Hinduism – A Contemporary Religion

Hinduism is a faith in God, an entity that can be described as a supreme being, the creator of the universe, and the wisest of all the deities. The main temples of Hinduism are located in India and also exist in some other parts of the world such as Nepal and Sri Lanka. According to some scholars, the first five books of the Hindu sacred texts, called the Vedas, were composed around 3000 B.C., although other scholars hold that this date is highly improbable. Hinduism is an ancient Indian religion and dharma, which mean lifestyle, is the most important feature of that religion.

Hinduism believes in the worship of a single deity, either a male or a female deity, who is worshiped as a partner to the Supreme God, Shiva. Other gods or goddesses are worshiped as important agents of the Hindu god Shiva, and some of these are known as the devatas. Devatas include the seven deaths: Vedic deities; Brahma, Durga, Dakini, Lakshmi, Kalkash, Shiva and Subhadra.

Hinduism has many characteristics that set it apart from other religions in India, including its belief in reincarnation and karma, its rejection of conventional morality, and the practice of asceticism, which requires followers to renounce the material world and perform self-mortgaging, as a means to attain salvation. Hinduism’s most famous scripture, the Hindu holy book the Vedas, is the core of its teachings and contains many references to asceticism and meditation. Hinduism also has several castes or classes, including the Scheduled Castes or Classes of castrated men and women, the Backward Class, the Jain caste, and the Dharlot caste.