Hinduism is considered the world's oldest living religion and has no single founder.

Its origins lie in a synthesis of the religious beliefs of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization and the Vedic religion of the Indo-Aryan peoples.

The Vedas are the oldest and most sacred texts of Hinduism, composed in Sanskrit.

Later texts, like the Upanishads and the great epics (the Ramayana and Mahabharata), developed key Hindu philosophical concepts.

These concepts include dharma (one's duty or righteous path), karma (the sum of a person's actions), and samsara (the cycle of death and rebirth).

The ultimate goal in Hinduism is 'moksha,' or liberation from this cycle.

Hinduism is polytheistic but often conceptualizes a supreme divine reality (Brahman) that can be worshipped in many forms.

The Trimurti of Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer) are the three principal deities.

The caste system has been a traditional, though now highly contested, feature of Hindu social structure.

Hinduism is the third-largest religion in the world and the majority religion of India and Nepal.