Hinduism

  • Hinduism is an Indian Religion and way of life and the world’s third largest religion by numbers of followers who are called Hindus.
  • The Scriptures that form the basis of Hinduism are called the Vedas.

The Core Beliefs of Hinduism

  1. Truth is eternal. Knowledge and understanding of Truth must be pursued by Hindus.
  2. Brahman is Truth and Reality, a supreme Principle.
  3. The Vedas are the supreme written authority.
  4. The achievement of Dharma, a moral way of life.
  5. The Immortality of the individual soul, which does not die with the body.
  6. Individual souls must strive to achieve Moksha, a release from the cycle of death and rebirth.

Brahman

  • Brahman is the supreme Principle and Reality.

Multiple Gods or Polytheism

  • Unlike Abrahamic Religions which worship only one God, Hindus worship many different Gods and Goddesses.

The Trimurti: Brahma, Vishnu and Siva

  • The Trimurti is the Hindu Trinity of three primary Gods which are Brahma (creative), Vishnu (sustainer) and Siva (destroyer).

Brahmins

  • The Brahmins are the Hindu Priests, the highest caste in Hindu society.

The Soul

  • The Soul has two components:
    1. Atman is the inner soul of Man which forms part of Brahman, the supreme Reality.
    2. Jiva, is the individual soul, which survives death to be reborn again.

The Vedas

  • The Vedas are the oldest Scriptures of Hinduism and are written in Vedic Sanskrit with over 20,000 mantras.

The Caste system

  1. Brahmins: Priests and teachers.
  2. Kshatriyas: Soldiers and Rulers.
  3. Vaishyas: Farmers and Merchants.
  4. Shudras: Labourers.
    • Dalits: Outcasts street sweepers and cleaners.

The Hindu Calendar

  • This is also known as the Vikram samvat or Vikrami calendar, and is the official calendar of Nepal and of some Indian States.
  • The official Indian calendar is the Saka calendar, adopted in 1957, which is a variation of the Vikram calendar.
  • The Vikram calendar is a Lunisolar calendar of 12 synodic lunar months and 354 days, with one extra month added every three years.

Cha Dham

  • Cha Dham means the ‘Famous Four Pilgrimage Sites’ of Hinduism. They are the holy sites of:
    • Puri, Rameswaram, Dwarka and Badrinath.

Sapta Puri

  • The Sapta Puri are the seven holy pilgrimage cities for Hindus in India:
    • Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Varanasi, Kanchipuram, Ujjain and Dwarka.

 

Ujjain Temple, Ijjain

Get Directions Go to Visitor Map
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