Introduction to Hinduism.

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Hinduism is the name given to a family of religions and cultures that began and still flourish in India.

Like other Eastern religions, it doesn't fit comfortably into the same box as Western religions like Christianity.

Hindus do not separate religion from other aspects of life. For Hindus in India, Hinduism is an inextricable part of their existence, a complete approach to life that involves social class, earning a living, family, politics, diet, etc., in addition to the things Westerners view as religious.

The word "Hindu" comes from the name of the river Indus, which flows 1800 miles from Tibet through Kashmir and Pakistan to the sea. Originally the name referred to people living in a particular region of the world, regardless of their faith; so in the 18th century someone could quite sensibly be described as a "Hindu Muslim".

There are 750 million Hindus in the world, and most of them live in India. In the UK there are 400,000 Hindus, 160,000 of whom are active in their faith.

Hinduism includes a very wide range of beliefs and practices, so there aren't many things that are common to all Hindu