Posted by : SHOUMIK DAS Personal Tuesday, 18 December 2012



In the history of mankind, many cultures have come and gone but Hinduism has withstood many challenges posed by the time and has spread all over the world. The secret of this success of Hindu religion lies in the fact in its practical approach towards human life, belief in eternal truths, and modifications made without changing the basic beliefs.
Despite being the world’s third largest and the oldest religion, lots of people are unaware of the facts about Hinduism. There are also a number of misconceptions about Hinduism, which need to be explained. Therefore, in this article, we would try to put forth all the Hinduism facts in brief before the world, so that everybody would have an idea about what Hinduism is.
Fast Facts about Hinduism Religion:
Existence Since: Hinduism is the world’s oldest known religion. History of Hinduism can be traced back to 5000-10,000 B.C.
Facts about size and Rank: It is the third largest religion of the world with more than 1 billion followers.
Location: Most of the Hindus live in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka with considerable presence in all other parts of the world also. About 85% of Hindus live in India. That is why India is also called as “Hindustan.”
Known as: People who follow Hinduism are called as “Hindus.”  Hinduism is also known as “Hindu Dharma” (हिंदू धर्म), ” Hindu Religion, “Sanatan Dharma (Eternal Religion),” “Vedic Religion,” or Vedic Dharma.
Founder: Hinduism has no single founder. It has been evolving over the thousands of years and will continue to.
Origin: Hinduism originated in India. Hinduism is largely based on the teachings from Vedas.
Meaning of the word: The word “Hinduism” actually has no real meaning because Hinduism was not founded as a religion. The name “Hindu” is given by the people outside of the India, especially Greeks and Arabs, to those living in the vicinity of “Sindhu” river. So, the way of life those people were following is called “Hinduism.”
What do they worship: Hindus believe in one God named as “Brahman” but view other Gods and Goddesses as manifestations of Him. Therefore, in practice, they worship more than one God. Most Hindus worship God in the form of an idol. Rivers, mountains, trees, animals, and natural things which are useful for a human being are revered in Hinduism. Cow is the most revered animal for Hindus.
Place of Worship: The place of worship of Hindus is called as a temple.
Main Deities: Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva are the creator, protector, and destroyer respectively. These are the three main deities in Hinduism. Besides them, Lord Ganesha, Lord Krishna, Lord Hanuman, Lord Rama, and Goddess Parvati are the most popular deities in Hinduism.
Yugas: According to Hinduism, as there are four seasons in a year, there are four Yugas namely Satya-Yuga, Treta-Yuga, Dvapara-Yuga, Kali-Yuga. At the end of a full cycle of four Yogas, the life on the earth comes to an end (though not completely) and a new era starts. The humanity enters into a new era. The present era is known as Kali-Yuga i.e. Dark Age.
Facts about sects in Hinduism: Hinduism consists of different sects like Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism. The common people follow all the three sects collectively worshiping Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, and Devi.
Aims of life: Dharma (righteousness), Artha (wealth), Kama (desire), and Moksha (salvation) are the four objectives of a Hindu’s life.
Goal: Salvation is the ultimate goal of a Hindu’s life.
Stages of life: According to Hinduism, four stages of life are Brahmcharyashram (Student phase), Grihastahshram (Living with wife and children), Vanprasthashram (leaving the home and pray to God, may keep contact with family), and Sanyasashram (discard everything in life including wife, children, and material things).
Contribution: Yoga, Pranayama, meditation, Ayurveda, vegetarianism, and meditation are the best gifts of Hinduism to the world.
Tantric sex, Palmistry, acupressure, acupuncture, Jyotish Shastra, martial art, and many other ancient wonders originated in India and are parts of Hinduism Religion.
Hinduism is the source of inspiration for three other major religions of the world viz. Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism.
Zero, point system, and decimal system were invented in India. On the basis of which the modern science exists.
Symbols: Aum and Swastika are the main symbols of Hinduism. Besides those, Kalash, Trishul, Tilak, Lingam, Shri, and Yantra are other popular Hindu symbols. The saffron is the official color of Hinduism and the saffron flag is the official flag of Hindus.
Sacred Books or Scriptures: Four Vedas, Upanishadas, Bhagvadgita, 18 Puranas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata are the sacred books of Hindus.
Language: Most of the Hindu scriptures are written in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is considered to be the mother of all the languages. Sanskrit is considered to be the language of demi-Gods.
The languages Hindus use vary according to regions. They speak all the India languages like Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Malyalam, Gujarati, Kashmiri, etc. Outside India, the languages spoken by Hindus are English, Sinhali, Indonesian, etc.
Eating Habits: Most of the Hindus do not eat beef and/or pork. They also do not eat non-vegetarian food on auspicious days. Hinduism strongly advocates vegetarianism. Food is highly revered and wasting the food is considered as a very bad habit.
Important Hindu Festivals:
1. Diwali – The festival of lights.
2. Vijayadashami – Celebrating the victory of good over evil.
3. Gudhipadawa – Hindu New Year.
4. Mahashivratri – The day on which the universe was created.
5. Makar Sankranti – Transmigration of Sun into Makar Rashi.
6. Navratri – Mother Goddess is worshiped for nine days.
7. Ramnavami – Birthday of Lord Rama.
8. Ganesh Festival – Festival of Lord Ganesha.
Vedic restraints for Hindus are:
1. Ahimsa (not to harm others)
2. Satya (truthfullness)
3. Asteya (Nonstealing)
4. Brahmacharya (Avoiding promiscuity in thoughts, word, and deed)
5. Kshama (Forgiveness)
6. Dhriti (Steadfastness)
7. Daya (Compassion)
8. Arjaya (Honesty)
16 Samskaras in a Hindu’s life: Samskaras are the rituals which are performed at different stages of a human life.
1. Garbhadhana. 2. Pumsavana. 3. Simanatonnayana. 4. Jatakarman. 5. Namakarana 6. Nishkramana. 7. Annaprashana. 8. Chudakarana. 9. Karnavedana. 10. Upanayana. 11. Vidyarambha. 12. Samavartana 13. Vivaha. 14. Vanprastha 15. Sanyasa 16. Antyeshti.
Hindu Philosophy: Hindu philosophy is divided broadly in six different parts called as Darshanas.
1. Samkhya
2. Yoga
3. Nyaya or logics
4. Vaisheshika
5. Mimamsa
6. Vedanta.
Karma: Karma means your deeds. Hindus believe that our fate depends upon our Karma i.e. as you sow so shall you reap. If you do bad Karma, you have to compensate for it in this as well as your next life. Your next life depends upon your Karma.
Reincarnation: A soul dwells in every living thing. Body is mortal but the soul is immortal. When we die, our soul enters a new body and the cycle continues until we get salvation.
Caste System: Originally, there were no castes in Hinduism but there were four Varnas viz
1. Brahmin (priests).
2. Kshatriya (warriors)
3. Vaishya (Businessmen)
4. Shudra (labor)
These Varnas were further divided into castes and sub-castes. Originally, caste system was not based upon birth. Now a day, caste is determined by the birth. During medieval period, the persons belonging to a particular caste were supposed to do the same business as of their ancestors. This type of caste system no longer exists. People are free to do whatever they want. Castes come into play mainly during marriages. In arranged marriages, people prefer to marry the person from the same caste.
Dashavatar: According to Bhagavad-Gita, whenever Dharma weakens or the sins on the earth increase to the limit, Lord Vishnu incarnates on the earth and removes the sinners and protects the earth. So far, Vishnu has incarnated nine times and the tenth incarnation is yet to come. Following are the 10 incarnations of Vishnu known as Dashavataram:
1. Matsyavatar.
2. Kurmavatar.
3. Varahavatar.
4. Narsimhavatar.
5. Vamanavatar.
6. Parshuram.
7. Ram.
8. Krishna.
9. Buddha.
10. Kalki Avatar.
Basic concept of Hinduism:
It will be easier to understand the basic concept of Hinduism if you know Law of Conservation of Energy. For those who have a science background or have some interest in science know the Law of Conservation of Energy very well. It is like this:
“Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Only one form of energy can be transformed into other. The sum of all the energies in the universe remains the same.”
According to Hinduism, human body is perishable but the soul is immortal and is subjected to the continuous cycle of birth and rebirth. The soul changes bodies as a living person changes his/her clothes. So, the thing which we call death is actually just a transformation of soul from one body to another as the energy changes from one form to the other. This cycle continues births after births and the soul is subjected to sufferings endlessly.
So, the ultimate goal of a Hindu’s life is to attend salvation (also called as Moksha or Nirvana) i.e. freedom from the cycle of birth and rebirth. One can attend salvation when the soul of a person fully becomes one with the supreme spirit called “Brahman” (or God) who is eternal, genderless, omnipotent, and omniscient.
Interesting facts about Hinduism: So far, we have seen some common Hinduism facts, but now we will have a look at some interesting Hinduism facts.
1. The institution of marriage was founded and put forth in practice by Hindus.
2. The first law maker, Manu, was a Hindu and Manu Smriti was the first book on law in the world.
3. Rigveda is the oldest literature known to mankind.
4. Hindus believe that Vedas are written by Gods.
5. According to Vedas, lending money on interest is a bad Karma.
6. Acupuncture and acupressure are vital parts of Hindu customs.
7. Do you know the fact that Vedas were preserved for more than 5000 years without the help of printing technology?   This was done by reciting and memorizing all the hymns and through Teacher-Disciple tradition (Guru-Shishya Parampara).
8. India is the home of four great religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.
9. Sanskrit is the oldest language known to mankind.
10. The concepts of decimal system, zero, point, pi and many others were used first by Hindus.
11. According to Vedas, Om is the sound which was present at the time of creation of universe and it is the only symbol, which represents the God (Brahman).
12. Parents, teachers, and food are considered next to God.
13. Wasting food is considered as a very bad habit in Hinduism.
14. There is no officially-declared Hindu country in the world as there are Islamic and Christian countries. Nepal was the only Hindu country, but it has now become a republic country.
15. Hindu community is the second most tortured community in the world after Jews.
16. Hindus do not wear footwear inside the temples or homes.
17. Because of the usefulness of rivers, they are highly revered in Hinduism. People call them as mother. Ganges is the highest revered river for Hindus.
18. Kashi Vishwanath Temple is the holiest temple for Hindus. It is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
19. Kashi is situated along the banks of the river Ganges. It is the holiest place for Hindus. Some Hindus believe that if you die in Kashi, you would attend salvation. Some people prefer to spend the last days of their lives in Kashi.
20. There have been substantial evidences that Hinduism had spread all over the world including Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, USA, Italy, and many other parts of the world.
21. Hindu population constitutes about 14% of the world population.
22. Hindus believe that we get the human body when our soul passes through 8,400,000 species (Yonis).
23. A few decades back, Yoga, Ayurveda, Vedic Maths, and Hypnotism were considered as superstitions and/or rubbish but with the advent of modern science it is proved now that these things are very helpful for us.
24. Hindus do not worship Lord Brahma individually. He is worshiped only in the form of trinity i.e. Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh together. There is only one temple of Brahma in the world, which is in Pushkar, Rajasthan. The same thing applies to Indra. Indra and Brahma are both cursed because of their weak characters. Some people use this thing against Hinduism but they should understand that Hinduism is bold enough to punish every culprit whoever he/she may be. This also proves the fact that Hindu mythology is not just a fairy tale but is a history in itself as no culture would abandon its own gods.
25. The Ganges River is considered as the most sacred river by Hindus. The Ganges is considered as a goddess. They believe that all of the sins of a person are washed when he/she bathes in Ganges. Ganges water contains more oxygen than any other river in the world and the water remains fresh for longer time. According to a program broadcasted on Discovery, the Ganges water contains bacteria veg which eats up harmful bacteria. Hence, despite being over-polluted, there are less harmful bacteria in it.
26. Practice of cremation is observed by most of the Hindus. The practice of burial is also observed in a small number of castes.
More Articles Related to Hinduism Facts:
Fasting in Hinduism
Hindu Sect – Aghori
Founder of Hinduism

36 thoughts on “Hinduism Facts”

  1. Hinduism is the only religion survived without propaganda and no one preaches or never say bad things about other religions as I have heard muslims and catholic preachers say about other religions during the service.
  2. Very informative article written in simple, easily comprehensible style. I found it useful to acquaint my grandson with the idea of Hinduism
    Thanks,
  3. This really helped with my culture letter! I hope I get an A :D I can probably teach my best friend even more that she knows, and she’s Hindu :D
  4. Hinduism is the unique religion which had no force to worship it only says do good karma and have good karma in return it says you respects your own mother and father and pray them more than god because if you pray to them its mean you had prayed god if you don’t respect them and go to temple and pray to god its useless never hurt your parents they are god on this earth.
  5. I guess u hav missed a very important fact of all
    That Hinduism is the most superstitious religion in the world
    Believing and practising blackmagic . They consider certain animals
    As god and even consider their urine as holy water and drink it.
    And here comes the most amazing fact they worship shiva lingam ( shiva’s penis ).
    I wonder why Hindu women seem to be more interested in it.
    People stop blindly glorifying Hinduism and it’s culture and try to
    Realise why it is being criticised and mocked by others as the religion of people
    Who worship stones , monkeys , cows and rats. I believe that u hav been gifted with something with which u can think.
    • Hi Albin, thanx for commenting.
      Your first point is that Hindus are superstitious because they practice black magic. Do you know, Muslims are considered better than Hindus in the field of black magic. Therefore by your point, Muslims are the most superstitious.
      Your second point is that they consider certain animals as gods. Actually, they consider them as holy and useful animals and to express gratitude and in order to give them protection, they worship them.
      Your third point is about cow urine. It is proved that cow urine possesses antibacterial properties and is used to kill insects on plants and to improve nourishment of soil. Hence, Hindus use cow urine as a medicine only. Plus, it is just a tradition and not every Hindu follows it.
      In fact, Shiv lingam represents the divine power that male and female aspect of energy are different but inseparable. Lingam worship is not common to Hindus only but the pentacle of Jews also represents the same thing. Many Pagan cultures worship Lingam. Your comment about Hindu women show your attitude.
      Many people in the world are now returning to the worship of nature i.e. stones, animals, trees, which is a part of Hinduism and we are proud of it. In this way, the protection is given to animals as they are also a valuable part of our lives.
      I think I have answered all of your queries. If you have any further doubts, you can always use this website.
    • Hinduism also believes that “Truth alone Prevails”. Your believes have been answered by the admin but let me add that the Shiva Linga is iust a symbol….it does not represent a penis.
  6. Hi admin . This is an awesome site . I love it . I do have a favor to ask you though . You refer to the murti’s as idols and that word is confusing to people (ecspecially christians), please read the definition . Would you please use image or statue or even murti instead of idol please ?
  7. You need to have the date when this page was posted. I have to do a report on hinduism and I have to have the date of when this page was posted.
  8. this is the wonder of Hinduism. we embrace all religions and all sects. i believe that there is only one GOD and we pray to the different avtars of GOD. a simple example is a tree:- one GOD – the trunk of the tree and the different Avtars –the branches. sadly we as human in Kalyug are the leaves that create a boundry between the different religions. all religions teach us one thing LOVE ONE LOVE ALL-TRUTH.
    we as humans need to live together as one.
  9. guys no one have right to tell bad word to any religion i am challanging all of you to come at iscon temple or ant place where you can get HINDUISM information.
  10. Krishna purported in Bhagavad Gita, “sarva-dharman parityajya / mam ekam saranam vraja / aham tvam sarva-papebhyo / moksayisyami ma sucah” which implies “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.” (source Bhagavad Gita As It Is). The valid point to ponder here is religions did not exist during the Mahabharata period. The society tree branched into four classes of Brahman (the teacher), Kshatriya (the protector), Vaishya (the merchant), and Kshudra (the labor). Analogically, the Brahman is the brain, Kshatriya the arms, Vaishya the stomach, and Kshudra the legs in the civic body. No one belittled Kshudras – just imagine a body without legs. Krishna also known as Govinda (The One Who gives pleasure to all the senses) and (Govindam adi purusham tam aham bhajami meaning I worship You oh Govind, as You are the Origin of all – as mentioned in Brahma Samhita) could foresee that in Kaliyug, people will be divided in the name of religion and would not hesitate to kill each other to propagate one’s own religion. So, it is easy to comprehend that Krishna used Arjuna as a medium to address us that in these turbulent times, we must again word towards developing a world without religion and a society based on varnas which was peaceful as against a society based on religions only inclined towards propagating their religion and holding other religions in contempt. We must rise above hate and contribute towards a loving and synergistic existence.
  11. Hinduism is merely not a religion like others, it is a tradition, a life-style, an inherent sensitivity. Two or three books are not enough to learn Hinduism. A full period of life is very short to learn this thoroughly.
  12. This is very Awesome n helpful. Even I am also hindu but i did not know these facts which are given in this article. I am married to christian girl. I can show this artical to my wife n show all these facts about our religion. Thanx
  13. Just as Jesus is prophicized in Old Testament of Jews, I see prophecies of Jesus in Hindu texts. They reference a trinity, God (Brahma) who takes on human flesh, nirvana is like heaven, and many other similarities
  14. vamana 5th avatar …..he is related with mahabali who ruled kerala…..bt parasuram 6th avatar considered as creator of kerala…how can he create kerala when mahabali was already a leader of kerala
    • I think you have some wrong information. Parshuram did not create the Kerala but he recovered the land from the sea. It is quite possible that after the fifth Avatar i.e. Vamana. Kerala must have immersed in the sea as it happened with Dwaraka after Krishna. So, the sixth incarnation Parashuram recovered the land from the sea. So, it is quite possible.

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