Hinduism is the third largest world religion with about 900 million Hindus worldwide.

In 2001 there were about 559,000

Hindus in the UK, most of whom came originally from Gujurat and Punjab in India.
The religion dates back over 4,000 years.

Hinduism is made up of a variety of different religious beliefs and practices which originated near the river Indus in India.
The name 'Hindu' comes from the word Indus.
Beliefs
Central to Hinduism is the belief in a supreme God Brahman, the universal soul, which is found in everything.

Brahman is worshipped in a variety of forms, including Vishnu, Krishna, Rama, Shiva and several others. Hinduism does
not have any founder.
Hindus believe that life is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, governed by Karma.

Hindus believe that every action has an effect and there is a cause for everything. This is called the law of Karma.

Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of lives and that the next life is dependent on how the previous life was
lived.
Holy Books

The main Hindu scriptures are:

 the Vedas, a collection of hymns praising the Vedic gods. Veda means 'knowledge'
 the Ramayana, long epic poems about Rama and Sita
 the Mahabharata, which includes the Bhagavad Gita
 the Puranas, a collection of stories about the different incarnations and the lives of saints.

Worship

Puja (worship) takes place in the Mandir (temple).

Mandirs vary in size from small village shrines to large buildings, surrounded by walls.
People can also visit the Mandir at any time to pray and participate in the bhajans (religious songs).
Hindus also worship at home and often have a special room with a shrine to particular gods.
Festivals:

Hindus celebrate many holy days

 Diwali (the festival of lights) is the best known

 Holi
 Navaratri (celebrating fertility and harvest),
 Raksha Bandhan (celebrating the bond between brother and sister)
 Janmashtami (Krishna's birthday)

Holi is a festival celebrated in north India. It marks the coming of Spring, usually in March.
Celebrations

Some families hold religious ceremonies, but for many Holi is more a time for fun than religious observance.
Holi is a colourful festival, with dancing, singing, and throwing of powder paint and coloured water.
Bonfires are lit and roasting grains, popcorn, coconut and chick peas are thrown on by Hindu families

The next day, people of all ages go into the streets for fun and paint-throwing. Everyone gets involved - with no distinctions
between caste, class, age or gender.

Hindus have fun by smearing each other with paint and throwing coloured water at each other, all done in a spirit of
celebration
People throw powder paint (called "gulal") at each other (yes, even at complete strangers) and no-one seems to mind. The
air is often bright with clouds of coloured powder.

You can throw paint at strangers, soak your friends with coloured water while saying "don't be offended, it's Holi", and,
unless you're very unlucky, no-one will be upset. (But don't try this outside India!)
Religious story
Holi also celebrates Krishna, and the legend of Holika and Prahlad.

Some believe the origin of the festival lies with Krishna who was very mischievous as a young boy and threw coloured
water over the gopis (milkmaids) This developed into the practical jokes and games of Holi.
The story of Prahlad is seen to symbolise good overcoming evil and is why traditionally bonfires are lit at Holi.
Prahlad was a prince. His father, the king wanted everyone in his kingdom to worship him. But Prahlad refused and
worshipped Lord Vishnu instead. The king's sister Holika, who was supposed to be immune to fire, tricked her nephew
Prahlad into sitting on her lap in a bonfire in order to destroy him. But because she was using her powers for evil, the plan
failed and Prahlad emerged from the fire unharmed, while Holika was devoured by the flames.
In some parts of India effigies of Holika are burnt on the fire. Ashes from Holi bonfires are thought to bring good luck.

Holi Powder

Supplies:
-1 cup corn starch
-1/3 - 1/2 cup water
-1 container icing color (1 ounce)
-mixing bowl
-latex gloves
-blender or food processor

Step One: In the mixing bowl, stir together the corn starch and water. You want a consistency that feels like a thick paste
but will ooze off your mixing spoon given enough time. Now is a good time to put those gloves on. Next, mix in the food dye.
I used the entire 1 ounce bottle to get the vibrant colors you see (red and blue).

Step Two: Allow the mixture to dry out. I placed my mixing bowls high up on a shelf in our kitchen and left them there for
two days. You'll know the mixture has dried out when you see cracks in the surface.

Step Three: Place the cracking powder on a baking sheet. I heated up my oven to 350°F. Once it had completely
preheated, I turned it off, placed the baking sheet with the powder inside, and left the oven door open just a crack. This
dried the powder out even more, as it allowed moisture to escape out the (barely) open oven door. I allowed the powder to
dry out in this way for 30 minutes. If you have pressed the powder into a thin, even layer before baking, you'll begin to see
cracks in the surface again, indicating that it has dried out.

Step Four: Pulse the dried-out powder in the blender or food processor until all the clumps are gone and you have a super
fine and lightweight powder. Store in a ziplock bag until you are ready to use it.
India in the 21st Century