Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world. It has its roots in India about 6000 years ago. Hindus believe in a set of ideas called the dharma, meaning the truth, virtue, morality and duty. Every living thing—in both animal and human form—has a soul, called the atman, that is reborn many times in an endless cycle of life, death and rebirth called samsara. The actions (karma) of people in this life will decide their fate in the next. Good actions lead to a better life next time, but bad actions lead to a life of suffering. Very bad actions can result in a person being reborn not as a human being at all, but as an animal or insect. A person who eventually achieves perfect mental peace and unselfishness will be released from the cycle of rebirth and attain moksha ("freedom"). What prevents most people from doing this, however, is their failure to replace their ignorance with wisdom. Hinduism today is the main religion of India, Nepal, Mauritius and the Indonesian island of Bali.

Hindu gods and goddesses

Hindus believe that there is one supreme being, Brahman, who appears in the shape of many different gods and goddesses. Brahman stands for unchanging reality, which, Hindus believe exists beyond a world of ever-changing appearances, or maya, meaning “illusion”.

The three main gods, who form the trinity or Trimurti, are Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver and Shiva the Destroyer. The cycle of creation, preservation and destruction goes on forever: it has no beginning and no end. Brahma—who is not to be confused with Brahman—has four heads and therefore can see in all directions.

Vishnu appears in many forms, or avatars, including Matsya, a fish, Kurma, a tortoise, and two human forms, Rama and Krishna. Tales of Rama and his wife Sita are told in a book called the Ramayana. They are respected for their love for one another and their purity of character. Krishna is worshipped as a holy child, full of charm and innocence; as a mischievous youth playing many pranks; and as a wise and brave warrior.

​​​​​​​Although Shiva is the Destroyer, he is also known as the liberator. He is often shown as an awesome figure with four arms, dreadlocked hair and a third eye on his forehead, symbolizing wisdom. Hindus believe that Shiva is found in frightening places, but he is sometimes seen as a loving god, too. Two of his other titles are “Lord of Dance” and “Lord of the Beasts”. His wife Parvati is the goddess of happy marriage.
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Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu, is the goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity. She is shown as an elegantly dressed woman with four arms, which represent the four goals important to the Hindu way of life: dharma, kama (love and desire), artha (health, wealth and fulfilment) and moksha.

Ganesha (also called Ganesh), a son of Shiva and Parvati, is widely worshipped as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences and the god of wisdom. Ganesha is depicted as having the head of an elephant, given to him after Shiva beheaded him in a fit of anger.

Scriptures

Hinduism has three main types of scripture, all written in the Aryan language of Sanskrit. The first are the four Vedas, which were written down between 1200 BC and 900 BC after having been passed on by word of mouth for centuries previously. The Vedas contain hymns, chants, words for priests to say, and magic spells.

The second group of scriptures, the Upanishads (”sittings near a teacher”), written down at various times beginning around 600 BC, explore the main concepts of Hinduism. The third group are two epic poems. The Mahabharata, which appeared in about 500 BC, tells of the long strife between two royal families, the Kaurava and the Pandava princes. The poem includes the Bhagavad Gita ("the Song of God"), in which Krishna teaches the warrior Arjuna about dharma. The second poem, the Ramayana, tells the story of how Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, rescued his wife Sita, who had been kidnapped by Ramana, the demon king of Lanka.

Rituals

The most important stages in a Hindu’s life are marked by rituals and celebrations called samskaras, 16 in all. Several come in childhood. They include a naming ceremony called the namakarana, during which the baby’s horoscope is drawn up, and, between the ages of 8 and 12, a boy’s coming of age ceremony, known as the upanayana. Most Hindu marriages are arranged by the couple’s parents and involve a number of rituals, such as making vows of loyalty in front of a sacred fire. At death, the person’s body—no longer needed by the soul, which comes back in another form—is cremated, or burned, on a pile of logs. The ashes are then scattered in a river, ideally the sacred River Ganges.

Worship and meditation

Worship, or puja, may take place at a family shrine in the home, decorated with pictures and statues of certain gods, along with offerings of incense, flowers and food (prasad). Many Hindus use yoga to guide them along the path to moksha. Adopting different positions, called asanas, the physical and mental exercises are designed to help a person gain control over their minds and bodies.

Temples

A Hindu place of worship is called a mandir, although it is often referred to as a temple. There are mandirs all over the world, wherever populations of Hindus have settled. Many are elaborately decorated with carvings and sculptures. Each mandir has its own priests, called Brahmins, who carry out ceremonies and look after the sacred images of the gods, including the statue (murti) of the god or goddess to whom the temple is dedicated.

Pilgrimages

To Hindus, the River Ganges, which flows through northern India and Bangladesh, is a holy river. They believe that bathing in the river will wash away their earthly sins. Millions of Hindus make pilgrimages to the holy city of Varanasi. There are 64 special steps, called ghats, along the river bank from which pilgrims can bathe in the Ganges. They take a little of the water back home with them as a blessing. A few ghats are used solely as Hindu cremation sites.

The most sacred of pilgrimages takes place at the Kumbh Mela festival, when Hindus gather to bathe in the Ganges or other holy rivers (Yamuna, Godavari and Shipra). It is held at one of four places by rotation: Haridwar, Prayagraj (the new name for Allahabad), Nashik and Ujjain.
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Festivals

There are hundreds of Hindu festivals held each year, their dates determined by the phases of the Moon. Holi, the "festival of colours”, celebrates the arrival of spring. It starts on the evening of the Full Moon between the end of February and the middle of March. People gather around bonfires and pray that evil be destroyed just as Holika, sister of the demon king Hiranyakashipu, was killed in a fire. The next morning, there are processions with singing and dancing. People throw coloured powder and water over one another, mimicking the pranks Krishna used to play on milkmaids.

The Hindu calendar (2026)

13th January Bhogi / Lohri

14th January Makar Sankranti / Pongal

23rd January Vasant Panchami

1st February Thaipusam

15th February Maha Shivaratri

3rd March Holika Dahan

4th March Holi

19th March Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Telugu New Year

27th March Ramanavami

2nd April Hanuman Jayanti

14th April Vaisakhi / Baisakhi / Vishu / Tamil New Year

15th April Bengali New Year / Bihu

19th April Akshaya Tritiya

16th May Savitri Puja

16th July Ratha Yatra

29th July Guru Purnima

17th August Nag Panchami

26th August Onam

28th August Raksha Bandhan

4th September Krishna Janmashtami

14th September Ganesh Chaturthi

17th September Vishwakarma Puja

10th October Mahalaya Amavasya

11th October Navaratri begins

12th October Durga Puja begins

15th October Durga Puja ends

19th October Navaratri ends / Maha Navami

20th October Dusshera

25th October Sharad Purnima

29th October Karwa Chauth

6th November Dhan Teras

8th November Diwali / Deepavali

11th November Bhai Dooj

15th November Chhath Puja

24th November Kartik Poornima

16th December Dhanu Sankranti

20th December Geeta Jayanti