Young Wrexham

Hinduism

Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, and also one of the oldest, with an incredibly rich cultural heritage. It is the main religion in India, where 80% of the population are Hindu. Hinduism is also the third largest religion in Britain.

Beliefs

Hindus believe in a single spiritual deity (god), Brahman. Rather than being a single being - like the Christian god - Brahman is present in all things, including the human soul.

• As the Brahman is a part of everything, it often takes different forms which is why the Hindu religion appears to have many gods. In fact, they are all different forms of the Brahman

Hindus believe in three main incarnations of the Brahman:

• Brahma, who creates the universe
• Vishnu, who preserves and keeps thing good in the universe
• Shiva, who destroys the universe, necessary to give things new life

Hindus generally worship one of these three main forms of the Brahman.

Reincarnation

Reincarnation is the idea that after you die your soul is reborn in another body, human or animal. Hindus believe that your soul (atman) cannot be altered, it is only the body you are living in that dies.

• The cycle of rebirth is thought to be tiring for the soul, so the aim of Hinduism is to attain release from rebirth (moksha), and with it escape from life. Everything you do in this life is a journey towards moksha, so any attempt to cut short suffering, such as suicide, will be punished in the next life
• Karma is a central part of Hindu belief. They believe that if you do not live religiously in this life, you will be punished with bad karma in the next

Customs

Hindus believe that Brahman is present in all things, so the relationship between humans and the environment is very important, to destroy the environment would mean also destroying humanity.

• Hindus believe that human beings are not the most important thing on earth. For instance, cows are seen as sacred by Hindus and they are never slaughtered
• The Hindu religion states that no harm should be done to living things and many Hindus are vegetarian

The Caste or Varna System

Another important part of Hinduism is the caste or varna system. This divides everyone in society into different groups with different privileges. Traditionally, there were four main varnas, and below them was an untouchable caste:

• The Brahmins, or priests are the highest varna, believed to have emerged from Brahma's mouth
• The Kshatriyas, the warrior or ruling class who were made from Brahma's arms
• The Vaishyas, merchants or artisans who came from Brahma's thighs
• The Shudras, the unskilled labourers and servants who emerged from Brahma's feet. These were the lowest class, or varna
• The Untouchables, those too lowly to be within the varna system

This system is linked to reincarnation - it is believed if you live a good life in a lower caste, you may be reborn into a higher caste in a later incarnation.

• Each caste has its own duties which people must carry out to finally be released from the cycle of reincarnation
• The growth of large cities in India has led to caste barriers being mostly broken down. It is now illegal to consider someone an Untouchable. However, the caste system is still important to many people, especially in the countryside

Funerals

Funerals are very important to Hindus. Most Hindus are cremated because they believe the soul is more easily released this way.

• If it is possible, the ideal Hindu funeral fire will take place on the sacred river Ganges in India

Diwali

Hinduism has many holy days and festivals and one of the most important is Diwali, the Festival of Light.

• Candles and lamps are lit and fireworks are set off which all celebrate the triumph of good over evil
• The festival is a celebration of the new year and takes place over five days some time between late October and mid-November