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INDIA & HINDUISM
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Transcript of India is a subcontinent of Asia. Along the northern border are the highest mountains in the world,...
INDIA & HINDUISM
LAND OF INDIA India is a subcontinent
of Asia. Along the northern
border are the highest mountains in the world, the Himalayan Mountains.
India has 2 major rivers: Ganges and Indus The Ganges is seen as the life source for
all Indians India has monsoon season each year
from June - September
LIFE IN INDIA
7th largest country in the world (1/3 size of US)
Main language is Hindi Religions: Hindu (80.5%) Muslim
(13.4%) some of the largest slums in the world
In Dharavi, 1 million ppl live in a space 2/3 the size of Central Park
Not enough water, toilets, sewage & trash everywhere
INDIAN STATS
2nd largest population in the world 1.2 billion
Life expectancy = 67 years 2.4 million living with AIDS, 170,000 die
yearly 44% of children under 5 are
underweight 61% of population is literate 29.8% of the population is below
poverty line World largest producer of opium,
traded illegally
HINDU SOCIETY
India’s System System of Writing= Sanskrit Caste system
a rigid set of social classes Determined one’s occupation, economic
potential, and position in society Based, in part, on skin color & occupation 4 major levels in the caste system & a
bottom level
THE CASTE SYSTEM
priests
warriors
commoners
peasants with limited rights
UNTOUCHABLES
"Discarded chicken scraps bought from a restaurant barely
make a meal for Untouchables in Bihar, one of India's poorest states. These villagers belong to the Musahar, or rat-eaters, caste, its members known for hunting rodents. Musahar women, many of whom work as field hands, have begun to agitate for better living conditions. This takes courage, says a local activist. 'If an Untouchable woman demands or questions something and a landlord doesn't like it, he will beat or sexually harass her.'"
From "India's Untouchables," June 2003, National Geographic magazine
UNTOUCHABLES
Given boring and degrading tasks
5% of India’s population
not treated as humans
harmful presence lived in separate
areas away from society
HINDUISM AS A RELIGION
Holy Books: Vedas Also: Upanishads, Ramayana,
Bhagavad Gita, and Mahabharata
God: Brahman- supreme being (Polytheistic or Monotheistic)
Main Goal: For your atman to merge with Brahman.
How?: Yoga World’s oldest religion 750 million around the
world
REINCARNATION
The belief that an individual soul can be reborn in a different form after death
KARMA
The force generated by a person’s actions that determines how the person will be reborn in the next life
YOGA
A method of training designed to lead to union with Brahman
BRAHMAN
Single spiritual force that Hindus believe resides in all things
Considered to be present in many forms but all the SAME supreme being
MAIN DEITIES
Brahma the Creator
MAIN DEITIES
Vishnu the Preserver
MAIN DEITIES
Shiva the Destroyer
MAIN DEITIES
Ganesha – deity of intellect & wisdom
MAIN DEITIES
Krishna – origin of all incarnations
INDIA AND HINDUISM IN CURRENT EVENTS http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/
2012/sep/21/india-gutka-ban-stimulant-video
http://www.voanews.com/content/india-blackout-highlights-power-problems-in-developing-countries/1452613.html
