world religions
yoana Hernandez
Hinduism
who founded the religion ?
Who is the founder of Hinduism?” This is one of the most basic questions asked about Hinduism. It is so obvious because all the other religions in this world have founders. E.g. Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ, Islam was founded by Hajrat Mohammad Paigambar, Buddhism by Gautam Buddha and so on. So as Hinduism is a religion, there must be some founder. The answer for this question is that actually there is no single founder of Hinduism as Hinduism was not founded as a religion. It was a culture basically flourished in India, which later took the form of a great religion. It would be easy to understand who is the founder of Hinduism if you know what Hinduism actually is.
The modern form of Hinduism is actually a mixture of teachings from Vedas mainly plus teachings of ancient Rishis and some great saints and regional customs and traditions. Hinduism changes with time without disturbing its basic teachings and different deities, which Hindus worship. But Vedas are the main base of Hinduism.
Vedas are believed to be imparted from God to human beings some thousands years ago and were carried forward through teacher-disciple tradition (Gury-Shishya Parampara). So, as Vedas were created by God, we can say that God, Himself, is the founder of Hinduism, which he updates from time to time by reincarnating Himself on the Earth.
what are the beliefs of this religion
what is the religion sacred text
what the religions sacred sites
In India there are thousands of tirthas (places of pilgrimage) visited by millions of people every year. Each is somehow special, often associated with a particular deity or saint, and offering its own particular boon or blessing.
The most famous tirtha is Varanasi, also called Benares or Kashi. It is one of seven ancient holy towns (see Important Places of Pilgrimage). There are four great dhamas (holy places), which correspond to the four points of the compass and near which the great teacher Shankara (see Founders and Theologians) established his four main centres. Another key city is Allahabad, established on the site of the ancient city of Prayaga but renamed as "The City of Allah." It is the one of the four main sites for the twelve-yearly Kumbha Mela. The others are Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik (as shown here).
The map below shows all the major holy places mentioned and also the main sacred rivers and mountains. Further details of most of these sites can be found in this section.
what is the religions sacred symbol
what are the religion sacred days
In general, Hindu festivals "are intended to purify, avert malicious influences, renew society, bridge over critical moments, and stimulate or resuscitate the vital powers of nature." They include a wide variety of rituals, including worship, prayer, processions, magical acts, music, dancing, lovemaking, eating, drinking, and feeding the poor. {2}
Major festivals likely to be observed by most Hindus are:
Holi
Holi (also called Holaka or Phagwa) is an annual festival celebrated on the day after the full moon in the Hindu month of Phalguna (early March). It celebrates spring, commemorates various events in Hindu mythology and is time of disregarding social norms and indulging in general merrymaking. Holi is probably the least religious of Hindu holidays.
Diwali
Diwali, from the Sanskrit word Dīpãvali, meaning "row of lights" is a Hindu festival of lights lasting five days. For many Hindus, Diwali is also New Year's Eve. Diwali is held on the final day of the Vikram calendar, a type of Hindu calendar followed by North Indians.
Mahashivaratri (Shiva Ratri)
Mahashivaratri (also called Shiva Ratri) is the Great Festival of Shiva. It is held on the 14th day of the dark half of the lunar month of Phalguna. Mahashivaratri is especially important to Saivites (devotees of Shiva), but it is celebrated by most Hindus.
Other sacred days:
Rama Navami - birthday of Lord Rama (April)
Krishna Jayanti - birthday of Lord Krishna (July-August)
Raksābandhana - renewing bonds between brothers and sisters (July-August)
Kumbh Mela - pilgrimage every 12 years to four cities in India (July-August; last one 2003)
Ganesha-Chaturthi (Ganesha Utsava) - festival of Ganesh (August-September)
Dassera - victory of Rama over demon king Ravana (September-October)
Navaratri - festival of Shakti (in Bengal) or Rama's victory over Ravana (South India) (September-October)