Wikijunior:World Religions/Hinduism

How many people follow Hinduism?
Roughly one billion people practice Hinduism today.

Where is Hinduism practiced?
There are people who practice Hinduism world wide. It is mostly followed in India and Nepal where about eight out of ten people are Hindus.

What are the main beliefs of Hinduism?


Hindus believe in one god, named Brahman, who takes many forms, such as Shiva, Vishnu, Devi, Surya, and Ganesha.

Hindus believe that after your body dies, your soul is reincarnated, or born again in another body. What you are reborn as is determined by how you lived in the previous life.

What texts does Hinduism hold sacred?
Hinduism has many holy texts, such as the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Puranas.

What are some main holidays and practices of Hinduism?

 * Rama Navami - Mar 24
 * Ugadi - Mar 24
 * Vishu - April 14
 * Tamil New Year - April 14
 * Onam - Aug (changes)
 * Raksha Bandhan - Aug
 * Ganesh Chaturthi - Sep 11
 * Durga Puja: 10 days - Oct
 * Navarathiri: 9th day
 * Vijayadashami: 10th Day
 * Deepavali - (Oct - Nov, changes)
 * Karthikai Deepam - (Nov - Dec, changes)

What is the history of Hinduism?
Hinduism is one of the world's oldest religions. The Hindu Calendar is divided into four ages that repeat in a cycle. The current age started about 5000 years ago. Hinduism has two great legends, named Mahabharat and Ramayan. Both of them happened before this current age.

Who are some famous people who have practiced Hinduism?

 * Adi Sankaracharya
 * Ata (famous Indian mathematician)
 * Annie Besant (Famous theosophist)
 * Raja Ram Mohan Roy (famous Indian social reformer)
 * Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
 * Swami Vivekananda (well known Indian reformer, his thoughts are quite powerful)
 * Mahatma Gandhi (famous for India's freedom movement - he is called in India as the 'Father of Our Nation')
 * Rabindranath Tagore (1st Indian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature)
 * Srinivasa Ramanujan (World famous Indian mathematician)
 * Lakshmi Niwas Mittal (Indian chairman and CEO of the world's largest steel making company, ArcelorMittal
 * Viswanathan Anand (One of the best Indian and world chess players)
 * Sachin Tendulkar (Well known Indian cricketer who holds the record for the most number of runs in both(Test/ODI) formats of cricket)
 * Narain Karthikeyan (First Indian F1 driver)
 * Kalpana Chawla (First Indian woman to go to space)
 * Julia Roberts (Famous American actor who practices Hinduism)
 * Anna Hazare (Famous Indian activist)
 * Bal Gangadhar Tilak (Famous freedom fighter for India)
 * George Harrison (Famous singer and guitarist, who famously practiced Hinduism.)

What is a story from Hinduism?
Once there was a man who wanted to become a great Sage. He studied hard to learn the scriptures. He understood almost everything in the scriptures, except parts with the word "Maya". So he went into meditation to see God. He meditated for decades, and at last God came to him.

The Sage asked God, "What is Maya"? God replied "I can only show you the answer, but it will be a hard journey". The Sage pledged God, "I am your devotee, I will endure any hardship you ask of me. Please show me the answer".

God Reincarnated the sage, and he was born again. He was born in a family far far away. He had forgotten all about his previous life, including his meeting with God. He grew up with lots of friends. He married and had a loving family.

One day, as he was thinking about how good the lunch would taste, God appeared to him. The man was confused and asked, "Who are you?" God replied, "Remember... your previous life", and blessed him. And the Man remembered that he was a Sage and his quest for "Maya". God said, "This is Maya, the illusion that covers your true self. Maya is the curtain that blinds you from seeing the truth of the world".