Download PDF: PCT-001 What is Hinduism Hinduism is the religion followed by Hindus. It started in India, over 5,000 years ago. Hinduism is the main religion in India. Many Indian people are Hindus. Others are Muslims, Sikhs or Buddhists. There are also quite a few Jews and Christians living in India. India is a very […]
Download PDF: PCT-002 Diwali Diwali is an Indian word. It means ‘a row of lights’. Diva is the word for light, or lamp. Diwali is the biggest Hindu festival. For most Hindus, it is the New Year. Diwali celebrates the story of Rama and Sita. Rama is one of the forms of God (Vishnu) when […]
Download PDF: PCT-003 Hindu Arts & Culture Hindus use dance to tell religious stories, such as the stories of Krishna and the story of Rama and Sita. The dancer uses mudras (hand-signs or gestures) to tell the story. Drama is another way Hindus tell their ideas about God and the world. Music is very important […]
Download PDF: PCT-004 Caring for Creation Hindu people believe that God is everywhere. We can see God in nature. The soul is present in all living beings. They can all feel happiness and sadness, pleasure and pain. Hinduism teaches that animals should be treated well, though they don’t usually let dogs and cats in the […]
Download PDF: PCT-005 Meditation & Yoga Yoga means ‘being together with God’. There are different types of yoga. Hindus believe that the soul (atman) is different from the body. The body is always changing and is temporary (it will be finished one day). The soul not changing and is eternal. Eternal means something that is […]
Download PDF: PCT-006 Puja & Arti Hindus worship at home and in the temple (mandir). Most Hindus believe in one God. They also believe that he appears in many different ways. These forms of God are called ‘deities’. A deity is a form of God, or of a god or goddess. The most important deities […]
Download PDF: PCT-007 The Temple Hindus worship in the temple. They also worship at home. One Indian word for temple is ‘mandir’. The mandir is the home of God. The centre of the mandir is the shrine, which contains the murtis. The murtis are sacred statues of God, or of different gods and goddesses. Some […]
Download PDF: PCT-008 Home & Family Hindus believe that home should be a special place. A nice home is where people are happy to see you and be with you. Hindus believe that the baby has come from another place. So, they welcome the baby back into the world, into a new family. Babies are […]
Download PDF: PCT-009 What Krishna Teaches Us There are many stories about Krishna. He was very clever, but a little bit naughty as well. Sometimes, he would take butter and cream from the fridge and eat it. He would feed it to the monkeys. When the monkeys were very full, he would say “This butter […]
Download PDF: PCT-010 Rama, Sita & Hanuman King Rama lived a long, long time ago; so long ago its hard to count! Rama lived in India. His kingdom was called Koshala. The capital city was called Ayodhya. Rama had three step-brothers. His favourite was called Lakshman. Rama married the most beautiful princess. She was named […]
Download PDF: PCT-011 Krishna Krishna was born over 5,000 years ago. Krishna’s birthday is called Janmashtami. It comes near the end of the summer holidays (in August or September). Krishna was born in India, in a town called Mathura. He had a wicked uncle called Kamsa. Kamsa wanted to kill Krishna. Therefore, Krishna’s father sent […]
Download PDF: PCT-012 Lakshmi Hindus worship Goddess Lakshmi during the festival of Diwali. She is the goddess in charge of money and good luck. Lakshmi is very beautiful. She is shown standing on a lotus flower. She usually wears a deep pink sari. She wears a golden crown and lots of jewellery with rubies, diamonds, […]
Download PDF: PCT-013 Brahma and Vishnu Vishnu is blue and has four arms. He wears a helmet and a flower garland. Hindus say there are many universes. It is like when you blow lots of bubbles in the air. They are all round and empty inside. The universes come from Vishnu. When Vishnu breathes out, […]
Download PDF: PCT-014 Ganesh Ganesh is the deity with an elephant’s head. He has quite a fat body because he eats a lot, especially sweets. He has four arms and holds an axe, a rope for tying elephants and a lotus flower. He sometimes carries a small round sweet, or he is shown with a […]
Download PDF: PCT-015 Shiva&Parvati Shiva is one of the trimurti (three main deities). He is in charge of destruction. He destroys the universe by dancing and beating on his drum. Shiva is white with a blue throat although he is often shown with dark blue skin. He carries a trident (a spear with three points) […]