History UsefulNotes / Hinduism

Apart from the Trinity, there are also a number of younger gods or ''Devas'', who occupy the heaven, known as ''Swarga''. Almost every entity in nature has a corresponding god or goddess - Agni (Fire), Vayu (Wind/Air), Varuna (Water & Sky), Surya (Sun), Chandra (Moon), Bhumi (Earth)[[hottip:*:Now you know why [[AvatarTheLastAirbender King Bumi]] is named that]], etc. Indra is the King of the Gods, and Lord of ''Swargaloka'', which is {{heaven}}. ''Narakaloka'' is the opposite, and is {{hell}}. Naraka, however, has no Lord.

It is also common practice for a community to hold faith in a [[OurGodsAreDifferent "local" god]], associated with a single temple or location. On occasion these may not even have temples or even idols or statues; it might merely be the ''concept'' of a higher being, usually a protector and usually named after the location, that is believed in by the local population, with no particular rituals or prayers. Prayer locations of these deities are usually sacred groves, and there are ''thousands'' of such locations and gods scattered across India. Activities like logging and hunting are heavily prohibited in and around these areas, enforced by a combination of tradition, religious beliefs ''and'' the law. Because of this, over the years, these groves have become a haven for both rare animals and plants, as species seek shelter in them due to habitat destruction. This enrichment of flora and fauna has only added to their legend; TheOtherWiki actually has [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_groves_of_India a page on these]].

It is also common practice for a community to hold faith in a [[OurGodsAreDifferent "local" god]], associated with a single temple or location. On occasion these may not even have temples or even idols or statues; it might merely be the ''concept'' of a higher being, usually a protector and usually named after the location, that is believed in by the local population, with no particular rituals or prayers. Prayer locations of these dieties are usually sacred groves, and there are ''thousands'' of such locations and gods scattered across India. Activities like logging and hunting are heavily prohibited in and around these areas, enforced by a combination of tradition, religious beliefs ''and'' the law. Because of this, over the years, these groves have become a haven for both rare animals and plants, as species seek shelter in them due to habitat destruction. This enrichment of flora and fauna has only added to their legend; TheOtherWiki actually has [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_groves_of_India a page on these]].

Both Vishnu and Shiva are widely popular among Hindus as deities, to the point that there has been some friction between the devotees of the two. Vishnu is arguably the better known, probably because of the vast amount of mythology surrounding Vishnu and his {{Avatar}}s. Since the maintenance of the world is his responsibility, Vishnu will incarnate as an {{Avatar}} whenever Evil rises, to bring balance to the world. Prince Ram, Lord Krishna and Vamana are some of the popular incarnations of Vishnu. Ram's story has been chronicled in the ''Literature/{{Ramayana}}'', and Krishna's in the ''{{Mahabharata}}'', a [[SpinOff part of which]] is the ''Literature/BhagavadGita''.

As is evident from the description so far, the information provided here by no means summarizes the entirety of Hindu beliefs; as it is easily the most complex religion in the history of the world. Because of the wide range of traditions and ideas incorporated within it or covered by it, even hardcore Hindus will have trouble coming up with a definition for the [[BetterThanItSounds word "Hinduism"]] [[UpToEleven itself]].

According to Hindu Mythology, the universe was born from Lord Brahma, The Creator, and it is maintained by Lord Vishnu, The Preserver, and governed by Shiva, The Supreme God. Shiva is also known as The Destroyer, in the sense that after the age of man is over, the world will be destroyed to unite [[AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence all induvidual souls with the Supreme Consciousness]]. The three together form the Great Trinity, more popularly known as the "Trimurti"[[hottip:*:त्रिमूर्ति trimūrti]] of Hinduism.

Both Vishnu and Shiva are widely popular among Hindus as dieties, to the point that there has been some friction between the devotees of the two. Vishnu is arguably the better known, probably because of the vast amount of mythology surrounding Vishnu and his {{Avatar}}s. Since the maintenance of the world is his responsibility, Vishnu will incarnate as an {{Avatar}} whenever Evil rises, to bring balance to the world. Prince Ram, Lord Krishna and Vamana are some of the popular incarnations of Vishnu. Ram's story has been chronicled in the ''Literature/{{Ramayana}}'', and Krishna's in the ''{{Mahabharata}}'', a [[SpinOff part of which]] is the ''Literature/BhagavadGita''.

Apart from the Trinity, there are also a number of younger gods or ''Devas'', who occupy the heaven, known as ''Swarga''. Almost every entity in nature has a curresponding god or goddess - Agni (Fire), Vayu (Wind/Air), Varuna (Water & Sky), Surya (Sun), Chandra (Moon), Bhumi (Earth)[[hottip:*:Now you know why [[AvatarTheLastAirbender King Bumi]] is named that]], etc. Indra is the King of the Gods, and Lord of ''Swargaloka'', which is {{heaven}}. ''Narakaloka'' is the opposite, and is {{hell}}. Naraka, however, has no Lord.

This makes Hinduism the only major world religion that is henotheistic by nature, i.e, involving devotion to one God while accepting the existence of others. This is why most Hindu sects do not seek converts, as there is an accepted belief that the goals of spiritual life can be attained through any religion, as long as it is practiced sincerely. It is also the only religion in the world that allows the practice of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_atheists atheism within itself]].

Apart from the Trinity, there are also a number of younger gods or ''Devas'', who occupy the heaven, known as ''Swarga''. Almost every entity in nature has a curresponding god or goddess - Agni (Fire), Vayu (Wind/Air), Varuna (Water & Sky), Surya (Sun), Chandra (Moon), Bhumi (Earth), etc. Indra is the King of the Gods, and Lord of ''Swargaloka'', which is {{heaven}}. ''Narakaloka'' is the opposite, and is {{hell}}. Naraka, however, has no Lord.

Both Vishnu and Shiva are widely popular among Hindus as dieties, to the point that there has been some friction between the devotees of the two. Vishnu is arguably the better known, probably because of the vast amount of mythology surrounding Vishnu and his {{Avatar}}s. Since the maintenance of the world is his responsibility, Vishnu will incarnate as an {{Avatar}} whenever Evil rises, to bring balance to the world. Prince Ram, Lord Krishna and Vamana are some of the popular incarnations of Vishnu. Ram's story has been chronicled in the ''{{Ramayana}}'', and Krishna's in the ''{{Mahabharata}}'', a [[SpinOff part of which]] is the ''Literature/BhagavadGita''.

In fact, there is a passage in the BhagavadGita (one of the long sequence of religious texts in the Hindu faith) where Krishna explicitly encourages religious tolerance, stressing that all gods are in fact part of one supreme God. The Supreme God Vishnu demonstrates this to the warrior Arjuna by allowing Arjuna to see, for a moment, Vishnu's Universe-encompassing form (Vishwa rupa), which Arjuna promptly begs Vishnu to stop because [[YouCannotGrasptheTrueForm Arjuna cannot grasp the true form]].

Both Vishnu and Shiva are widely popular among Hindus as dieties, to the point that there has been some friction between the devotees of the two. Vishnu is arguably the better known, probably because of the vast amount of mythology surrounding Vishnu and his {{Avatar}}s. Since the maintenance of the world is his responsibility, Vishnu will incarnate as an {{Avatar}} whenever Evil rises, to bring balance to the world. Prince Ram, Lord Krishna and Vamana are some of the popular incarnations of Vishnu. Ram's story has been chronicled in the ''{{Ramayana}}'', and Krishna's in the ''{{Mahabharata}}'', a [[SpinOff part of which]] is the ''BhagavadGita''.

The oldest continuously-practiced religion in the world, and the dominant religion of South Asia (chiefly, India of course), the Indonesian island of Bali, and certain parts of UsefulNotes/TheCaribbean (such as many areas of [[{{UsefulNotes/Guyana}} Guyana]] or [[UsefulNotes/TrinidadAndTobago Trinidad]]) due to the presence of Indo-Caribbean people there, Hinduism's roots can be traced back to [[OlderThanYouThink Iron Age India]], and as such it is believed to be the [[OlderThanDirt oldest known religion in the world]]. Contrary to popular Western belief, most modern Hindus will attest that it is monotheistic, not polytheistic. To sum it up simply, in the same way Catholicism has the concept of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being different forms of the same God, Hinduism has a similar belief: Vishnu, Lakshmi, Lord Shiva, Bramha, Hanuman, etc. are all different forms of one God, known variously as Brahma, Ishvara, or other names. So, though HinduMythology contains a [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters vast pantheon]] of gods and beings, they are all recognized to be part of the same ''Sarvasva'' or "All-Being", i.e, God.

The oldest continuously-practiced religion in the world, and the dominant religion of South Asia (chiefly, India of course), the Indonesian island of Bali, and certain parts of UsefulNotes/TheCaribbean (such as many areas of [[{{UsefulNotes/Guyana}} Guyana]] or [[UsefulNotes/TrinidadAndTobago Trinidad]]) due to the presence of Indo-Caribbean people there, Hinduism's roots can be traced back to [[OlderThanYouThink Iron Age India]], and as such it is believed to be the [[OlderThanDirt oldest known religion in the world]]. Contrary to popular Western belief, most modern Hindus will attest that it is monotheistic, not polytheistic. To sum it up simply, in the same way Catholicism has the concept of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being different forms of the same God, Hinduism has a similar belief: Vishnu, Lakshmi, Lord Shiva, Bramha, Hanuman, etc are all different forms of one God, known variously as Brahma, Ishvara, or other names. So, though HinduMythology contains a [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters vast pantheon]] of gods and beings, they are all recognized to be part of the same ''Sarvasva'' or "All-Being", i.e, God.

The oldest continuously-practiced religion in the world, and the dominant religion of South Asia (chiefly, India of course), the Indonesian island of Bali, and certain parts of UsefulNotes/TheCaribbean (such as many areas of [[{{UsefulNotes/Guyana}} Guyana]] or [[UsefulNotes/TrinidadAndTobago Trinidad]]) due to the presence of Indo-Caribbean people there, Hinduism's roots can be traced back to [[OlderThanYouThink Iron Age India]], and as such it is believed to be the [[OlderThanDirt oldest known religion in the world]]. Contrary to popular Western belief, most modern Hindus will attest that it is monotheistic, not polytheistic. To sum it up simply, in the same way Catholicism has the concept of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being different forms of the same God, Hinduism has a similar belief: Vishnu, Lakshmi, Lord Shiva, Bramha, Hanuman, etc are all different forms of one God, known variously as Brahman, Ishvara, or other names. So, though HinduMythology contains a [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters vast pantheon]] of gods and beings, they are all recognized to be part of the same ''Sarvasva'' or "All-Being", i.e, God.

Both Vishnu and Shiva are widely popular among Hindus as dieties, to the point that there has been some friction between the devotees of the two. Vishnu is arguably the better known, probably because of the vast amount of mythology surrounding Vishnu and his {{Avatar}}s. Since the maintenance of the world is his responsibility, Vishnu will incarnate as an {{Avatar}} whenever Evil rises, to bring balance to the world. Prince Ram, Lord Krishna and Vamana are some of the popular incarnations of Vishnu. Ram's story has been chronicled in the ''{{Ramayana}}'', and Krishna's in the ''{{Mahabharata}}'', a [[SpinOff part of which]] is ''TheBaghavadGita''.

The oldest continuously-practiced religion in the world, and the dominant religion of South Asia (chiefly, India of course), the Indonesian island of Bali, and certain parts of UsefulNotes/TheCaribbean (such as many areas of [[{{UsefulNotes/Guyana}} Guyana]] or [[UsefulNotes/TrinidadAndTobago Trinidad]]) due to the presence of Indo-Caribbean people there, Hinduism's roots can be traced back to [[OlderThanYouThink Iron Age India]], and as such it is believed to be the [[OlderThanDirt oldest known religion in the world]]. Contrary to popular Western belief, most modern Hindus will attest that it is monotheistic, not polytheistic. To sum it up simply, in the same way Catholicism has the concept of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being different forms of the same God, Hinduism has a similar belief: Vishnu, Lakshmi, Lord Shiva, Bramha, Hanuman, etc are all different forms of one God, known variously as Brahman, Ishvara, or other names. It should be noted though, that it encompasses a wide range of beliefs and is not bound by a single doctrine. There is no one leader of the religion, equivalent to the Pope or the Dalai Lama, so there are different sects of the religion with different dogmas. Was spread to the sub-continent by Indo-Europeans (who, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin well]], settled India and Europe), which means the Hindu pantheon is similar to the Greek gods and Norse gods in origin.

Hinduism is also very loose and allows acceptance of other religions; for this reason, the very concept of conversion does not exist in any of the Hindu texts, and those that wish to convert to Hinduic faith can actually do so with no ceremony, and can even keep practising faith in another religion. (However, due to modern-day inter-religious tensions, [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism this cannot be stated as a general sentiment]], and there is a significant minority that holds on to the belief that you have to be born Hindu to be Hindu.)

In fact, there is a passage in the Bhagavad Gita (one of the long sequence of religious texts in the Hindu faith) where Krishna explicitly encourages religious tolerance, stressing that all gods are in fact part of one supreme God. The Supreme God Vishnu demonstrates this to the warrior Arjuna by allowing Arjuna to see, for a moment, Vishnu's Universe-encompassment, which Arjuna promptly begs Vishnu to stop because [[YouCannotGrasptheTrueForm Arjuna cannot grasp the true form]].

This makes Hinduism the only major world religion that is henotheistic by nature, i.e, involving devotion to one God while accepting the existence of others. This is why most Hindu sects do not seek converts, as there is an accepted belief that the goals of spiritual life can be attained through any religion, as long as it is practiced sincerely.

It is also common practice for a community to hold faith in a [[OurGodsAreDifferent "local" god]], associated with a single temple or location. On rare occasions these may not even have temples or even idols or statues; it might merely be the ''concept'' of a higher being, usually a protector and usually named after the location, that is believed in by the local population, with no particular rituals or prayers.

It should be noted that even though HinduMythology contains a [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters vast pantheon]] of gods and beings, they are all recognized to be part of the same ''Sarvasva'' or God. Thus, many Hindus will attest that the religion is monotheistic, not polytheistic, contrary to popular Western stereotypes.

According to Hindu Mythology, the universe was born from Lord Brahma, The Creator, and it is maintained by Lord Vishnu, The Preserver, and governed by Shiva, The Supreme God. Shiva is also known as The Destroyer, in the sense that after the age of man is over, the world will be destroyed to unite [[AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence all induvidual souls with the Supreme Consciousness]]. The three together form the Great Trinity, more popularly known as the "Trimurti" of Hinduism.

In fact, there is a passage in the Bhagavad Gita (one of the long sequence of religious texts in the Hindu faith) where Krishna explicitly encourages religious tolerance, stressing that all gods are in fact part of one supreme God. The Supreme God Vishnu demonstrates this to the warrior Arjuna by allowing Arjuna to see, for a moment, Vishnu's Universe-encompassment, which Arjune promptly begs Vishnu to stop because YouCannotGrasptheTrueForm.

In fact, there is a passage in the Bhagavad Gita (one of the long sequence of religious texts in the Hindu faith) where Krishna explicitly encourages religious tolerance, stressing that all gods are in fact part of one supreme God.

* TrinidadAndTobago

The oldest continuously-practiced religion in the world, and the dominant religion of South Asia (chiefly, India of course), the Indonesian island of Bali, and certain parts of UsefulNotes/TheCaribbean (such as many areas of [[{{UsefulNotes/Guyana}} Guyana]] or Trinidad) due to the presence of Indo-Caribbean people there, Hinduism's roots can be traced back to [[OlderThanYouThink Iron Age India]], and as such it is believed to be the [[OlderThanDirt oldest known religion in the world]]. Contrary to popular Western belief, most modern Hindus will attest that it is monotheistic, not polytheistic. To sum it up simply, in the same way Catholicism has the concept of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being different forms of the same God, Hinduism has a similar belief: Vishnu, Lakshmi, Lord Shiva, Bramha, Hanuman, etc are all different forms of one God, known variously as Brahman, Ishvara, or other names. It should be noted though, that it encompasses a wide range of beliefs and is not bound by a single doctrine. There is no one leader of the religion, equivalent to the Pope or the Dalai Lama, so there are different sects of the religion with different dogmas. Was spread to the sub-continent by Indo-Europeans (who, [[ExactlyWHatItSaysOnTheTin well]], settled India and Europe), which means the Hindu pantheon is similar to the Greek gods and Norse gods in origin.

* Trinidad & Tobago

The oldest continuously-practiced religion in the world, and the dominant religion of South Asia (chiefly, India of course), the Indonesian island of Bali, and certain parts of TheCaribbean (such as many areas of [[{{UsefulNotes/Guyana}} Guyana]] or Trinidad) due to the presence of Indo-Caribbean people there, Hinduism's roots can be traced back to [[OlderThanYouThink Iron Age India]], and as such it is believed to be the [[OlderThanDirt oldest known religion in the world]]. Contrary to popular Western belief, most modern Hindus will attest that it is monotheistic, not polytheistic. To sum it up simply, in the same way Catholicism has the concept of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being different forms of the same God, Hinduism has a similar belief: Vishnu, Lakshmi, Lord Shiva, Bramha, Hanuman, etc are all different forms of one God, known variously as Brahman, Ishvara, or other names. It should be noted though, that it encompasses a wide range of beliefs and is not bound by a single doctrine. There is no one leader of the religion, equivalent to the Pope or the Dalai Lama, so there are different sects of the religion with different dogmas. Was spread to the sub-continent by Indo-Europeans (who, [[ExactlyWHatItSaysOnTheTin well]], settled India and Europe), which means the Hindu pantheon is similar to the Greek gods and Norse gods in origin.

{{Buddhism}} is an offshoot from Hinduism, in the same way that {{Christianity}} and {{Islam}} are offshoots from Judaism.

Main Article: ''HinduMythology''

* Sri Lanka (although Buddhism could probably be stated to be the dominant religion there).

The oldest continuously-practiced religion in the world, and the dominant religion of South Asia (chiefly, India of course) and certain parts of TheCaribbean (such as many areas of [[{{UsefulNotes/Guyana}} Guyana]] or Trinidad) due to the presence of Indo-Caribbean people there, Hinduism's roots can be traced back to [[OlderThanYouThink Iron Age India]], and as such it is believed to be the [[OlderThanDirt oldest known religion in the world]]. Contrary to popular Western belief, most modern Hindus will attest that it is monotheistic, not polytheistic. To sum it up simply, in the same way Catholicism has the concept of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being different forms of the same God, Hinduism has a similar belief: Vishnu, Lakshmi, Lord Shiva, Bramha, Hanuman, etc are all different forms of one God, known variously as Brahman, Ishvara, or other names. It should be noted though, that it encompasses a wide range of beliefs and is not bound by a single doctrine. There is no one leader of the religion, equivalent to the Pope or the Dalai Lama, so there are different sects of the religion with different dogmas. Was spread to the sub-continent by Indo-Europeans (who, [[ExactlyWHatItSaysOnTheTin well]], settled India and Europe), which means the Hindu pantheon is similar to the Greek gods and Norse gods in origin.

The oldest continuously-practiced religion in the world, and the dominant religion of South Asia and certain parts of TheCaribbean (such as many areas of [[{{UsefulNotes/Guyana}} Guyana]] or Trinidad), Hinduism's roots can be traced back to [[OlderThanYouThink Iron Age India]], and as such it is believed to be the [[OlderThanDirt oldest known religion in the world]]. Contrary to popular Western belief, most modern Hindus will attest that it is monotheistic, not polytheistic. To sum it up simply, in the same way Catholicism has the concept of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being different forms of the same God, Hinduism has a similar belief: Vishnu, Lakshmi, Lord Shiva, Bramha, Hanuman, etc are all different forms of one God, known variously as Brahman, Ishvara, or other names. It should be noted though, that it encompasses a wide range of beliefs and is not bound by a single doctrine. There is no one leader of the religion, equivalent to the Pope or the Dalai Lama, so there are different sects of the religion with different dogmas. Was spread to the sub-continent by Indo-Europeans (who, [[ExactlyWHatItSaysOnTheTin well]], settled India and Europe), which means the Hindu pantheon is similar to the Greek gods and Norse gods in origin.

It is also common practice for a community to hold faith in a [[OurGodsAreDifferent "local" god]], associated with a single temple or location. On rare occasions these may not even have temples or even idols or statues; it might merely be the ''concept'' of a higher being, usually a protector and usually named after the location, that is believed in by the local population, with no particular rituals or prayers. It helps that HinduMythology contains a [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters vast pantheon]] of gods and beings, who are all recognized to be part of the same ''Sarvasva'' or "Supreme Being".

See the main article for more details, and for the significance of the ''Om'' symbol.

The oldest continuously-practiced religion in the world, and the dominant religion of South Asia and certain parts of TheCaribbean (such as may areas of [[{{UsefulNotes/Guyana}} Guyana]] or Trinidad), Hinduism's roots can be traced back to [[OlderThanYouThink Iron Age India]], and as such it is believed to be the [[OlderThanDirt oldest known religion in the world]]. Contrary to popular Western belief, most modern Hindus will attest that it is monotheistic, not polytheistic. To sum it up simply, in the same way Catholicism has the concept of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being different forms of the same God, Hinduism has a similar belief: Vishnu, Lakshmi, Lord Shiva, Bramha, Hanuman, etc are all different forms of one God, known variously as Brahman, Ishvara, or other names. It should be noted though, that it encompasses a wide range of beliefs and is not bound by a single doctrine. There is no one leader of the religion, equivalent to the Pope or the Dalai Lama, so there are different sects of the religion with different dogmas. Was spread to the sub-continent by Indo-Europeans (who, [[ExactlyWHatItSaysOnTheTin well]], settled India and Europe), which means the Hindu pantheon is similar to the Greek gods and Norse gods in origin.

The oldest continuously-practiced religion in the world, and the dominant religion of South Asia and certain parts of TheCaribbean (such as [[{{UsefulNotes/Guyana}} Guyana]] or Trinidad), Hinduism's roots can be traced back to [[OlderThanYouThink Iron Age India]], and as such it is believed to be the [[OlderThanDirt oldest known religion in the world]]. Contrary to popular Western belief, most modern Hindus will attest that it is monotheistic, not polytheistic. To sum it up simply, in the same way Catholicism has the concept of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being different forms of the same God, Hinduism has a similar belief: Vishnu, Lakshmi, Lord Shiva, Bramha, Hanuman, etc are all different forms of one God, known variously as Brahman, Ishvara, or other names. It should be noted though, that it encompasses a wide range of beliefs and is not bound by a single doctrine. There is no one leader of the religion, equivalent to the Pope or the Dalai Lama, so there are different sects of the religion with different dogmas. Was spread to the sub-continent by Indo-Europeans (who, [[ExactlyWHatItSaysOnTheTin well]], settled India and Europe), which means the Hindu pantheon is similar to the Greek gods and Norse gods in origin.

The dominant religion of South Asia, Hinduism's roots can be traced back to [[OlderThanYouThink Iron Age India]], and as such it is believed to be the [[OlderThanDirt oldest known religion in the world]]. Being both Polytheistic ''and'' Pantheistic in nature, it encompasses a wide range of beliefs and is not bound by a single set of rules. Was spread to the sub-continent by Indo-Europeans (who, [[ExactlyWHatItSaysOnTheTin well]], settled India and Europe), which means the Hindu pantheon is similar to the Greek gods and Norse gods in origin.

It should be pointed out that not all Hindus follow the same theology. Due to its complexity and flexibility, Hinduism allows for monotheistic, polytheistic, pantheistic, and even ''atheistic'' faiths ''within itself''. Hinduism is also very loose and allows acceptance of other religions; for this reason, the very concept of conversion does not exist in any of the Hindu texts, and those that wish to convert to Hinduic faith can actually do so with no ceremony, and can even keep practising faith in another religion. (However, due to modern-day inter-religious tensions, [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism this cannot be stated as a general sentiment]], and there is a significant minority that holds on to the belief that you have to be born Hindu to be Hindu.)

The dominant religion of South Asia, Hinduism's roots can be traced back to [[OlderThanYouThink Iron Age India]], and as such it is believed to be the [[OlderThanDirt oldest known religion in the world]]. Being both Polytheistic ''and'' Pantheistic in nature, it encompasses a wide range of beliefs and is not bound by a single set of rules. Was spread to the sub-continent by Indo-Europeans (who, [[ExactlyWHatItSaysOnTheTin]], settled India and Europe), which means the Hindu pantheon is similar to the Greek gods and Norse gods in origin.

The dominant religion of South Asia, Hinduism's roots can be traced back to [[OlderThanYouThink Iron Age India]], and as such it is believed to be the [[OlderThanDirt oldest known religion in the world]]. Being both Polytheistic ''and'' Pantheistic in nature, it encompasses a wide range of beliefs and is not bound by a single set of rules.