Why hinduism is not a religion

But those making an effort to visit will be treated with colorful wall murals from the 16th century and a meter-tall copper idol of Maitreya Buddha. It's the oldest surviving religious structure of its kind.

Qutb Shahi Heritage Park, Hyderabad: This collection of beautiful monuments is the resting place of the fearsome Qutb Shahi family, which ruled the Golconda Kingdom in southern India's Hyderabad region for years in the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the city's most popular tourist attractions, it houses a number of museums.

It's spread across areas of West Bengal as well as Bangladesh. Chand Baori, Abhaneri, Rajasthan: With 3, steps in perfect geometric design, Chand Baori is one of the most beautiful stepwells in India.

The 1,year-old site is open to local residents for a few hours every day. It was constructed with an interlocking system of bricks -- without using any girders and beams. The massive arched hall is one of the largest in the world with a roof unsupported by any pillars.

The top of the iconic landmark offers panoramic views of the city. Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar, Punjab: Harmandir Sahib is a holy complex for Sikhs that includes the signature "Golden Temple," which sits in the middle of a large lake. Reflections of its gold-encrusted dome shimmer in the clear water of the Amrit Sarovar Pool of Nectar , which greets those who enter from the north gate.

Pangong Tso, Ladakh: It's not easy to visit Pangong Tso -- it's a rough five-hour drive from Leh and a permit is required. But the breathtaking views of the blue lake sitting at the base of the Himalayas make the journey worthwhile. The lake, spanning kilometers and sitting at a height of 4, meters, is a natural border between China and India. First opened in , it's considered a perfect example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture.

Jodhpur, Rajasthan: Jodhpur's blue houses and the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort in the backdrop make Rajasthan's Blue City one of the most Instagrammable places in India. Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh: This wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh is spread over square kilometers and is home to more than 50 tigers. The park is open from October to June, but the best time to see tigers is from April to June. Kerala backwaters, Kerala: The Kerala backwaters are made up of lakes, canals and rivers that stretch down the coast.

Traditional houseboats are a great way to take in the local way of life. With views like this, it's easy to see why it remains a popular vacation destination today. Udhagamandalam, Tamil Nadu: Also called "Ooty" for short, the town of Udhagamandalam offers easy access to the Nilgiri hills, which are filled with coffee and tea plantations. One of the best ways to experience the region is by rail. Caste was an ancient system of occupational class delineated in Hindu texts that over the years developed into a rigid social hierarchy.

The lowest castes, or untouchables, were marginalized and faced persecution. But many modern Hindus have argued that caste-based discrimination is not intrinsic to Hinduism and should not be thought of as religiously sanctioned. Reality: Not because of religion. In fact, one attribute that differentiates Hinduism from say, Christianity or Islam, is that it recognizes forms of God as feminine.

Hindus revere Shakti, or the personification of God's energy through a female figure. Some of the most commonly worshipped goddesses are Parvati, a primary form of Shakti; Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom; and Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity. Photos: Diwali: Hindu festival of lights. Hindus around the globe are adorning their houses with lamps, sharing feasts and exchanging gifts to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights.

For Hindus, light symbolizes the triumph of good over darkness, or knowledge over ignorance. Lanterns and decorative items are on display at a market in Jammu, India, on October A woman holds an oil lamp while offering prayers in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on October Bangladeshi girls light oil lamps ahead of the Diwali festival in Dhaka on October A sadhu, or holy man, lights oil lamps on the banks of the Ganges River during Diwali celebrations in Rishikesh, India October, There is no belief system to the Hindu way of life.

Someone believes in God, someone else can choose not to believe in God. Everybody can have their own way of worship and way to salvation. If there are five people in your family, each one can worship the God of their choice, or not worship anything, and still be a good Hindu.

So you are a Hindu irrespective of what you believe or don't believe. At the same time, there was a common line running through all these. In this culture , the only goal in human life is liberation or mukti. Liberation from the very process of life, from everything that you know as limitations and to go beyond that. God is not held as the ultimate thing, God is seen as one of the stepping stones. This is a Godless but a devout nation in the sense that there is no concretized idea of God.

When I say Godless, we need to understand that this is the only culture that has given humans the freedom not just to make a choice of Gods, but to create the sort of God that you can relate to. You can worship a rock, a cow, your mother — you can worship whatever you feel like — because this is a culture where we have always known that God is our making. People worshiped whatever aspect of life they related to most, and that was perfectly fine. In the East, spirituality and religion were never an organized process.

Organization was only to the extent of making spirituality available to everyone — not for conquest. Essentially, religion is about you, it is not about God. Religion is about your liberation. God is just one more stepping stone that you can use or skip towards your ultimate liberation.

This culture recognizes human wellbeing and freedom as of paramount importance versus the prominence of God, and hence the whole technology of god-making evolved into the science of consecrating various types of energy forms and spaces. The essential purpose of God is to create reverence in a person.

What you are reverential towards is not important. Being reverential is what is important. If you make reverence the quality of your life, then you become far more receptive to life. Life will happen to you in bigger ways. There is so much misunderstanding about these things because there is a certain dialectical ethos to the culture where we want to express everything in a story or in a song. But in a way, this whole culture referred to as Hindu is rooted in the spiritual ethos of each individual working toward ultimate liberation as the fundamental goal in life.

If you explore mysticism in India, it is absolutely incredible and this has been possible because it does not come from a belief system. It happens as a scientific means to explore dimensions beyond the physical. India is not a study, but a phenomenon of possibilities, though a cauldron of multiple cultural, ethnic, religious and linguistic soup. It is all held together by a single thread of seeking. The tremendous longing has been nurtured into the peoples of the land, the longing to be free.

Free from the very process of life and death. India cannot be studied, at the least one must soak it in, or at best must dissolve.

This is the only way. It cannot be studied, western analysis of India is too off the mark, as symptomatic analysis of Bharat will only lead to very grossly misunderstood conclusions of a nation that revels and thrives in a chaos that is organic and exuberant. This most ancient of nations upon this earth is not built upon a set of principles or beliefs or ambitions of its citizenry.

It is a nation of seekers, seeking not wealth or wellbeing, but liberation, not of economic or political kind, but the ultimate liberation.

Ultra right and wrong: Women in India face a new threat to their freedom of choice. Nehru, Iqbal, cricket and the question of Muslim identity. Hate smug liberals? Interested in blogging for timesofindia. We will be happy to have you on board as a blogger, if you have the knack for writing.

Just drop in a mail at toiblogs timesinternet. Accept Reject. Update Consent. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email. It is one of the clearest and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed; hence its enduring value is subject not only to India but to all of the humanity.

To the world at war, a world that, because it lacks the intellectual and spiritual prerequisites to peace, can only hope to patch up some kind of precarious armed truce, it stands to point, clearly and unmistakably, to the only road of escape from the self-imposed necessity of self-destruction. The Medieval Period of Hinduism lasted from about to A. New texts emerged, and poet-saints recorded their spiritual sentiments during this time.

In the 7th century, Muslim Arabs began invading areas in India. During parts of the Muslim Period, which lasted from about to , Islamic rulers prevented Hindus from worshipping their deities, and some temples were destroyed.

Indian statesman and activist Mahatma Gandhi, Between and , the British controlled India. At first, the new rulers allowed Hindus to practice their religion without interference. But later, Christian missionaries sought to convert and westernize the people. Many reformers emerged during the British Period.

The partition of India occurred in , and Gandhi was assassinated in British India was split into what are now the independent nations of India and Pakistan , and Hinduism became the major religion of India.

Starting in the s, many Hindus migrated to North America and Britain, spreading their faith and philosophies to the western world. An early 18th century depiction of Devi revered by Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

Hindus worship many gods and goddesses in addition to Brahman, who is believed to be the supreme God force present in all things. Followers of Hinduism can visit the Mandir any time they please. Hindus can also worship at home, and many have a special shrine dedicated to certain gods and goddesses. The giving of offerings is an important part of Hindu worship.

Others believe that all the deities are a manifestation of one. The caste system is a social hierarchy in India that divides Hindus based on their karma and dharma. Many scholars believe the system dates back more than 3, years.