Hinduism
For Hindus, the purpose of our time on earth is to "realize the divinity of the soul". This mystical aim gives rise to a wide variety of teachings and doctrines. The underlying principles of Hinduism are not easily described, as there is no single philosophy. It is perhaps the only religion whose theoretical principles and practices are so varied. It cannot be traced back to a single founder, nor does it have a single holy book to serve as a basic spiritual guide. The Veda, Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita form a motley collection of sacred texts. For Hindus, the essential religious path is devotion(bhakti) to one or more chosen deities. Although membership of a sect revering several deities is widespread, devotion to a single god of one's choice is widely accepted. Most followers are therefore polytheists, worshipping all or part of the vast pantheon of deities. In practice, a worshipper tends to address his prayers to one god, or several, in a very close personal relationship.
The Veda ("vision" or "knowledge" in Sanskrit) is "revealed knowledge". This knowledge has been transmitted orally from Brahman to Brahman since the Vedic period (1500 BC). This knowledge, collected in a set of texts, is said to have been revealed through hearing(shruti) to the Indian sages known as rishi. Hindus believe that the Veda is eternal and singular.
Brahma, the creator god
Brahma, the creator god of the trimurti, the Hindu trinity, symbolizes the aspect of Supreme Reality that carries creation forward. He is considered the Creator of the universe. His consort is Sarasvati, the goddess of learning and knowledge. She provides Brahma with the knowledge necessary for the creative process.
Brahma is usually depicted as a bearded deity, with four faces and four hands. In popular images, he is depicted seated on a lotus. He holds a rosary in his upper right hand, a book in his upper left hand, a kamandalu (water pot) in his lower left hand and bestows grace with his lower right hand. His faces represent the sacred knowledge of the four vedas. They therefore symbolize the fact that Brahma is the source of all knowledge necessary for the creation of the universe. His four arms represent the four directions and the omnipresence and omnipotence of the god. The hands represent the four aspects of the human personality: spirit, intellect, ego and empirical self or conditioned consciousness. The rosary symbolizes the cycle of time through which the world moves from creation to preservation, from preservation to dissolution and from dissolution to new creation. Although essential to the Hindu pantheon, it is little venerated in Rajasthan. It has only one temple, in Pushkar, which nevertheless attracts large numbers of pilgrims.
Vishnu, the conservative god
Vishnu is the most venerated god in Hinduism. He is responsible for preserving the universe created by Brahma. The origins of the Aryan and Dravidian conquerors' worship of Vishnu are unclear. In the Vedas and the sacred literature of the Aryans, Vishnu is classified among the minor gods. In some Puranic literature, Vishnu is said to be eternal, a unique spirit associated with the primordial waters that were omnipresent in the creation of the Universe.
In Hinduism, Vishnu's representation as the savior of the world comes late. According to one belief, the powers of Good and Evil (gods and demons) struggle for world domination. When the balance of these powers is destroyed, Vishnu or his avatar descends to earth to restore equality. It is said that 9 descents have already taken place, with the tenth to come in the future. The coming of Rama and Krishna correspond to the 7th and 8th descents. Vishnu is often depicted as a blue man with four arms. In each of his hands, he holds a wheel(chakra), a conch shell(shanka), a lotus(padma) and a club(gada). The disc symbolizes the power of the mind and has 6 rays, like the 6 petals of the lotus flower. The conch represents the primordial ocean, creation. The lotus corresponds to the unfolding of creation, but also to purity and truth. The club holds the power of knowledge, from which all other powers, both mental and physical, derive. It is also the threatening weapon that sets the believer on the path of spirituality to the detriment of material attraction. Vishnu has a thousand names, and uttering them over and over again is an act of devotion.
Shiva, the destructive god
Shiva is a dual god, representing both destruction and regeneration. As a destroyer, he is depicted as a naked ascetic wearing a necklace of skulls and surrounded by a train of demons and snakes. As a reproductive power, he is worshipped in the form of a lingam, a phallic-shaped stone monolith. As a regenerator, he takes the form of a handsome blue man with long hair pulled up in a bun over his forehead, armed with a trident. He is accompanied by a nandi, a bull. In contrast to the representation of Vishnu, Shiva also symbolizes renunciation. He appears as an ascetic practicing meditation, alone in the Himalayas, seated on a tiger skin, dressed in a simple loincloth and covered in sacred ashes. From his long hair flows the source of the Ganges, the sacred river of the Hindus.
Shiva is often portrayed as an asocial being who burned Kama, the god of love, with a single glance. But this image conceals another. Although he may seem hard to reach, Shiva is a loving deity who saves the souls of devotees. His wife is Parvati, with whom he had two sons: Kartikeya, the god of war, and Ganesh, the elephant-headed god of wisdom, intelligence and prudence.
Hindu Goddesses
The Hindu religion does not shun women, and many goddesses feature in the pantheon and are ardently venerated. Such is the case with Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu. She is particularly celebrated during the Diwali festival, which marks the start of the new year in the Hindu calendar. She symbolizes success and wealth.
Parvati, Shiva's wife, is considered the Divine Mother. She has two main facets: the benevolence that brings her help, and a powerful, dangerous personality that must be appeased. She is particularly venerated in India, appearing alongside Shiva in temples and processions.
Durga is one of Parvati's epithets and is considered the shakti ("energy") of the impersonal Absolute. Unlike Parvati, who is always accompanied by her husband, she is worshipped alone. She is depicted as a warrior equipped with swords and shields, riding a tiger. Her task is to hunt down demons when the gods are unable to do so.
Kali, always depicted in black, is the female equivalent of Shiva. She symbolizes destruction and creation. She often presents a terrifying image, with a bloody tongue protruding from her mouth, garlands of human skulls around her neck, a severed head in her hand and brandished weapons dripping with blood. It's a metaphor for the destructive capacity of the divine, the suffering of the world and the return of all things to the goddess at the moment of death.
Local deities
Hinduism is not set in stone, and its pantheon is extensible. It's common to see small altars on country roadsides, trees transformed into sacred altars dedicated to local deities who protect the inhabitants from natural disasters or bad energy. The faithful often give these protectors the face of a warrior or a martyred village fighter. While some local deities have their own temple, others are attached to a main temple, or have a specific altar dedicated to them. Rajasthan's own deities include Baba Ramdev, a great defender of the oppressed who lived at the end of the 14th century. Karni Mata is worshipped at the Rat Temple in Deshnok, near Bikaner, and is considered an incarnation of the goddess Durga. Pabuji, especially revered in rural areas, is invoked to protect livestock. Tejaji is prayed to heal snakebites, while Shital Mata has the power to cure smallpox.
The rituals of Hinduism
Puja ("respect") consists of a series of ritual offerings (flowers, food, money...) and prayers to the gods. It is performed at sunrise and sunset in temples and on household altars. Pujas can also be celebrated on special occasions, of which there are many in India. Among orthodox Hindus, dawn and dusk are greeted with the recitation of the Gayatri Mantra, the prayer to the sun from the Rig Veda. Personal worship of the gods before the family altar always involves lighting a lamp, offering food and sprinkling incense smoke before holy images, while prayers are mumbled. In the evenings, particularly in rural areas, women may gather for long sessions of sung hymns. Traditionally, the first chapati (bread cake) baked in the morning is given to a cow or other street animal. Sometimes a handful of grain is set aside to give to the needy or to birds. These small sacrifices and gifts serve to accumulate merit for the family.
The temple
Hindus go to the temple to pray. The basic form of the Hindu sanctuary is a square cell, oriented towards the points of the compass, with an image or statue of the deity in the center, and topped by a flat ceiling. The sanctuary is often topped by a sikhara, an oblong tower representing Mount Meru. Each temple symbolizes the center of the universe, from which the god watches over his domain and helps his followers. Worship is not the work of a congregation, but of individuals or groups of devotees who come to the temple to have a vision(darshan) of the divinity, to pray and to make an offering. Because the divinity exists in its entirety in the holy place, any offering that has come close to its representation brings the grace of the divine to the world of humans when it returns to them. Only trained members of the Brahmin caste are capable of manipulating the power of divinity, and most shrines are run by priests who take the offerings, present them directly to the image and then return some of them to the faithful to take home.
The pilgrimage
Rajasthan has many holy places associated with the exploits of the gods, the waters of a sacred river or the past presence of holy men. The Puranas, or texts of "ancient knowledge", describe innumerable sacred places and the benefits to be gained from visiting them as a devotee. For many Indians, pilgrimage is the preferred form of family tourism. For most devotees, pilgrimage involves preliminary vows and fasting, a journey on foot punctuated by religious hymns and songs. On arrival at the site, pilgrims contact a priest who, for a fee, will plan the program of ritual activities. Some pilgrimages attract tens of thousands of worshippers, and you may have to wait for hours in line to catch a glimpse of the idol, while the rest of the year the temple is deserted. The most sacred temples have a reservoir of sacred water, which pilgrims immerse themselves in before entering the temple. Stalls overflowing with religious offerings and trinkets line the temple outskirts during the pilgrimage season, and those that are heavily visited all year round.
Other religions of Rajasthan
Islam. In addition to plundering and seizing power, the first Muslim invaders had the mission of spreading religion. The foundation of the Delhi Sultanate at the end of the 12th century led to some conversions among the wealthy classes, who were anxious to maintain good relations with the occupying power. However, most converts to Islam sought to escape their social situation. While Islam played a predominant role in Delhi until the decline of the Mughal Empire, it had much less influence in Rajasthan, ruled by Hindu rulers. Today, 9% of Rajasthan's population is Muslim. At a time of resurgent Hindu nationalism, which is reflected in fiery political rhetoric, Muslims in Rajasthan are trying to keep a low profile. Islam, with its single dogma based on Koranic revelation, does not mix well with Hinduism, which is based on personal experience and open to all kinds of mysticism.
Sikhism. This deviant religion of Hinduism was founded by Guru Nanak in the Punjab in the 19th century. It affirms the oneness of God and the need to forge peaceful links between religions. It proscribes the caste system, child marriage and the sacrifice of widows at the stake of their husbands. Sikhs refer to the Granth Sahib, a compilation of writings by Guru Nanak and the gurus who succeeded him until the early 18th century. The Sikh community represents 1.7% of the population of Rajasthan. The men are easily recognized by their tight turbans, uncut hair and full beards. The women, on the other hand, don't wear a sari, but the salwar kameez, a loose-fitting tunic topped by ankle-length pants. Sikhs all share the surname Singh, which means "lion", but not all Singhs are Sikhs.
Jainism. Its founder, Mahavir, was the last of 24 pious figures known as tirthankars or "ford crossers". He was a contemporary of Buddha, in the 6th century BC. The example of the tirthankars helps devotees to free themselves from the illusions that bind the soul to the world. In addition to this devotion, Jains strive not to harm any form of life. Their mouths are sometimes covered with a handkerchief to prevent them from swallowing insects. They observe a strict vegetarian diet and ritual purity prohibitions (e.g. no leather, no temple entrance during menstruation for women). Religious members of the digambara sect are the most rigorous, living completely naked to mark their total detachment from the materialistic world. Originally, Jainism aimed to escape Brahmanical ritualism and recognized no clergy. Brahmins, however, were able to reclaim the cult and officiate in Jain temples. Although Rajasthan has barely 1% of the faithful, its temples are absolutely sumptuous. The temples of Ranakpur, Dilwara and Mont Abu attract many foreign visitors.
