There has been a development of complex variety of religious paths on the Indian subcontinent. Some of these are relatively unified religious systems, such as Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism (Fisher 2005). However, most of the other Indian religious ways have been categorized together as if they were a single tradition named “Hinduism (Fisher2005).” The Hindu religion does not have a uniting belief system. It is made up several spiritual expressions and some extreme variations. These traditions can range from extreme asceticism to extreme sensuality, from the heights of personal devotion to a deity to the heights of abstract philosophy, from metaphysical proclamations of the oneness behind the material world to worship of images representing a multiplicity of deities. Today, Sanatana Dharma is the preferred alternative label, which means that these traditions have always existed. When researching Hindu religion, its origins are can be traced by to the Vedic age, thousands of years ago where the Vedas were taught in various schools. Vedas are the religious texts that are often viewed as the foundations of Hinduism according to the Aryan Invasion Theory. The religion is made up of various traditions and philosophical systems the have certain features in common. The most well-known systems are Samkhya, Advaita Vedanta, and Yoga.

The original idea of Hinduism is the belief in the ultimate reality called Brahman (universal soul) and its classification with the Aatman (individual soul). All creatures go through a cycle of birth and rebirth. The status of the being in each birth is determined by the principle of Karma. Post-Vedic Hinduism in all its forms accepts the doctrine of karma, according to which the individual reaps the results of his good and bad actions through a series of lifetimes. The post-Vedic Puranas deal with these themes. They also elaborate myths of the popular gods. They describe the universe as undergoing an eternally repeated cycle of creation, preservation, and dissolution, represented by the trinity of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer as aspects of the Supreme.