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| Hinduism | |
|---|---|
| Type | Polytheistic |
| Scripture | Vedas |
| Theology | ~1500 BCE |
| Number of followers | 1.03 billion |
Hinduism is a polytheistic religion and is the third largest religion in the world, with over 1 billion adherents, the vast majority of who live in the Indian subcontinent.[1] Hinduism is not a unified doctrine but rather a diverse set of traditions, practices, and philosophical schools that developed historically out of Vedic religion and earlier indigenous beliefs.[2]
Like most religions, Hinduism has been used by the ruling classes in various historical periods as an instrument to justify and maintain systems of exploitation. The varna system, codified in Hindu scriptures, has historically been used to legitimize caste oppression and hereditary inequality, securing the dominance of priestly and landowning classes over peasants, workers, women, and members of oppressed castes. In both feudal and colonial India, Hindu institutions were integrated into the ruling order to stabilize exploitation, and in modern times Hindu nationalism (Hindutva) has served the interests of the bourgeoisie by promoting reactionary, anti-communist, and chauvinist politics.
Although progressive and reformist currents have emerged within Hinduism, including movements against caste hierarchy, patriarchy, and social oppression, the dominant institutional expressions of Hinduism continue to reproduce reactionary ideologies. As literacy, scientific understanding, and secularism expand in India and among the diaspora, Hindu religious adherence has faced challenges, though it remains deeply rooted in social and cultural life.