History of religion – sacrifice, holidays
Building at Gobekli Tepe (ca. 9000 BC) People have started a lot of different religions. Some of them are still practiced today; others are not. It is hard even to [...]
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08, 2017
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08, 2017
The end of animal sacrifice – History of religion
Sacrificial procession (Pitsa, ca. 530 BC) People probably began to do animal sacrifice around the time they began farming and keeping domesticated animals, about 10,000 BC. They were certainly sacrificing animals to their gods all over Europe and Asia [...]
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07, 2017
Who is Vishnu? – Hinduism – India
Vishnu and Lakshmi (Kashmir, 1000s AD now in Los Angeles) A Hindu god Vishnu was one of the Hindu gods. He was mentioned in the Rig Veda as a god of light and the sun. But people [...]
21
07, 2017
The god Varuna – Hinduism – India
Monsoon rain (Goa) Around 1000 BC, in the Vedic period in India, Varuna was an important Hindu god. Varuna was originally a sky god - his name means "the one who covers everything." Often people think [...]
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07, 2017
Shiva – Hindu god – Ancient India
The Hindu god Shiva Shiva was a Hindu fertility god, who made the crops grow. He was not mentioned in the Rig Veda, about 1000 BC, and seems to have come into Hinduism later than [...]
21
07, 2017
What’s the Rig Veda? Hinduism – India
The Rig Veda in Sanskrit (from the 1800s AD) What is the Rig Veda? The Rig Veda is a group of poems that people in India first sang and recited [...]
21
07, 2017
What is Nirvana? Indian religion
Wheel of Life (Konark Sun temple, Odisha, India, 1200s AD) About 300 BC, Hindu people in India began to feel that they didn't like the idea of being reincarnated over and over again forever. [...]
21
07, 2017
Who is Lakshmi? Hindu god – India
Lakshmi (Sanchi Stupa, central India, 200s BC) What is she the god of? Lakshmi was (and is) a Hindu god of light, wealth, good luck and success. Her name comes from the Sanskrit word laks, [...]
21
07, 2017
Who is Krishna? Hinduism in India
The god Krishna killing the horse demon (Guptan Empire, 400s AD,now in Metropolitan Museum, NYC) Who is Krishna? Krishna is one of the Hindu gods. He was actually just one of [...]
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07, 2017
What is karma? Hinduism – India
What is karma? Jataka Tales: King Siva offers his body to save a dove from a hawk, and King Candraprabha is so generous that he gives away his own head (Mogao [...]
