Hinduism
is said to be the world’s oldest religion.
Yet the word “Hindu” is of foreign
18th-century origin. Hinduism is defined as
a polytheistic religion, but Mahatma Gandhi
famously declared that one can be a Hindu
without believing in any god.
Hinduism
appears to accommodate endless contradictions.
It is a religion at least as much of myth
as of history – it has no historical
founder, no single authoritative book, and
hardly any doctrines to which all Hindus subscribe.
Introducing
Hinduism offers a guide to the key philosophical,
literary, mythological and cultural traditions
of this extraordinarily diverse and pluralistic
faith. It untangles the complexities of Hinduism’s
gods and goddesses, its caste system and its
views on sex, everyday life and asceticism.
Must Hindus be vegetarian? How do the philosophical
and popular traditions of Hinduism diverge?
Introducing
Hinduism explores the links with and differences
from Buddhism, Jainism and other religions,
and describes the resurgence of Hindu extremism,
the phenomenon of Bollywood and the overseas
Hindu diaspora.
Vinay
Lal presents Hinduism in a lively, engaging
text charmingly illustrated by Borin Van Loon.
***
Vinay
Lal teaches at UCLA. He writes widely on Indian
history, contemporary politics, Bollywood
and the Indian diaspora. Recent books include
The History of History: Politics and Scholarship
in Modern India (Oxford University Press,
2003).
Borin
Van Loon is a Surrealist artist and illustrator
whose work ranges from oil paintings to a
cut-out book on DNA.
