The definition of Hinduism entails that it is a term which denotes the religions of the majority of people in India. Hinduism is more a philosophy than anything else and a religious belief or faith and Hindu religion culminates in this philosophy of Hinduism. Hinduism is a way of living according to the understanding of principles of Vedas and Upanishads. Hinduism is predominant in “Eastern religions” and this Indian religion does not have a single founder, a specific theological system, a single system of morality, or a central religious organization. However, Hinduism is the amalgamation of thousands of different religious groups that have evolved in India since 1500 BC. This is the reason why Hinduism is regarded as the oldest organized religion of the world.

As per the scholars, the actual term ‘hindu’ first occurs as a Persian geographical term for the people who lived beyond the river Indus (Sanskrit: sindhu). Various evidences of prehistoric religion in India are found in the Indus Valley Civilization. Certain elements of Hinduism such as baths which serve a ritualistic purpose and phallic symbols, such as the Shiva lingam and the Swastika signs were found in the Bronze Age. In Arabic texts, Al-Hindis was a term for the people of modern-day India and ‘Hindu’, or ‘Hindoo’, was used towards the end of the eighteenth century by the British to refer to the people of ‘Hindustan’, the area of northwest India. Eventually ‘Hindu’ became virtually equivalent to an ‘Indian’ who was not a Muslim, Sikh, Jain or Christian, thereby encompassing a range of religious beliefs and practices. The ‘-ism’ was added to ‘Hindu’ in around 830 to denote the culture and religion of the high-caste Brahmans in contrast to other religions. Moreover, the term was soon appropriated by Indians themselves in the context of establishing a national identity opposed to colonialism, though the term ‘Hindu’ was used in Sanskrit and Bengali hagiographic texts in contrast to ‘Yavana’ or Muslim, as early as the sixteenth century. The term ‘Hindu’ certainly does refer in the contemporary world to the dominant religion of south Asia, albeit a religion which embraces a wide variety within it. It is important to bear in mind that the formation of Hinduism, as the world religion, has only occurred since the nineteenth century, when the term was used by Hindu reformers and western orientalists. As per some scholars, ‘Hinduism’ is also a development of Hindu self-understanding; a transformation in the modern world of themes already present.

Due to the wide range of traditions and ideas incorporated by the term ‘Hindu’, it is a problem arriving at a definition. Most Hindu traditions revere a body of sacred literature, the Veda, as revelation, though some do not; some traditions regard certain rituals as essential for salvation, others do not; some Hindu philosophies postulate a theistic reality who creates, maintains and destroys the universe, others reject this claim. Hinduism is often characterized as belief in reincarnation (samsara) determined by the law that all actions have effects (karma), and that salvation is freedom from this cycle. Part of the problem of definition is due to the fact that Hinduism does not have a single historical founder, as do so many other world religions; it does not have a unified system of belief encoded in a creed or declaration of faith; it does not have a single system of soteriology; and it does not have a centralized authority and bureaucratic structure. It is therefore a very different kind of religion in these respects from the monotheistic, western traditions of Christianity and Islam, though there are arguably stronger affinities with Judaism.

Hinduism is often characterized as being polytheistic, and while it is true that innumerable deities are the objects of worship, many Hindus will regard these as an aspect or manifestation of sacred power. Devotion (bhakti) to deities mediated through icons and holy persons provides refuge in times of crisis and even final liberation (moksha) from action (karma) and the cycle of reincarnation (samsara). The transcendent is also revealed in sacred literature, called the Vedas and in codes of ritual, social and ethical behaviour, called dharma, which that literature reveals. The two terms veda and dharma are of central importance in what might be called Hindu self-understanding.

Hindus constitute an overwhelming majority in the country and it is a creed which is renowned for its universality. In this oldest Indian religion, the main aim is to achieve a communication between God and man. Hinduism is indeed that ancient and ascetic faith which has explained ‘dharma’, ‘kama’, the Hindu theory of creation with different rituals and custom. Most forms of Hinduism are therefore henotheistic in religion. Origin of Hinduism is quite ancient and dates back to 5,000 or more years. The historical aspect of Hinduism is better estimated from the evidences available in the scriptures and the sacred texts of the Hindus, which are very peculiar only to India. It evolved from the Vedic religion of ancient India. Though the various Hindu sects each rely on their own set of scriptures, they revere the ancient Vedas, which were brought to India by the Aryan invaders after 1200 BC.

The concept of Ishvara in Hinduism, recognises a single deity, and views other Gods and Goddesses as manifestations of that supreme God. Hinduism cannot be understood without the Goddess, for the Goddess pervades it at all levels, from aniconic village deities to high-caste pan-Hindu goddesses, such as Goddess Durga, or the wives of the male gods, such as Goddess Lakshmi. In Hindu mythology three Gods are mainly revered and considered powerful, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Other Indian Gods are regarded as the incarnation reflecting the true supremacy of the divine aspect of God. Hindu Gods are regarded heavenly beings who can descend to earth as limitless incarnations. In addition to that each Indian God is entitled with thousand names. All Indian gods portray the Hindu conception of the “Supreme” being expressed as ‘OM’. Ancient Seers upon meditating on ‘OM’ figured the Trimurti, who has a human form, one body with three heads that express the cycle of life. As Brahma, this Indian God takes the charges of creation of the Universe. Vishnu maintains dharma (righteousness) and order. Shiva holds the power to destroy-Mahayogi, the great meditative ascetic.

According to the Hindu philosophy, the Supreme Being contains both masculine and feminine traits. The feminine aspect of the divine is special forms of the divine mother- Shakti. Reference of Hindu Goddesses, in the form of many female figurines, dubbed as “Mother Goddesses” were found in the Indus Valley. Indian Goddesses were also emerged as Brahma’s ensemble, such as Saraswati, the goddess of learning. Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth appeared, Parvati or Durga is the ultimate source of strength. Indian goddesses are also worshipped in different form and different names.

Hinduism as a global religion with a distinct identity has arisen since the nineteenth century, clue in large part to the reformers. The Hinduism which they have promoted is the kind which is best known in the West, largely due to its use of English as a medium of communication, its adoption of Christian elements and its outward-looking perspective. Even though Hindu revivalism is strongly informed by a brahmanical culture, it is least representative of Hindu traditions which have been passed through the generations from pre-colonial days, whose language is not English, but Sanskrit and the Indian vernaculars. These traditions include the brahmanical systems of theology and Sanskrit learning and popular or regional ritual and narrative systems, centred around local and regional temples. While Hindu revivalism is of vital importance in the development of Hinduism as a world religion, the influence of these traditions of Sanskrit learning and popular ritual upon it has been minimal; the Hindu renaissance has had a tendency to play down the differences between theological traditions and to relegate ritual to a ‘popular’ level, below the ethical spirituality of the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita.

Indian myths refer to a wider aspect such as Indian epic poetry that includes the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. In addition to that Indian mythology also refers to Vedic mythology, Hindu mythology and Buddhist Mythology. Hindu mythology forms the large body of Indian mythology. Hindus believe that their lives are staged in the progression to ultimate enlightenment. Hindu Temples in India are the abode of the divine. These temples are designed to dissolve the boundaries between man and the divine. In addition to that the whole universe is identified with the design and actual fabric of the temple.

Apart from these, with the composition of the Puranas a mainstream form of brahmanical religion developed which expanded and continued into the medieval period. The Brahmans who followed the Puranic religion became known as smarta, those whose worship was based on the Smrtis, or Pauranika, those based on the Puranas. This form of religion was concerned with the domestic worship of five shrines and their deities, the Panchayatana-puja, namely Vishnu, Shiva, Lord Ganesha, Lord Surya (the Sun) and the Goddess (Devi). The Smartas may be seen in contrast to the Srautas who performed elaborate, public, Vedic rituals namely the solemn rites and also in contrast to the Tantrikas, heterodox followers of non-Vedic revelation called the Tantras. Although the authors of the Puranas are not Tantrikas, the texts nevertheless contain a significant amount of tantric material, particularly on ritual. Although the central Smarta practice was the domestic worship of the five deities, while, of course, abiding by Vedic social values and purity rules, there also arose worship of particular deities, especially Vishnu and Shiva, who were elevated to a supreme position. Thus with the Puranas, the normative, mainstream Smarta worship of Vishnu and Shiva is established, which absorbs into it external, non-brahamnical and sometimes non-Vedic or tantric material.

Bhakti Movement is a Hindu religious movement and the main spiritual practice is to show loving devotion to God, or bhakti. The devotion is directed towards a particular form of God, such as Shiva, Vishnu, Murukan or Shakti. The Bhakti movement started in southern India and spread northwards. Hindu religious leaders have shaped the religion and gave Hinduism a new aspect. These spiritual leaders have renounced inwardly ego-consciousness and worldliness for the superior treasure of God-realization and spirituality. Ramakrishna Paramhansa as well as Shankaracharya can be regarded as religious leaders.

Hindu religious texts namely the Vedas, the Upanishad and the Indian Puranas include enlightened theories of Hinduism. However, there is no single text, which can conclude its philosophy. The Vedas are hymns praising different Gods. While the Upanishads are discourses between a guru (spiritual guide) and a ‘shishya’ (disciple), this Hindu philosophical text was composed from 600 to 200 BC and explains the universe as creation of the ‘Brahman’. The religious texts stress upon the unity of the God, the concept of ‘atma’ (soul), life after death and karma. The ultimate goal of every Hindu is to attain ‘moksha’, which is deliverance from the cycle of birth and rebirth. Hinduism states three paths to self realization - knowledge (gyana), devotion (bhakti) and work (karma).

There would seem to be two forces at work within Hinduism in the modern world: on the one hand a trend towards a universalisation which contributes to contemporary global culture and processes, yet on the other a trend towards exclusive, local or national identity formations. Both of these trends have emerged during the last two centuries. Hinduism as a global religion, expressed in the ideas of the Hindu Renaissance, has developed since the nineteenth century as a reaction to colonialism and Christianity. This kind of Hinduism has been inclusive and has firmly established itself on the world stage, reformulating ‘Hinduism’ and discovering its ancient origins. Through the work of Ram Mohan Roy and later of Swami Vivekananda and his followers, Hinduism has become a world religion which has had a deep impact both on India and on the West at all cultural levels, from the scholarly study of texts in Indology departments in universities, to devotion to popular gurus. Yet in contrast to these universalizing tendencies, there has also developed a Hindu political nationalism which connects Hinduism, or Hindu Dharma, with the nation-state of India. This political nationalism has inspired friction between the Hindu, Muslim and Christian communities in India and evoked some terrible violence. Hinduism has, as have all religions, been a cause of bloodshed and intolerance. Yet Hinduism also contains within it profound resources for peace and reconciliation - forces which demand expression, and which may contribute to finding solutions to the global problems which face the human community in the coming century.