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Hinduism in
Modern India
That which is held sacred…
The Holy River
Source:
npr.org
The City of Varanasi
Mother Ganga
Religious pilgrims travel down the Ganges River
to a temple along the banks of Varanasi.
To make an offering to
the River…
To bath in the holy
water…
To be cremated on the
banks of the Ganges…
Pollution in the Ganges
Sacred Texts in Hinduism

Vedas
 Upanishads
 Bhagavad Gita
Deities
There can really be as many
Hindu Gods as there are
devotees to suit the
moods, feelings, emotions
& social background of the
devotees."
-Sri RamaKrishna
Shiva
Takes on the destructive aspect of Brahman
Lord Shiva the Destroyer
Vishnu
preserves the working order of the
universe
Lord Vishnu the Preserver
"Only the unlearned deem
myself (Vishnu) and Shiva
to be distinct; he ,I, and
Brahma are one, assuming
different names for the
creation, reservation and
destruction of the
universe. We, as the triune
Self, pervade all creatures;
the wise therefore regard
all others as themselves."
~ Vishnu explains the Nature of the Trinity
(trimurti)~
Brahman and
the Hindu Trinity
It is often said that the Hindu pantheon has three gods at its
head: Brahma, the creator of the universe; Vishnu, the
preserver of life; and Shiva, the destroyer of ignorance.
Brahma is a representation of the impersonal brahman in a
human form, usually with four faces facing the cardinal
directions and four arms
The Sacred Cow
Hinduism's Sacred Animal
watch PBS Video, The Sacred Cow,
1:24
Hinduism
That which is held sacred…
Presentation by
Jennifer Gigliotti-Labay
Region IV Social Studies Conference
November, 2007
Bibliography

NPR series: Journey Down the Ganges, www.npr.org

Hindu Varanasi, Wilbert M. Gesler; Margaret Pierce,
Geographical Review, Vol. 90, No. 2. (Apr., 2000), pp. 222237.

BBC

Library of Congress, country studies

Photos by Jennifer Gigliotti-Labay, March, 2007

Deity sculpture photos
http://www.lotussculpture.com/bronze_sculpture_the_gods.ht
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