Hinduism is a term that refers to the diverse religious and cultural traditions of ‘Vedas’. Hinduism is possibly the oldest religion in the world, it has no single founder and no common set of beliefs and practices. It has strong ties both conceptually and historically with the other Indian religions Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism.
While there are no set agreed upon teachings Hindus will generally have a belief in ‘Brahman’ an energy or power that pervades throughout the universe. Brahman is infinite and indefinable. The Hindu Pantheon is sometimes seen as a manifestation or way of conceiving Brahman.
Hindus believe in a cycle of reincarnation known as samsara, a cycle governed by karma. The life goal of most Hindu devotees is to escape samsara and achieve moksha (meaning: freedom, emancipation, liberation or release).
The faith has approximately 900 million adherents worldwide. In the UK Hindus make up about 1% of the population around 411,291 Hindu live in the London area. Most Hindus in Britain originate from the Gujarat and Punjab areas of India. Their worship takes place both at home and in Temples. These Temples serve as social and community centres as well as places of worship.