Indus Valley Religion

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Indus Valley Religion
To give a little background information about the Indus Valley
Civilization, the Indus Valley Civilization really flourished between
3500 BC and 2000 BC. During this time period the Indus Valley
Civilization covered an area in the Indian subcontinent that would be larger than the size of today's Europe. The antecedents date as far back as 7000 BC to 6000 BC, which is during the Neolithic Period. At first the Indus Valley Civilization was an urban civilization, characterized by well planned cities. It was built according to the needs of the people who inhabited them and geographical and climate challenges they faced. The reason they were successful was because they were very intelligent people. They knew how to build high
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In hinduism there are three main gods (known as the triumvirate) sort of like christianity but in christianity there is the three in one instead of three different gods. The first god of the three gods is Brahma. Brahma's job was creation of the world and all creatures.
Brahma is the least worshipped god in Hinduism today. There are only two temples in the whole of India devoted to him, compared with the many thousands devoted to the other two which are Vishnu and Shiva.
Brahma has four arms and has four heads and it is believed that from these heads came the four Vedas (the most ancient religious texts for
Hindus). Brahma's consort is Saraswati, goddess of knowledge.
The second god of the three gods is Vishnu. His role is to return to the earth in troubled times and restore the balance of good and evil. So far, he has been incarnated nine times, but Hindus believe that he will be reincarnated one last time close to the end of this world. Vishnu's worshippers, usually called Vaishnava, consider him the greatest god. They regard the other gods as lesser or demi gods.
Vaishnava worship only Vishnu. Vishnu monotheism is
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Vishnu is represented with a human body, often with blue coloured skin and with four arms. His hands always carry four objects in them, representing the things he is responsible for.
The last god of the three is Shiva. Shiva's role is to destroy the universe in order to re-create it. Hindus believe his powers of destruction and recreation are used even now to destroy the illusions and imperfections of this world, paving the way for beneficial change.
According to Hindu belief, this destruction is not arbitrary, but constructive. Shiva is therefore seen as the source of both good and evil and is regarded as the one who combines many contradictory elements. Shiva is known to have untamed passion, which leads him to extremes in behaviour. Sometimes he is an ascetic, abstaining from all worldly pleasures. At others he is a hedonist. It is Shiva's relationship with his wife, Parvati which brings him balance. Their union allows him to be an ascetic and a lover, but within the bounds of marriage. Hindus who worship Shiva as their primary god are members of the Shaivism