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Station #1: Introduction and Beliefs Part I Hinduism is the world's oldest major religion. Some traditions of Hinduism date back more than 3,000 years. Over the centuries, however, its followers—called Hindus—have accepted many new ideas and combined them with the old ones. More than one billion people practice Hinduism worldwide. Most of them live in India, where Hinduism began. Hinduism has neither a founder nor a central organization. No one has set down a list of beliefs for all Hindus to follow. However, all Hindus revere the Veda, an ancient body of sacred literature. Hindus believe in a spiritual power called Brahman. Brahman is the source of all existence and is present in every thing and every place. The human soul, called atman, is part of the universal Brahman. Hindus generally believe that when someone dies, the atman is reborn in another body. A soul may return many times in human, animal, or even plant form. This idea is known as reincarnation. The cycle of rebirth continues until one accepts that the atman and Brahman are one. Most Hindus consider breaking free from this cycle to be a person's highest purpose. Caption: View of Hindu religious ceremony in the Ganges River at Varanasi, India—the holiest city in Hinduism. To Hindus, the Ganges is not only a river, it is also considered a goddess. "Religious ceremony in Ganges." Image. Zeber/Shutterstock. World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. Station #2: Beliefs Part II Hindus are expected to act according to the principle of ahimsa, which means “nonviolence.” This means that one must never wish to harm anyone or anything. Hindus consider many animals to be sacred, especially the cow. Devout Hindus eat only vegetarian food. Hindus worship many gods. The god Vishnu is considered the protector and preserver of life. The god Shiva represents the forces that create life as well as those that destroy it. The supreme goddess is most commonly called Shakti. Like Shiva, she can be either beneficial or fierce, depending on her form. The worship of Vishnu, Shiva, and Shakti are the three major branches of modern Hinduism. Brahma (not to be confused with Brahman) is considered the creator of the universe. In ancient times he was widely worshipped, but his following is now small. Caption: Bronze statue of the dancing form of Shiva, one of the three main gods of Hinduism. Called Nataraj, the dancing Shiva is a means of symbolizing the fundamental tenets of Hinduism, which are found in the religious writings known as the Vedas and the Upanishads. The holy nature and characteristics of Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma are found in many of Hinduism's primary religious texts, as well as in two of India's great epic poems: the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. "Statue of dancing Shiva." Image. Philippe Lamoise. World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. Station #3: Practices In a form of worship called puja, Hindus pray for a god to enter a home or temple and then treat the god as an honored guest. They worship an image of the god and offer up food, water, and other items. Tantrism is the search for spiritual knowledge and for release from the cycle of rebirth. It involves chanting sacred sounds and words called mantras and drawing symbols called mandalas. Pilgrimages, or journeys to holy places, have been common in Hinduism since ancient times. Many pilgrimage sites lie along the Ganges River in northern India, which Hindus consider the holiest of rivers. Caption: People drink from the Ganges River during a Hindu ceremony. "Drinking from the Ganges." Image. Portum/Wikipedia. World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. ABCCLIO, 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. Station #4: Festivals and Holidays Temples of any significance hold a festival at least once a year. Festivals are combinations of religious ceremonies, processions of the locally favored god, music, dances, and other forms of celebration. Most festivals are related to the cycles of nature. The New Year celebration, Diwali, takes place with exchanges of gifts, lighting of ceremonial lamps, gambling (a ritual designed to gain luck for the coming year), and fireworks to frighten away spirits of the dead. Pilgrimages to holy places began during the Vedic period and continue to be an important aspect of modern Hinduism. Certain places are considered sacred because of a specific historical event, connection with a legendary figure, the appearance of a god, or location on the bank of a holy river. Visits to sacred places are supposed to confer some benefit upon the pilgrim—frequently the healing of a dread disease. People who travel to Varanasi (Benares) when death is near hope to be released from the birthdeath cycle by dying near the Ganges River. Many shrines organize annual gatherings that are partly religious and partly local fairs. Caption: A Hindu woman in Bangalore, India gives finishing touches to a rangoli, a colored-powder decoration that symbolizes peace and harmony, to celebrate the Diwali festival. Hindus decorate their houses with rangolis and light oil lamps and candles to celebrate Diwali, the festival of light, and usher in the blessings of the occasion. "Decoration for Diwali celebration in India." Image. AFP/Getty Images. World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. Station #5: Temple Worship Temples range in size from small village shrines with crude statues to huge complexes—almost small cities—with walls and monumental gates enclosing courtyards, pools for ceremonial bathing, schools, hospitals, and monasteries. Services are not carried out at fixed times as they are in Western religions. The worship itself is an act of calling forth the god's presence and entertaining the deity as a royal guest. The first act is opening the temple door. For worshipers of Vishnu this symbolizes opening the gates of heaven. For Shiva worshipers it secures the building's protection. Temple visitors may take part in chanting or listening to doctrinal expositions. Images of the gods are honored with gifts of flowers, fruit, or perfumes, and visiting worshipers are given small portions of consecrated food. In addition to temple worship, there are daily household rites, including an offering of food, often fruit, or flowers to the gods and recitation of the Vedas. Household worship focuses on the transitions in a person's life, such as the rite of passage from childhood to adult responsibility, marriage, or childbirth. Wedding ceremonies are the major household rites, and they have remained quite elaborate, lasting usually up to three days. The traditional funeral method is cremation. Part of the funeral rite is a gift of food to the Brahmins (the priestly class) for the benefit of the deceased. Caption: Brahmins in front of Brihadishwara Temple in Mandapam, India. Brahmins are the priests who occupy the highest of the four Hindu castes. "Brahmins at Brihadishwara Temple." Image. Corel. World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. Station #6: History In about 1500 BCE people called Aryans invaded India from what is now Iran. The Aryans composed the oldest writings in the Veda. They developed a religion, called Vedism, that centered on making animal sacrifices to the gods. Vedism was the starting point of Hinduism. But the influence of other peoples and ideas over the years made Hinduism a very different religion from Vedism. Over time, for example, people began to disapprove of the killing of animals as sacrifices. From the 100s BCE to the CE 300s, the older gods of Vedism were slowly replaced by newer ones. But some rites of Vedism have survived in modern Hinduism. In the 1000s Muslims invaded northern India and Islam influenced some new schools of Hinduism. In the late 1400s a new religion, Sikhism, combined Hindu and Islamic elements. In the early 1800s Great Britain began making India into a colony. In reaction to foreign rule, Hinduism underwent a revival. It helped unify Indians against the British. Also during this period, however, some Hindu leaders began criticizing elements of traditional Hinduism. The reformer Ram Mohun Roy, for example, spoke out against the ancient form of social organization called the caste system. Under this system, people were treated differently depending on which social class they were born into. The reformers used some Western ideas to modernize Hinduism. Caption: Rammohan Roy was the leading social and religious reformer of early-19th-century India and has been called the father of the Indian Renaissance. He worked to better the condition of all Indians. "Rammohan Roy." Image. Samaddar, R.N., Raja Ram Mohun Roy, 1911. World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. Station #7: History Part II The most famous Hindu leader of the 1900s was Mahatma Gandhi. He brought the idea of ahimsa into politics. He helped win India's independence from Britain using only nonviolent methods. Differences between Hindus and Muslims grew after the colony of British India was divided into the independent countries of India and Pakistan in 1947. Millions of Hindus left their homes in Pakistan for India, and millions of Muslims left India for Pakistan. Many Hindus and Muslims were killed. In India and elsewhere, violence between Hindus and Muslims continued into the 21st century. " Hinduism ." Britannica Elementary Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2010 <http://www.school.eb.com/all/elementary/a rticle?articleId=353249>. " Hinduism ." Compton's by Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010. Web. 16 Nov.2010 <http://www.school.eb.com/comptons/articl e-202044>. Caption: The leader of modern Indian nationalism, Mohandas Gandhi infused the movement with Hindu spirituality. To Gandhi, moral values always superseded material ones, and the improvement of human souls was a necessary precursor to the improvement of India. He was an apostle of nonviolence and civil disobedience, proving that these ideals could unite diverse peoples and accomplish great progress. "Mohandas Gandhi." Image. Library of Congress. World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. Name:______________________________________________ Date:___________________________ Hinduism Station Questions Station #1: Introduction and Beliefs Part I 1. What is the world’s oldest religion? 2. How many people practice Hinduism today? 3. Who is the founder of Hinduism? 4. Explain what the Veda is. 5. Describe what the Brahman is. Station #2: Beliefs Part II 6. Explain the concept of “ahimsa.” 7. According to Hindu belief, who is the creator of the universe? Who is the destroyer of life? Who maintains, protects, and preserves life? Station #3: Practices 8. Explain what “puja” is. 9. What is the holiest of rivers according to Hindus? Station #4: Festivals and Holidays 10. The New Year celebration is Diwali. Describe the events that take place during this festival. 11. What is generally the benefit of taking a pilgrimage to a sacred place? Station #5: Temple Worship 12. Explain the differences between large and small temples. 13. Identify the gifts that are used to honor the gods. 14. When do Hindus practice household worship? (At what events?) 15. How long do weddings typically last? 16. The traditional funeral method is _______________________________________________. Station #6: History Part I 17. Where did the Aryan people come from? 18. What was the basis of the Veda religion? 19. Explain how the influence of Islam changed India. 20. Define what the “caste system” is. 21. Describe how the impact of Britain changed ideals of traditional Hinduism. Station #7: History Part II 22. Explain the significance of Gandhi. 23. Describe the relationship between Hindus and Muslims.