s t u d e n t h a n d o u t · diwali is a hindu religious festival that celebrates the beginning...

S T U D E N T H A N D O U T

1 Hindu Traditions in Modern India© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute

_____ Step 1: Discuss what the image reveals. Carefully examine this image and discuss what it might reveal about Ayurvedic (AH-yer-vey-dek) medicine.

_____ Step 2: Read this information and answer the discussion questions. Ayurveda (AH-yer-vey-duh) is a traditional system of Indian health care and medicine that dates back thousands of years. The word Ayurveda comes from an Indian term for “life knowledge,” or “the science of life.” Ayurveda is based on ancient scientific writings that describe medical practices, such as diagnosing illnesses, performing surgery, and curing disease with herb mixtures. Today in India people can choose to go to one out of the estimated 100 colleges to study Ayurvedic medicine.

People who practice Ayurveda believe that a person’s body, mind, and spirit are connected. They feel that people can live long lives free of disease if they keep all three elements in balance. According to Ayurvedic medicine, a person can maintain good health and prevent disease by being knowledgeable about and aware of their thoughts, body sensations, and spiritual state.

• What is Ayurveda?• According to Ayurvedic medicine, how can a person live a long life?

Preparing an Interactive Dramatization: Ayurvedic Medicine

This Ayurvedic treatment includes pouring oil over the head to help cure headaches.



People who practice Ayurveda believe that people receive signals from their mind and body that something is wrong or unbalanced. When people ignore these signals, they eventually get sick. AnAyurvedic doctor typically diagnoses a patient’s health problems by asking a series of questions. The doctor asks about the patient’s habits: what she eats, how much she sleeps, what kind of moods she is often in, how much she exercises, what kind of and how much work she does, and what kind of stresses she is under.

Once the doctor has made a diagnosis, he prescribes treatments. These treatments may include following a special diet, taking herbal medicines, or meditating. For example, an Ayurvedic doctor might tell a patient to eat only foods that are easy to digest, to meditate three times a day, and to take special herb mixtures, such as ginger and licorice.

• What questions might an Ayurvedic doctor ask a patient?• What kinds of treatments do Ayurvedic doctors prescribe?

_____ Step 3: Review the parts of your interactive dramatization. You must present a 1- to 2-minute interactive dramatization about Ayurvedic medicine that involves the students who visit your station. Your dramatization must make your classmates feel like they are observing an Ayurvedic treatment center. Include the following elements in the order they appear:

• Greet your guests using the Hindi word namaste (nah-MAHS-tay). This is a traditional greeting that is used in South Asia.

• Point to the picture on this handout and tell visitors they are in a center for Ayurvedic treatment.

• Explain why Ayurvedic medicine is concerned with a patient’s diet, sleep patterns, and exercise habits.

• Describe some types of Ayurvedic treatments. • Ask your visitors to answer this key question: How does Ayurveda attempt to promote good

health?

_____ Step 4: Rehearse your dramatization. Make sure you can present your dramatization in 2 minutes or less. Be prepared to answer questions your visitors might have.



_____ Step 1: Discuss what the image reveals. Carefully examine this image and discuss what it might reveal about Brahmins.

_____ Step 2: Read this information and answer the discussion questions. The formal organization of Indian society by class began in ancient times and is known as varna dharma. Varna dharma means “the way of one’s kind.” Ancient Indian texts described four main social classes, or varnas:

• Brahmins (priests and religious scholars)• Kshatriyas (KSHA-tree-uhs) (rulers and warriors)• Vaishyas (VIESH-yuhs) (herders and merchants) • Shudras (SHOO-druhs) (servants, farmers, and laborers)According to ancient Indian tradition, each class, or varna, had is own duties. The duties each varna performed were valuable and important because they contributed to a balanced, well-functioning society. Europeans later called the Indian class system the caste (kast) system.

In ancient times, the Brahmins’ duties were to perform sacred rituals and study the Vedas (VAY-duhz). The Vedas are a collection of ancient Indian texts viewed as sacred by many Hindus. For more than 1,000 years the Vedas existed only in spoken form, so the ancient Brahmins had to memorize over 100,000 verses.

Preparing an Interactive Dramatization: Brahmins

A Brahmin boy takes part in the sacred thread ceremony in India.



Traditionally, Hindus have had to stay in the class into which they were born. But this has changed over time. Now people can change their class under certain circumstances. However, a person can become a Brahmin only by being born into a Brahmin family.

• What are the four major varnas, or classes, in Indian society?• How does a person become a Brahmin?Today, some members of the Brahmin class perform the same duties as the ancient Brahmins. They study the Vedas and perform worship rituals called puja (POOH-jah) in Hindu temples. Some Brahmins may become priests. Some Brahmins eat meat, while others follow a vegetarian diet. Like other Hindus, Brahmins may also fast, or go without food, as part of a religious practice.

Like many of the other classes in modern India, Brahmins can hold all kinds of jobs to earn money, including farmers, teachers, lawyers, and cooks.

Like members of several of the other classes, some male Brahmins wear a sacred thread tied and looped over the left shoulder and under the right arm. Brahmin boys receive this thread in a ceremony that usually takes place at age eight. The sacred thread ceremony marks a boy’s entrance as a full member of the religious community and the beginning of his religious studies. In recent decades in India, girls have also taken part in the sacred thread ceremony.

• What duties and practices do Brahmins perform?• What other jobs do Brahmins have?

_____ Step 3: Review the parts of your interactive dramatization. You must present a 1- to 2-minute interactive dramatization about Brahmins that involves the students who visit your station. Your dramatization must make your class-mates feel like they visiting an educational center about Hinduism and Brahmins and include the following elements in the order they appear:


• Point to the picture on this handout and explain who Brahmins are and how people become members of the Brahmin class.

• Point to the “sacred thread,” and describe what it represents and how Brahmins obtain it.• Give your visitors examples of some of the ways that Brahmins earn a living.• Ask your visitors, What role do Brahmins play in traditional Hindu society?

_____ Step 4: Rehearse your dramatization. Make sure you can present your dramatization in 2 minutes or less. Be prepared to answer questions visitors might have.



_____ Step 1: Discuss what the image reveals. Carefully examine this image and discuss what it might reveal about Diwali.

_____ Step 2: Read this information and answer the discussion questions. Diwali is a Hindu religious festival that celebrates the beginning of the Hindu new year. Diwali means “row of lamps.” Although Diwali means different things to different Hindus, one of the main themes of Diwali is the triumph of good (symbolized by light) over evil (symbolized by darkness). The celebration of Diwali can be traced to different ancient Indian stories. These stories describe tales of gods defeating evil opponents.

• Why do Hindus celebrate Diwali?• To what kinds of stories can the celebration of Diwali be traced?Diwali is one of the most popular religious festivals in India. It is celebrated by Hindus in other countries as well. The festival takes place in October or November and is celebrated for five days.

One of the most important practices of Diwali is the lighting of lamps. Hindus decorate their homes and walkways with oil lamps and electric lights.

These lamps are often arranged in circles and spirals. Lines of flickering lamps decorate

Preparing an Interactive Dramatization: Diwali

Hindu families gather at a temple in Amritsar, India, to light candles and lamps to celebrate Diwali.



roadsides, businesses, and city streets. Celebrants also frequently light firecrackers and fireworks at night.

There are many other Diwali traditions. People decorate their doorways with garlands made of flowers and leaves, and their walkways with designs drawn in colored chalk. Family members and friends exchange greeting cards and gifts and share sweet desserts such as malpuas, which are fried, flat rounds of dough similar to pancakes. Some families make offerings to honor Laxshmi (LAX-shmee), the goddess of wealth, to ensure good fortune during the coming year.

• How do Hindus celebrate Diwali?• Why do some Hindu families make offerings to Laxshmi during Diwali?

_____ Step 3: Review the parts of your interactive dramatization. You must present a 1- to 2-minute interactive dramatization about Diwali that involves the students who visit your station. Your dramatization must make your classmates feel like they are visiting a Hindu home during Diwali and include the following elements in the order they appear:


• Point to the picture on this handout and explain the meaning of the lighted lamps and candles.

• Explain why the doorway of the home is surrounded by flowers.• Seat your visitors around a table, and offer them a sample of a malpua, a pancake-like sweet

dessert that is traditionally served during Diwali.• Explain how Diwali can be traced to ancient stories.• Explain why the family has received greeting cards from friends and neighbors.• Ask your visitors to answer these key questions: What is Diwali? What are some of the ways

in which it is celebrated?




_____ Step 1: Discuss what the image reveals. Carefully examine this image and discuss what it might reveal about food and meals.

_____ Step 2: Read this information and answer the discussion questions. One of the ancient scriptures of Hinduism states that a person must not “use [her] God-given body for killing God’s creatures.” The formal name for this belief is ahimsa, which means non-injury or non-violence. Other religions that began in India, such as Buddhism, also believed in ahimsa and developed similar practices. These practices taught that people should not kill living beings, even for food.

Many Hindus today follow the principle of ahimsa by eating a vegetarian diet. There is no single Hindu diet or way of eating. Some Hindus eat fish and seafood. Because the cow is considered to be a sacred animal, Hindus generally do not eat beef.

Indian dishes often combine different kinds of tastes (such as sweet and spicy) and are flavored with spice mixtures known as curries. Indian meals are often served with bread, rice, and side dishes such as yogurt, pickles, and a spicy fruit relish called chutney. The breads are usually unleavened, which means they contain no yeast. Indian breads include chapati and puri.

Preparing an Interactive Dramatization: Food and Meals

A Hindu family gathers for a meal.



Chapatis are round, flat breads cooked on a griddle. Puris are deep fried so that the bread puffs up like a round ball.

• What is ahimsa and how does it affect Hindu diets?• What are some common Indian dishes?Some Hindus may set aside some uncooked rice while they are cooking. They do this to remind themselves that food is meant to be shared with others. This rice is later given to a charity, temple, or poor family.

Some Hindus will often say a prayer called a Bhojana Mantra before eating. The prayer is meant to give thanks for the food. At mealtime, traditional Indians may sit around a low table or around a blanket placed on the floor. Indians typically eat with their hands, using the right hand to eat and the left hand to pick up their drinking glass or to serve themselves food.

• What practices do some Hindus perform before eating?• How do Hindus eat their meals?

_____ Step 3: Review the parts of your interactive dramatization. You must present a 1- to 2-minute interactive dramatization about food and meals that involves the students who visit your station. Your dramatization must make your classmates feel like they are sharing an Indian meal with a Hindu family and include the following elements in the order they appear:


• Point to the picture on this handout and tell visitors they are about to expe-rience an Indian meal.

• Seat your guests at the table where you will eat.• Explain the meaning of ahimsa and how this belief affects Hindu diets.• Describe how Hindus eat their food.• Ask your visitors this key question: Why are many Hindus vegetarians?




_____ Step 1: Discuss what the image reveals. Carefully examine this image and discuss what it might reveal about Hindu temples.

_____ Step 2: Read this information and answer the discussion questions. Hindu temples, also known as mandiras, are one of the places Hindus go to wor-ship. People go to temples to express love for, give thanks to, or make requests of deities. Sometimes Hindus go to temples to take part in holy rituals or to just sit quietly and meditate.

The ancestors of today’s Hindus also built temples for worship. Ancient writings described how and where to build a temple. One writing stated: “The gods always play… near rivers, mountains, and springs and in towns with pleasure gardens… It is in such places that the gods love and always dwell.”

Hindus today follow ancient requirements for building a temple. They believe a temple’s design, or architecture, is very important. Hindu temples traditionally are magnificent in design and size. The entrance to the temple often faces the east, the direction of the rising morning sun. Carvings and sculptures of figures from Hindu myths typically cover the temple’s outer walls. Inside the temple is a shrine devoted to a particular god. The temple’s priests perform worship rituals, or puja (POOH-jah), at this shrine.

Preparing an Interactive Dramatization: Hindu Temples

Hindus worship at a temple in India.



• Why do Hindus go to temples?• How are Indian temples designed?Puja is the main worship ritual for Hindus. It is performed in Hindu temples and on an everyday basis in many Hindu homes. Puja includes three major parts. Wor-shippers view a statue of a Hindu god; present offerings of flowers, fruit, and other foods that are blessed by a Hindu priest; and receive some of the blessed food to eat. Sometimes people wave lighted lamps before a Hindu god, a type of worship called arati. In Hinduism, these are sacred acts that create a connection between the god and the worshipper.

Included in each part of a puja are many complex steps. For example, worshippers remove their shoes before entering a temple to show their respect for the god or gods. Hindu priests say sacred chants called mantras. Priests also ring bells, which are believed to call the god and frighten away evil spirits.

• What is puja?• What are the three major parts of temple puja?

_____ Step 3: Review the parts of your interactive dramatization. You must present a 1- to 2-minute interactive dramatization about Hindu temples that involves the students who visit your station. Your dramatization must make your classmates feel like they are touring a Hindu temple to learn about Hindu worship and include the following elements in the order they appear:


• Point to the picture on this handout and explain to visitors some reasons Hindus go to temples.

• Tell your visitors to turn around and pretend to notice how the entrance of the temple faces the rising sun in the east.

• Tell your visitors about the three major parts of puja.• Point to a row of shoes by the door and explain how Hindus enter a temple.• Tell your visitors that Hindus give flowers and fruit as offering to the gods.• Tell your visitor that the ringing of bells is a part of Hindu worship.• Ask your visitors to answer this key question: What are some ways of worship in a Hindu

temple?




_____ Step 1: Discuss what the image reveals. Carefully examine this image and discuss what it might reveal about Hindu pilgrimages.

_____ Step 2: Read this information and answer the discussion questions. One of the duties of a faithful Hindu is to journey to holy places. These journeys are known as pilgrimages. People who go on pilgrimages are known as pilgrims. Pilgrims show their religious devotion by overcoming the difficulties of a pilgrim-age. These difficulties include traveling long distances and over challenging ter-rain, such as mountains. Pilgrimages are common in other religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

The ancient Indians made pilgrimages to sacred places, particularly rivers. One of India’s most sacred rivers is the Ganges. Devout Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges washes away their sins.

• What is a pilgrimage?Today, thousands of Hindus make pilgrimages to holy places all over India. Many people make pilgrimages during the time of holy festivals, but pilgrimages can be made any time of year. Rivers like the Ganges are very important sacred destinations.

Preparing an Interactive Dramatization: Hindu Pilgrimages

Hindu pilgrims bathe in the Ganges River in Varanasi, India.



Hindus believe that a pilgrimage is a chance for a person to leave aside her ordi-nary, earthly concerns and duties and focus only on God. They believe it is a time to seek forgiveness for their sins and gain a greater understanding about the meaning and direction of life.

Hindus practice certain rituals, or ceremonies, before and during a pilgrimage. They fast (do not eat) before the pilgrimage in order to purify their bodies. While they are on their journey, pilgrims perform acts of devotion such as bathing, shaving their heads, and lying face down in worship at each sacred place and temple they encounter. Priest-guides are often present at sacred destinations to assist and guide the pilgrims in their worship.

• Why do Hindus make pilgrimages?• What practices do Hindus perform while on a pilgrimage?

_____ Step 3: Review the parts of your interactive dramatization. You must present a 1- to 2-minute interactive dramatization about pilgrimages that in-volves the students who visit your station. Your dramatization must make your classmates feel like they are observing Hindus on a pilgrimage to the Ganges River and include the following elements in the order they appear:


• Identify yourselves as experts on Hindu pilgrimages and explain why Hindus go on pilgrimages.

• Point to a set of empty bowls, and explain why Hindus often fast before a pilgrimage.• Show your visitors a map, and point out the location of the Ganges River.• Have your visitors examine the picture of Hindu pilgrims bathing in the Ganges River.

Point out and explain what the people in the image are doing.• Ask your visitors to answer this key question: What are some features of Hindu pilgrimages?

_____ Step 4: Rehearse your dramatization. Make sure you can present your dramatization in 2 minutes or less. Anticipate questions your visitors might have and prepare answers.



_____ Step 1: Discuss what the image reveals. Carefully examine this image and discuss what it might reveal about the sacredness of India’s cows.

_____ Step 2: Read this information and answer the discussion questions. Hinduism considers the cow to be particularly sacred, or holy. Cows were very important to the ancient Indians because of their contributions to society. Cows provided the community with food, such as milk and butter. They pulled farmers’ plows and transported people. After they died, their skins were used for clothing. In addition, a popular Hindu god, Krishna, was portrayed in stories as a cow herder. This increased the cow’s importance in society’s eyes. Over time, the importance of the cow grew into a religious devotion.

In India today, cows continue to be a sacred, protected animal. They still provide people with milk and help farmers plow their fields. However, the Hindu religion now forbids the eating of beef to ensure that cows are not killed for meat. In addi-tion, cows are allowed to wander freely, in both the countryside and the city. It is not uncommon for a cow to be seen drinking from a local fountain or eating a snack at a fruit stand in the market.

Preparing an Interactive Dramatization: The Sacredness of the Cow

Hindu men lead a cow at a spiritual festival in Pushkar, India.



• Why were cows important in ancient Indian society?• How are cows protected in India today?To honor and celebrate the cow, Hindus often drape colorful, embroidered mate-rial over cows’ backs, place garlands of flowers around their necks, feed them grains and fruit, and decorate their horns with bells. Non-Hindus sometimes think that Hindus worship cows, but that is not true. Hindus believe that all life is sacred and they practice nonviolence, or ahimsa, toward all creatures. Hindus honor cows as part of ahimsa and because they have been important animals since ancient times.

• How are cows honored in India?

_____ Step 3: Review the parts of your interactive dramatization. You must present a 1- to 2-minute interactive dramatization about the treatment of cows in Hindu society that involves the students who visit your station. Your dramatization must make your classmates understand that Hindus consider cows to be sacred and include the following elements in the order they appear:

• Point to the picture on this handout and explain why Hindus consider cows to be sacred.• Explain that cows wander through marketplaces and other public places.• Explain that people sometimes offer the cow food, such as an orange or a handful of grain.• Describe how people place bells on the cow’s horns.• Explain why the Hindu devotion to cows is sometimes misunderstood.• Ask your visitors to answer these key questions: How are cows treated in traditional Hindu

society? Why?




_____ Step 1: Discuss what the image reveals. Carefully examine this image and discuss what it might reveal about Hindu sadhus (SAH-dooz), or holy people.

_____ Step 2: Read this information and answer the discussion questions.A sadhu is a person who gives up, or renounces, the duties and possessions of the everyday world. Sadhus dedicate their lives to spiritual self-knowledge. They are greatly respected and are a source of inspiration for many Hindus.

People often seek sadhus for spiritual guidance and may give them gifts of food as thanks. Sadhus have existed since Hinduism’s earliest days and were referred to in ancient writings as ascetics (uh-SET-iks). Ascetics are people who deny themselves most human comforts for religious reasons.

Sadhus today are considered Hindu monks. People often address them with the title swami, which means “he who knows himself.” Some sadhus live in mon-asteries, while others give up shelter and wander the land instead.

Sudhus work toward moksha, which is the spiritual goal of devout Hindus. Ac-cording to Hindu belief, when a person achieves moksha, the soul will be released from a constant cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, and be united with Brahman.

Brahman is the name of a supreme power that some Hindus believe is greater than other

Preparing an Interactive Dramatization: Hindu Holy People

A sadhu meditates in the town of Pushkar, India.



deities. The belief in a release from a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth is common in other religions, including Buddhism.

• What is a sadhu?• What is the goal of a sadhu?Many sadhus use yoga to help them achieve their spiritual goals. Yoga is an Indian philosophy, or study of ideas about knowledge, truth, and the meaning of life. Some sadhus practice hatha yoga, which combines special body positions and deep, slow breathing. For example, in the half-lotus position, a person sits cross-legged with his left foot on top of his right thigh and his right foot tucked under his left thigh.

Yoga is not only the practice of body positions. It also includes the practices of meditation, breathing exercises, and reciting prayers and songs of devotion to the gods.

• What is yoga? Why do many sadhus practice yoga?

_____ Step 3: Review the parts of your interactive dramatization. You must present a 1- to 2-minute interactive dramatization about sadhus that involves the students who visit your station. Your dramatization must make your classmates feel like they are visiting a Hindu monastery to learn about sadhus and include the following elements in the order they appear:


• Point to the picture on this handout and explain what a sadhu is.• You and your partner are guides at the monastery. Tell your visitors that seekers come to

ask advice from a sadhu and give the sadhu food, such as limes, as thanks.• Tell your visitors that seekers sometimes ask questions like “Swami, you have given up what

most people spend a lifetime trying to acquire. What wisdom is there in this?”• Tell your visitors that a sadhu might answer like this: “It is only through giving up all

things that one can complete the journey toward moksha.”• Ask your visitors to define moksha. If they are unable to do so, carefully explain what the

term means.• Ask your visitors to answer these key questions: What are sadhus? What role do they play in

Hinduism?

_____ Step 4: Rehearse your dramatization. Make sure that you can present your dramatization in 2 minutes or less. Anticipate questions your visitors might have and prepare answers.



_____ Step 1: Discuss what the image reveals. Carefully examine this image and discuss what it might reveal about the Hindu marriage ceremony.

_____ Step 2: Read this information and answer the discussion questions. Marriage, or vivaha, is one of the most important Hindu rites (ceremonies). Hindus go through a series of rites, or samskaras, over the course of their lives. These rites honor a person’s passage from one life stage to the next and are important steps in a Hindu’s spiritual journey. Vivaha takes place in adulthood. The steps of the modern Hindu marriage ceremony are often elaborate and have direct roots in ancient marriage practices.

Marriages between Hindu men and women are often arranged by their parents and other family elders. After a match is made, the families consult the couple. If the couple agree to the match, their families begin making plans for the marriage ceremony. The families choose the day of the wedding after consulting a priest and an astrological calendar—a calendar that shows the positions of the stars and the planets on each day of the year. The couple’s families often spare no expense in making the wedding as splendid as possible. The wedding can involve many

Preparing an Interactive Dramatization: Hindu Marriage Ceremony

A bride and groom are shown seated at a Hindu marriage ceremony.



detailed decorations, musicians, traditional clothing, horses (sometimes even elephants), and a large, delicious feast.

• What is the purpose of samskaras, or Hindu rites?• How are families involved in the marriage plans of their children?Although the marriage ceremony is complex and varies from region to region, there are some basic practices that are followed in most communities. The cere-mony is conducted by a priest in front of a sacred fire, or agni. The fire could be in a pit or simply the flame of an oil lamp. The bridge and groom recite a series of hymns and prayers. Toward the end of the ceremony, the bride and groom walk around the fire and exchange wedding vows. Afterward, the woman wears a gold pendant on a necklace to show that she is married.

• What happens during a Hindu marriage ceremony?

_____ Step 3: Review the parts of your interactive dramatization. You must present a 1- to 2-minute interactive dramatization about vivaha that involves the students who visit your station. Your dramatization must make your classmates feel like they are hearing about a marriage ceremony you have just attended. Include the following elements in the order they appear:


• Tell your visitors that two of your friends were recently married.• Show one of the letters that the couple’s parents wrote giving approval of the marriage.• Point to the picture on this handout and describe how you heard and saw the bride and

groom recite hymns and prayers.• Explain how the wedding included traditional clothing, musicians, and a wedding feast.• Show your visitors the bride’s gold pendant and explain its significance.• Ask your visitors to answer this key question: What are the most common practices of

traditional Hindu marriage ceremonies?


s t u d e n t h a n d o u t · diwali is a hindu religious festival that celebrates the beginning...

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