Religions ---

• Major religions and population percentages:
  1. Hinduism (83%)
  2. Islam (12%)
  3. Sikhism (?%)
  4. Buddhism (1%)
  5. Jainism (?%)
  6. Christianity (?%)

  (A temple; click image to see larger version)

　

• Hinduism essence:
  1. Origin --- about 1500 B.C. by Aryans
  2. Four Verdas (吠陀經) --- Rigveda (梨俱吠陀), Yajurveda (耶柔吠陀), Samaveda (沙磨吠陀), Atharvaveda (阿達婆吠陀)
  3. Two historical poems (史詩) --- Ramayana (羅摩衍那) & Mahabharata (摩訶婆羅多)
  　

　

• Hindu Gods and Goddesses:
  (Note: pictures in the following were taken from a Hindu Temple in Jaipur except that of Laxmi which were taken from a restaurant at a rest area)
  1. Three most important gods --- Brahma (梵天；不常被拜), Shiva (濕婆)(創造神，最常被拜), Vishnu (毘濕努)(破壞神)
  (From right, Brahma, Shiva & Vishnu; click image to see larger version)
  2. Parvati --- the wife of Shiva who is both pretty and cruel.
  (From left, Ganesh, Parvati, Shiva...; click image to see larger version)
  3. Ganesh --- god of wisdom, treasure & happiness; popularly worshiped by Indian people; a son of Shiva and Parvarti with an elephant head (for the reason of his head, see illustrated glossary of my Angkor Wat Trip).
  (A bronze statue of Ganesh; click image to see larger version)
  4. Laxmi --- the god of treasure of India worshiped mostly by businessmen.
  (Laxmi; click image to see larger version)
  5. Hanuman --- a monkey-man who aided Rama (an avatar of Vishnu) in rescuing his wife, Sita, from Ravana, the king of rakshasa ruling the land of Lanka.
  (Hanuman; click image to see larger version)
  6. Ganga --- the goddess of Ganges River
  (Ganga; click image to see larger version)
  　

　

• The Caste System of Hinduism:
  1. Brahmins (婆羅門) --- teachers, scholars and priests
  2. Kshatriyas (剎帝利) --- kings, landowners, and warriors
  3. Vaishyas (吠舍) --- traders and some artisan groups
  4. Shudras (首陀羅) --- agriculturists, service providers, and some artisan groups
      Now in India, people of different classes are mixed in societies, but their names still can tell their caste origins, and marriages between different castes are not easy.