Hinduism

Hinduism has its origins in Brahmanism, giving it the oldest known roots of any major world religion. It is the world’s third-largest religion, with more than 1.2 billion followers, and the most widely practised faith in India, Nepal and Mauritius. Hinduism is an ‘ethnic religion’; in other words, like Judaism, its adherents are overwhelmingly born into the faith. Hinduism is notoriously hard to define and some say Hindus may be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic or atheistic. The term ‘henotheistic’, meaning the worship of one god without denying the existence of others, may be the most accurate. The Supreme Being in Hinduism (called by different names) is Brahman, whose three main forms are Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the sustainer and Shiva, the destroyer. The ancient scriptures of Hinduism are in Sanskrit. Hinduism has no governing body, prophets, dogma or single binding holy book, and is highly decentralised. Mathas, headed by a spiritual leader (a guru), are the Hindu equivalent of Buddhist or Christian monasteries but operate autonomously, and for many Hindus the ideal monk or nun (a swami or swamini) is a wanderer. There are millions of Hindu temples in India. The term ‘Hinduism’ to describe what is a diverse body of knowledge and beliefs was first coined by Bengali reformer Raj Ram Mohan Roy in about 1816, and was first adopted by Indians opposing British colonisation. Many people refer to their own Hinduism as a dharma (defined loosely as a way of life) rather than a religion, and use the terms ‘Sanātana Dharma’ or ‘Vaidika Dharma’ instead of Hinduism. Questioning authority, including the authority of sacred texts, is a major aspect of this religion or worldview. The Indian constitution states that the term Hinduism includes faiths like Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism (in other words, all dharma-based religions with roots in India), and not Christianity, Islam, Judaism or Zoroastrianism. Many but not all Hindu denominations forbid or restrict alcohol consumption. The consumption of pork is also restricted or forbidden. Many Hindus are vegetarian and most do not eat beef. A facet of Hindu life that is a sensitive and controversial subject in India is the caste system (jati) that divides Hindus into 4 hierarchical groups and may be more than 3000 years old. This system, which temporarily rigidified during British colonial rule, is in fact highly responsive to social change. Diwali, the 5-day festival of lights and beginning of the Hindu new year (usually falling in October or November), is the most important Hindu festival of the year. It is celebrated in a variety of ways and by a variety of faiths. Common rituals include family gatherings, the lighting of lamps, plentiful sweets, fireworks, gift exchange and puja (worship) in the home and the temple. Some other holidays include Maha Shivaratri, Ram Navami, Vaisakhi, Janmashtami and Dassehra. The dates for these change from year to year and place to place, depending on different variants of the Hindu calendar.