1. ORIGINS OF
HINDUISM

2. 1500 B.C. The Aryans (a group of Indo-
Europeans) come to India.
They are herders who lived simply and
spoke a language called Sanskrit.
Legends says that the Aryans came in and
conquered the Harappans, but historians
believe that evidence shows that the Harappan
cities were destroyed by natural disaster long
before the Aryans arrived.

3. Dravidians were there when the Aryans
arrived. The Aryans brought their religion
and their simple way of life. The Dravidians
showed them how to live in their cities.

4. They blended into a complex culture…
of classes which were associated with
their jobs.
 Brahmans---priests, scholars, teachers
 Ksatriya---rulers, nobles, warriors
 Vaisya---bankers, farmers, merchants
 Sudra---artisans, laborers
 Untouchables---jobs no one else will do

5. Brahmanism
 Was the religion brought by the Aryans
 It was named for the priests or Brahmans
Brahmins reading the Vedic Chants

6.  Worshiped many nature deities
 Made sacrifices of animals to sacred fires
 Ceremonies developed, some lasted days
or even months
 Rituals and hymns are found in the Vedas
(4 books that detail Brahman beliefs, the
most important one is the Rig Veda)

7. Changing Beliefs
 People began to question how the world
“worked” and beliefs changed
 They began to believe that the multiple
deities were just expressions of one
central deity.

8. Mahabharata
 Indians wrote down their history
 One of these accounts is an epic poem
called the Mahabharata.
 The Bhagavad Gita is part
of it.

9. Brahmanism develops into
Hinduism
 Recognizes one supreme life force who
takes the form of several deities.
 These other deities are…

10. Brahma the Creator
is the Hindu god (deva) of
creation and one of the
Trimūrti, the others being
Viṣhņu and Śhiva.
According to the Brahma
Purāņa, he is the father of
Manu, and from Manu all
human beings are
descended.

11. Vishnu the Protector
Vishnu as the All-
Pervading essence of
all beings, the master
of—and beyond—the
past, present and
future, one who
supports, sustains and
governs the Universe
and originates and
develops all elements
within. Vishnu governs
the aspect of
preservation and
sustenance of the
universe, so he is
called "Preserver of
the universe".

12. Shiva the Destroyer
He is regarded as
the most powerful
god in hinduism.
Shiva is a yogi
who has notice of
everything that
happens in the
world and is the
main aspect of
life. Yet one with
great power, he
lives a life of a
sage at Mount
Kailash.

13. Reincarnation
 A major belief of Hindus is reincarnation,
the belief that all beings are reborn after
death.
 Hindus believe that your behavior in this
life determines your place in the next.
 The principal of Karma says that those
who live a bad life will be born into a lowly
position in the next life…

14. Beliefs
 Hindus believe the only way to break the
cycle of reincarnation is for someone to
reach spiritual union with their god.
 Yoga and Meditation play an important
role in Hindus’ lives.
 Hindus believe that the way to god is to
faithfully carry out their job duties (dictated
by their birth into their caste).