Some elements of the religious life of current and past folk religions—notably sacred animals, sacred trees (especially the pipal, Ficus religiosa), and the use of small figurines for cult purposes—are found in all parts of India and may have been borrowed from pre-Vedic civilizations. On the other hand, these things are also commonly encountered outside India, and therefore they may have originated independently in Hinduism as well.
Ravana-the-10-headed-demon-king-detail-from-a-GulerRavana, the 10-headed demon king, detail from a Guler painting of the …[Credits : Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, gift of George P. Bickford]
The-Great-Bath-Mohenjo-daroThe Great Bath, Mohenjo-daro.[Credits : Frederick M. Asher]
Vishnu-with-his-consort-Lakshmi-from-the-temple-dedicated-toVishnu with his consort Lakshmi, from the temple dedicated to Parsvanatha in the eastern temple …[Credits : © Anthony Cassidy]
Surya-Deula-Konarak-Orissa-IndiaSurya Deula, Konarak, Orissa, India.[Credits : Frederick M. Asher]
The-Chariot-Festival-of-the-Jagannatha-temple-Puri-Orissa-IndiaThe Chariot Festival of the Jagannatha temple, Puri, Orissa, India.[Credits : © Dinodia/Dinodia Photo Library]
Rabindranath-TagoreRabindranath Tagore.[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
Mahatma-GandhiMahatma Gandhi.[Credits : Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images]
Surya-stone-image-from-Deo-Barunarak-Bihar-India-9th-centurySurya, stone image from Deo-Barunarak, Bihar, India, 9th century ce.[Credits : Pramod Chandra]
Learn about the origins of Hinduism and its general principles.[Credits : Acquired from Vast Video]
Learn about the basic principles and goals of Hinduism, including reincarnation and karma.[Credits : Acquired from Vast Video]
Hinduism believes that the chains of Karmic law are broken by achieving union with the Divine.[Credits : Acquired from Vast Video]
Learn about the gods of the Hindu religion and their symbolisms.[Credits : Acquired from Vast Video]
Learn about the life and beliefs of Hindu monks.[Credits : Acquired from Vast Video]
Discover the many rituals of Hindu prayer, including breath control and the use of prayer beads.[Credits : Acquired from Vast Video]
Learn about the life and beliefs of Hinduism’s holy men, known as Sahdu.[Credits : Acquired from Vast Video]
Learn about the stages of Hindu life.[Credits : Acquired from Vast Video]
Link to this article and share the full text with the readers of your Web site or blog-post.
If you think a reference to this article on "Hinduism" will enhance your Web site,
blog-post, or any other web-content, then feel free to link to this article,
and your readers will gain full access to the full article, even if they do not subscribe to our service.
You may want to use the HTML code fragment provided below.
We welcome your comments. Any revisions or updates suggested for this article will be reviewed by our editorial staff. Contact us here.
Regular users of Britannica may notice that this comments feature is less robust than in the past. This is only temporary, while we make the transition to a dramatically new and richer site. The functionality of the system will be restored soon.