Ten unique facts about Hinduism

Hinduism is India's predominant religion. It is the result of diverse traditions and has no single founder. Hinduism includes Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Śrauta among numerous other traditions. Among other practices and philosophies, Hinduism includes a wide spectrum of laws and prescriptions of “daily morality” based on karma, dharma, and societal norms. Hinduism is a conglomeration of distinct intellectual or philosophical points of view, rather than a rigid common set of beliefs.Hinduism is often called the “oldest living religion” or the “oldest living major religion” in the world.Let's take a look at ten unique facts about Hinduism:The word “Hinduism” actually has no real meaning because Hinduism was not founded as a religion. The name “Hindu” was given by outsiders, especially Greeks and Arabs, to those living in the vicinity of “Sindhu” river. So, the way of life people were following on the banks of Indus (Sindhu) river is called “Hinduism.” The institution of marriage was founded and put forth in practice by Hindus. The last three Vedas (Yajur, Sama & Atharva) gave much importance to Ganga; however, the oldest Veda (Rigveda) revered Indus and Saraswati as the holiest of Indian rivers. The first law maker, Manu, was a Hindu and Manu Smriti was the first book on social code in the world. Beyond India, Hinduism is the dominant religion of many exotic regions such as Nepal, Mauritius, Bali, second biggest religion of Fiji & Sri Lanka and at one point covered most of Southeast Asia – including Indonesia, Cambodia and Malaysia. The Romani people (Gypsies) that were originally Hindus trace their origins to Medieval India and the first Romani conference was funded in part by the Government of India. Sushruta is considered the father of surgery. 2600 years ago, he and his disciples conducted surgeries like Caesareans, cataract, healing fractures and removing urinary stones. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India. The Hindu epic of Mahabharata – that is often used to teach the principles of Hinduism – is written in 1.8 million words and is the longest poem in the world (10 times the combined length of Illiad and Odyssey) The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world's largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than the great religious places of Italy or Saudi Arabia, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the Balaji temple every day. Vedas were preserved for more than 5000 years without the help of printing technology. This was done by reciting and memorizing all the hymns and through Teacher-Disciple tradition (Guru-Shishya Parampara). It was the German scholar Maxmueller who visited Varanasi and other holy places, listened to the exact rendering of hymns of all the four Vedas, with the help of Hindu priests, and put them in print, for the world to read and ponder over.