When writing about Hinduism, the first aspect to mention is the definition of the term as well as it origin. Thus, Hinduism is one of the main world religions that originated in India. Various psychological systems, rituals and beliefs are intertwined and together they form the religion of Hinduism. It is also quite often referred to as dharma which can be translated as a way of life. Apart from that, Hinduism is considered to be the oldest religion in the world.
Speaking about the most common characteristics of the religion, they are as follows: pilgrimage to sacred places, easily recognizable rituals, shared textual resources and cosmology. The Vedas, the Agamas, the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads are the most important texts within the religion of Hinduism. Even though the sources of authority that are mentioned in these books are considered to be the eternal truths, it is also vital to highlight that the authority itself is quite often questioned throughout the religion in order to deepen the understanding of various concepts and the meaning of life in general. In addition, questioning the authority also helps to deepen the eternal truths as well as develop the tradition further.
All in all, Hinduism is currently the third largest religion in the world. The followers of the religion should be referred to as Hindus. Speaking about their number, it typically constitutes around 1, 15 billion. In terms of percentage, Hinduism makes up 15% of the world population. The most common regions of the world where Hinduism is widely represented as a religion include India, Mauritius, Nepal as well as Africa, the Caribbean and some parts of North America.