Hinduism

A: Oldest Polytheistic Faith (still practiced today)

Hinduism was a religion that developed over an extended period of time. Between 3000-2000 B.C.E., a nomadic people, known as Aryans, migrated into northern India. The combination of these people's gods and religious practices, coupled with local beliefs and traditions, allowed for the rise and development of Hinduism.

As Aryan society became more complex, their society became divided into groups. For the most part, these groups were organized by people's occupations.

Strict rules developed about how people of different groups could interact. As time passed, these rules became stricter and became central to Indian society.

B: Sooooo basic...

Sooooo...What do you believe?

C: Origins and many, many gods

The complex Indian pantheon focuses on stories written in Sanskrit.

- Starting with the violent creation story
- the concept of Brahman
- the personification of 3 deities: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva

CC: Pantheons of Ancient India

D: Hinduism and its connection to society

Chapter 15: Learning About World Religions - Hinduism

E: A condensed history of India and Hinduism

An understanding of Hinduism's origins and stories related to the faith

CC: Hinduism

F: A strict system of social classes

If YOU were there...

Your family are skillful weavers who make beautiful cotton cloth. You belong to a class in Aryan society who are traders, farmers, and craftspeople. Often, the raja (a leader who ruled a village and the land around it) in your town leads the warriors into battle. You admire their bravery but know you can never be one of them. To be an Aryan warrior, you must be born into that noble class. Instead, you have your own duty to carry out.

How do you feel about remaining a weaver?

G: The Caste System

As the rules of interaction between varnas (social divisions) got stricter, the Aryan social order became more complex. In time, each of the four (4) varnas in Aryan society was further divided into many castes, or groups.

This caste system divided India society into groups based on a person's birth*, wealth, occupation, education, or power. At one time, some 3,000 separate castes existed in India!

*Since a person was born into his/her caste, this was the primary organizer that determined caste level.

H: The "Untouchables"

A look at the "Untouchables" who, even though very low-caste, are essential to the everyday functionality of the caste system.

BBC: The Story of India, Ep. 2 The Power of Ideas (Hinduism)

Untouchables - Sewer Cleaners

I: QUEST - An Introduction to Hinduism

Demonstrate your skills interpreting informational text and graphics by completing the Quest.

J: A Class Divided

The Caste System of Hinduism created a social structure that encouraged people to acknowledge their level of social value in relation to those around them.

While not intended to discriminate against others based on race, ethnicity, or gender, the caste system provides an opportunity to reflect on inequalities due to social position and status. A person's amount of societal power, type of employment, level of education, and wealth all served as determining factors to this type of prejudice.

In the documentary A Class Divided, Jane Elliott constructed a lesson to teach her students the impact of discrimination. In our own nation, as we pause to acknowledge both Black History month and Women's History month, this serves as a conduit to connect experiences in discrimination with the roles of such actions in the past.