Introduction Hinduism is a religion that originated in India and is still practiced by most of the Natives as well as the people who have migrated from India to other parts of the world. Statistically there are over seven hundredmillion Hindus, mainly in Bharat, India and Nepal. Eighty five percent of thepopulation in India is Hindu. The word Hindu comes from an ancient Sanskrit termmeaning "dwellers by the Indus River," referring to the location of India'searliest know civilization, the Pakistan. There is not much organization andhierarchy is nonexistent. The religion suggests commitment to or respect for anideal way of life know as Dharma. Hinduism absorbs foreign ideas and beliefsmaking it have a wide variety of beliefs and practices. This has given it acharacter of social and doctrinal system that extends to every aspect of life.The Hindus own definition of their community is "those who believe in Vedas."History/Origin The practices and beliefs of Hinduism cannot be understoodwithout knowing the background. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, itdates back more than 3,000 years. Hinduism is unique in the fact that it has nofounder. Its origins are lost in a very distant past. In 1500 BC the Indo-Aryantribes invaded India and took over the Mahenjo-daro. From the combination ofthese two tribes came the worship of goddesses. The Hindus started practicessuch as bathing in temple tanks and the postures of yoga. Soon gods of warstarted being created and worshipped. Sakas then began invading the Hindus andmade a large impact on the religion. The sacred temples started to be built andthe sacred laws were codified and myths and legends were preserved in thePuranas. Soon great devotional movements began and ways of religion practiceevolved and are still used today. In the medieval times the Hindus evolved intohaving philosophers, plays and music with their religion. A man named Chaitanyacame into power and claimed to hav...
