Hindu religion
There are numerous gods and goddesses worshipped by Hindus all over India. Among these, the most important to Hinduism, is the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - the creator, the preserver and the destroyer. Brahma has four heads corresponding to the four directions of the compass. He is the creator of life and the entire universe. Vishnu is the preserver who guides the cycle of birth and rebirth. He is also supposed to have taken many incarnations to save the world from evil forces. Both Rama and Krishna are believed to have been incarnations of Vishnu. Shiva, usually seen with a coiled cobra around his neck, destroys all evil and also has many incarnations, not all of which are terrifying.
Other deities include the elephant-headed god, Lord Ganesh; the hero of the Ramayana stories, Lord Rama; Rama's devoted servant monkey, Lord Hanuman; the loving Lord Krishna; and many more!
The invisible deities are represented by a complexity of images and idols symbolizing divine powers. Many of these idols are housed within ornate temples of unparalleled beauty and grandeur. The Hindu gods are very much alive and live in temples, snow-capped peaks, in rivers and oceans and in the very hearts and minds of the Hindus.
- Hinduism - simplified ( For youths growing up in the western environment by Gangadhar Choudhary)
- Discover India: Hinduism
- Free graphics on India and Hinduism (by Sudheer Birodkar). Graphics and information on a variety of topics.
- All Major Deities and Forms of God (from HinduNet)
- Kid's Site: How Does Art Tell Stories? (Seattle Art Museum): Hinduism, Ganesa, Visnu. Click on the images to find answers to questions that appear on the screen.
- Hinduism for Children (Manor School, United Kingdom). Also see their Story of Ganesh to learn how he got an elephant's head. Learn about Brahman, the one god with many faces, and Hindu Life which tells about belief in being good and reincarnation. Get an introduction to Hinduism and learn more about the holy books of Hindus.
- World Art Treasures - Puzzle: Assemble this Puzzle of Shiva into its correct form (JavaScript)
For the Hindus, their pilgrim centers range from Kailash in the North, to Rameshwaram in the South; and from Hingalaj (Sindh) in the West to Parusuram Kund (Arunchala Pradesh) in the East. The seven holy cities of Hinduism include Kanchipurum in the south, Dwaraka in the west and Ujjain in central India.
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Buddhism
Buddhism was started by a prince who gave up his wealth and tried to find enlightenment. His name was Gautama Siddharta and he became known as the "Buddha" or "enlightened one". He lived in the sixth century BC.
Buddhism is based on the law of impermanence, or "everything changes". The other basic principle of Buddhism is the belief that nothing occurs due to pure chance, but occurs by fate or "karma". Buddhists believe one's soul cannot be destroyed or die, and souls will be reborn, or reincarnated into another body.
Buddhism rests upon four Noble Truths: (1) suffering is universal - that means everyone suffers; (2) suffering is caused by desire; (3) suffering can be prevented and overcome; and (4) conquering of desires can lead to removal of suffering.
To prevent suffering one has to conquer craving and desire and this conquest leads to the attainment of nirvana or complete enlightenment.
Buddha encouraged his followers to follow a Middle Path, in which he offered a balanced, harmonious way of life, steering between two extremes of self-indulgence (or living in luxury and doing whatever you want for pleasure) and total abstinence (or living in complete poverty and giving up everything).
Buddhism has spread outside of India and is a major religion in such countries as China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and other parts of Asia. But Buddhism never became a separate religion in India. The Buddha became one of the Hindu gods.
- Discover India: Buddhism
- The Life of Buddha (Prentice Hall) uses artwork to illustrate the story of Sidhartha.
- Kids' Site: How Does Art Tell Stories? (Seattle Art Museum): Buddha. Click on the images to find answers to questions that appear on the screen.
Jainism
Jainism started in India about the same time as Buddhism in the sixth century BC. Jains believe they should get rid of worldly desires and have self-control. This leads to perfect wisdom. This faith believes in total abstinence and asceticism, or giving up material things like nice homes, fancy clothes, delicious food. The followers try to make the "crossing from the material to the spiritual realm, from slavery to freedom." Followers of this faith accept the popular gods of Hinduism but they are placed lower than the jinas, or original spiritual teachers of the Jain religion.
Jains try to purify the soul by right conduct, right faith and right knowledge. This faith also preaches complete non-violence and the Jain monks can be seen with their noses and mouths covered by a cloth mask to ensure that they do not kill any germs or insects while breathing.
Today there are about 2 million followers of Jainism in India.
The jews, for example, came to Kerala when they fled the rule of Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BC. St. Thomas the Apostle came here in the first century AD, the Syrian Christians were in existence here in the 2nd century AD, among the oldest of the Christian churches exists in Cranganore dating back to 400 AD.
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