SOAS Research Online

Abstract

Hinduism is a much contested term used to describe the wide range of religious beliefs and practices of more than 800 million people, most of whom live in India. While some regard Hinduism as diverse but coherent, others argue that in the absence of any core beliefs (there is no founder, no single scripture nor any central organisation), the sheer diversity of beliefs (Hinduism allows for atheism, polytheism and monotheism, for example) and practices that vary across social groups and regions, that the term is almost meaningless. What do Hindus believe? shows that there are central threads in this diversity which it traces throughout more than three thousand years, from the possible prehistoric depictions of Hindu deities in the Indus Valley Civilisation, through classical and medieval and colonial periods. The book’s examination of Hinduism in the twenty-first century discusses the rise of ‘Hindutva’ or Hindu-nationalism in India and examines beliefs and practices in the Hindu diaspora, with particular emphasis on Britain.