| Hinduism (Sanskrit: हिन्दू धर्म, IAST: Hindū Dharma), also known as सनातन धर्म, (IAST: Sanātana Dharma) and वैदिक धर्म, (IAST:Vaidika Dharma ) is a set of religious traditions that originated mainly in the Indian subcontinent. It is not a single well-defined religion, in the sense that it consists of several schools of thought and traditions. Hinduism encompasses many religious rituals that widely vary in practice, as well as many diverse sects and philosophies. The majority of contemporary Hindus follow the Vedanta philosophy and believe in a cosmic spirit called Brahman, that is worshipped in many forms such as Vishnu, Shiva or Shakti.
Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, with approximately 1 billion adherents (2005 figure), of whom approximately 890 million live in India.It is also considered to be the oldest living religious tradition in the world Unlike many other religions, Hinduism has no main founder.While the adherents do not stick to a particular religious scripture, they regard the Vedas, as the scripture; other scriptures followed include the eighteen Puranas and the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, which are known as Itihasas. The Bhagavad Gita, part of the Mahabharata, is a widely studied teaching. |
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