it is the first word used in any prayer or meditation it represents the universe. 

Rudraksha: represents the tears of shifa 

bindi: is used to protect women & is usually worn on a women's forehead.

The religion holds hundreds of different symbols. These are just a few.

Om

rudraksha

BINDI

gods

In Hinduism there are an unlimited number of different gods. Followers of Hinduism are well aware of all of them, but only mainly worship three. 

Each day of the week is dedicated to a god, and Thursday is spent worshipping Vishnu. The path of devotion is when one dedicates their life to worshipping a specific god. This is one of the ways to achieve Moksha. Hindus will go to pujas (temples) for their worship. They are always open and dedicated to the gods. 

6 core beliefs of Hinduism:

1.  Truth is eternal.

2. Brahman (god)  is Truth and Reality. He is the only god who is limitless and eternal

3. The Vedas are the ultimate authority. The Vedas are the scriptures that have revelations ( facts that were up until then unknown).

4.  Everyone should strive to achieve dharma. Dharam is good conduct.

5. Individual  souls are immortal. Souls are not created or destroyed. However a soul can move through bodies; the type of body a soul moves into depends on the actions of the soul. Transmigration is the soul moving. A person can  be rebirthed as human or animal.

6. The goal of the individual soul is Moksha.

caste system

Hinduism displays a very loose rules, but within India a caste system has arose. The different caste/ groups arose from Brahma (the god of creation).

Brahmins: the priest case; they must be honorable & kind. They have to teach sacred knowledge.

Kshatriyas: the military caste. 

Vaishyas: the merchants & farmers caste. 

Shudras: the worker caste.

moksha

 The ultimate goal of Hinduism is to achieve Moksha. Moksha is the soul’s release from the cycle of death and rebirth. The four different paths one can take to reach moksha are the path of knowledge, the path of duty, the path of devotion (unconditional surrender to a god), and the path of good works: doing your duties throughout life correctly.