Hinduism and

its Role and

Influence in
India
Hinduism has played a large role in India

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Fast Facts
Brahman

Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva

Om (shown above)

ever since it was founded in 1500 B.C. It

has over 900,000,000 followers, and is

900,000,000

continuing to grow. Almost 81% of

Indias population is Hindu. Although not
everyone is Hindu, the caste system has
had a widespread use in India, and will
be the main focus of this report.

About 870,000,000

3 Gods

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What Is Hinduism?
Hinduism is a widely practiced religion, with around 900 million followers. It has
no founder or savior, like many Western religions have. Instead, they have Brahman (not
to be confused with Brahma). Brahman, a transcendent power beyond the universe
(Flood) is a superior being which manifests itself into many different gods. There are
three main, or principle, gods. The first, Brahma is the creator of the world. He is
usually depicted with a beard and four heads and arms. Brahma is the least worshipped
of all three gods, and only has two temples in all of India. This is because he was
punished by Shiva for unholy behavior when pursuing a beautiful woman. The next god,
Shiva, is the destroyer and re-creator of the universe. He is portrayed with blue skin, a
third eye, a cobra necklace, a trident, and a vibhuti. The last god, Vishnu is the preserver
of the world. He is often drawn with blue skin, four arms, a conch shell, chakra, lotus
flower, and a mace.
Besides deities, other major aspects of Hinduism are karma, samsara, and moksha.
Karma refers to the law that every action has an equal reaction either immediately or at
some point in the future (Flood). When a Hindu has good karma, they will then move
up in the caste system while experiencing samsara, or the process reincarnation. This is
repeated until they experience moksha, or the liberation of samsara and the joining of
Brahman. Moksha is important because it is the ultimate aim, or goal, for all Hindus.

The Caste System

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The Caste System is one of the most important

concepts in Hinduism. It is what Hindus believe is
the social order in which karma and samsara organize
you into. It is impossible to escape your caste in one
lifetime, or outside of reincarnation. You must marry
in the same caste that you were born into. If you
have relatively good karma, then you will either stay
in the same caste, or move up after you die. If you
have bad karma, then you will either stay in your
caste or move down, depending on how much karma

The Caste System

Brahmin
Priests
Kshatriya
Warriors or Rulers

you had. It is believed that everyone has done

something to get in the caste that they are currently
in. For example, all Kshatriyas have done something

Skilled Workers or Traders

in order to get into their position. Whether they

moved down from being a Brahmin, or used to be a
Vaishya all depends on whether they developed good or bad karma. However, to be an
untouchable is so terrible, its not even considered to be a part of the caste system.
People treat them as less than human by forcing them to drink from different wells, drink
and eat outside of restaurants and tea houses. Untouchables are treated so horribly
because it is believed that they did something so terrible in order to end up in the
position that they are in.

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The Caste System in India
Although it is only a Hindu practice, the caste system is used by all citizens of
India. While there are many laws against it, people, mainly those of higher caste, refuse
to stop using it. Because the caste system is not just used by Hindus, untouchables are
forced to live in their own villages, drink water from separate wells, take off their shoes
when people of other castes walk by, and even eat outside of restaurants. They are
deprived of even the most basic human rights and resources, and struggle to bring home
food to eat. Due to their supposed bad karma, untouchables are given the worst jobs that
are available. Although there are laws banning jobs like manual toilet cleaning, or
scavenging, they are rarely enforced, and untouchables continue to work at their
degrading jobs. There are many other jobs, like street sweeping, that untouchables fulfill,
but most are the dirty, low-paying jobs that no-one else will take. Many people are
trying to act out against this treatment, but nothing seems to be working. No matter if
India has been affected for better or for worse by Hinduism, it is due to this
mistreatment and alienation of the caste system that India is in the unfair and unjust
condition that it is.

Works Cited
1. "Hinduism Fast Facts." CNN. Cable News Network, 28 Aug. 2015. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.
2. "The Indian Caste System - An Introduction." YouTube. 18 Oct. 2011. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.
3. "Brahma." BBC News. BBC, 24 Aug. 2009. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.

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4. "Vishnu." BBC News. BBC, 24 Aug. 2009. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.
5. "Shiva." BBC News. BBC, 24 Aug. 2009. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.
6. "Hinduism." ReligionFacts. 7 Nov. 2015. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.