Pd7+Hinduism+A

=Hinduism=

Hinduism is the worlds most ancient religion. The founder and year of origin are unknown as Hinduism precedes recorded history. One of the most prominent Hindu leaders was Gandhi. Followers of the religion may worship at shrines in their homes or at temples. The top 10 countries that practice Hinduism are India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Malaysia, U.S.A., South Africa, and Myanmar.

Main Beliefs
There are about nine main beliefs in Hinduism. These are four of the most important: 1: Hindus believe in one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest Reality 2: Hindus believe in the divinity of the four Vedas, the worlds most ancient scripture 3: Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation, and dissolution 4: Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words, an deeds

Gods
Three of the most important Hindu gods are Brahma, who is the creator, Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer.

Sacred Writings
There are Four Vedas, The Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, and Atharva Veda. The Vedas are the primary texts of Hinduism, but they have also had an influence on Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Scholars have determined that the oldest of the four Vedas, the Rig Veda, was composed about 1500 BC, and codified about 600 BC. They have not determined when it was committed to writing but it was probably sometime after 300 BC.

Description of Practices
There are four types of temple worship. they are;

1 Japa- individual, silent or soft repetition of mantras

2 Bhajan- singing of religious songs, individually or in a group

3 Kirtan- congregational singing and chanting of mantras

4 Arotik- this is an ancient ceremony wherein certain pleasing articles are offered to a god, accompanied by Kirtan

Holidays
A few Hindu holidays are Shivarathri which falls on either the thirteenth or fourteenth day of the Hindu month