Hindu & Hinduism Posters, Prints, Photographs & Charts
for classrooms, home schoolers, and theme decor.

World Religions -
Hinduism Wall Poster

"The truth is one; sages call it by various names." – Rig Veda

Hinduism is the oldest of the world's major religions. It developed as a combination of ancient Indian religions and the religion of the Aryans. The Aryans were nomads who invaded northern India between 2000 and 900 B.C. Hindus worship many different gods and goddesses, but these gods and goddesses are all part of Brahman, the absolute and supreme realty. Hindus believe that everythin – all things and events – plays a role in universal order. Today, Hinduism is the majaor religion of India. More that 760 million Hindus live in India and around the world.

The Vedas – which means "body of knowledge" – are the most honored texts in Hinduism. the Upanishads [oo-PAHN-ih-shads], an important part of the Vedas, explain the concept of Brahamn. The Upanishads also discuss reincarnation, the belief that when a person dies, his or her soul is reborn in another living being. Hindus compare the soul to a river. Like a river, the soul flows continuously, but it is always the same. Othr Hindu holy texts tell the stories of gods and goddesses. The three most important Hindu gods are Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver, and Siva, the destroyer. Individual devotion to a personal god is a major part of modern Hindu worship.

The Vedas also set up a "caste system," a formal division of people into different social classes. Hindus believe that good actions in one life can lead to rebirth in a higher caste in the next life. A person's caste is determined by karma, the consequences of human actions. During the 1800s people started to work against the caste system because it denied basic rights to many. Under the caste system, "Untouchables," people of the lowest social class, had to perform the worst jobs and couldn't use such public facilities as roads and wells. One man who led the struggle to end this system was the Hindu religious and political leader Mohandas K. Gandhi. Gandhi also helped India gain independence from Great Britain in 1947.

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Ancient India
(2500 B.C. — 1500 B.C.)
When historians talk about India, they usually mean the area that now includes Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as modern India. It was in this region, just south of the world's tallest, and most rugged moutains, that one of the great civilizations of ancient times flourished. This civilization is known as the Indus Valley civilization, because it grew up along the Indus River in the north. Like the Nile and the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers, the Indus River flooded its banks every year, creating a rich soil on which farmers could grow crops. ...

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The Hindu Temple in Pushkar, Rajasthan is the only standing Hindu temple in India dedicated to Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe.

The architecture of a Hindu temple symbolizes Earth/Feet, Space/Body, and Heaven/Head in the base, walls and a pyramid shaped tower called a "shikara".

Nataraja is the dancing posture of Shiva in his divine dance of creation and destruction. Most often depicted through a bronze statue, Nataraja shows Shiva in a circle of flames over a figure who symbolizes ignorance.

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