Hinduism has no founder. It does not owe its existence to a specific prophet. It is based on divine revelations experienced by a series of sages, called Rishis, while they were in intense meditation. The divine knowledge received by the Rishis is contained in the four sacred books called the Vedas (Veda = knowledge). http://www.devimandir.com/hinduism/myths.htm

Hinduism exists since times immemorial. Hinduism: can be best defined as Sanatana Dharma... something which exists from times immemorial. Hinduism does not have a beginning... it exists ever since Humanity came into existence. The bane of Hinduism is Dharma... which also forms the base of all Religions existing on Mother Earth. No Religion can ever survive without a Dharma. Dharma is the root of all Religions. Why? Talking of Jainism we cannot understand the basics without delving into the Life of the 24th Tirthankara Bhagwan Mahavira. It was only in the time of the 24th Tirthankara Bhagwan Mahavira that Jainism rightly came into existence. Whatever form of Jainism existed before the 24th Tirthankara was limited to the Spiritual Masters only. All that was knowable to these Spiritual Masters was not available to the masses for the prime reason that the intellect of a common man was not as developed as was required to fathom the depths of the Sacred Wisdom we know as jaina doctrines. During the times of Bhagwan Mahavira... the common masses came to understand what was being taught by the masters of the era. Gradually as the momentum picked up... the followers of Jaina doctrine came to be known as Jains and the following Jainism. Before Bhagwan Mahavira the existence of Jainism as such did not hold good as it was only limited to the Spiritual Masters of the day. More here- http://www.godrealized.com/Hinduism.html

Unlike most other major religions, Hinduism has no single founderand is based on a number of religious texts developed over many centuries that contain spiritual insights and practical guidance for religious life. It come out of the Vedic Tradition. But also holds the Upanishads, Mahabharata and Ramayana as sacred.

It is almost universally accepted that Hinduism, in its oldest form, was the religion brought to the Indian subcontinent by the Aryan people, who colonised the northern areas (inc Pakistan Afghanistan, Nepal and bangladesh) in or around the 3rd millennium BC) The religion they followed was, in most respects, similar to those followed by the other representatives of the Indo-european language group (the ancient Greeks, the ancient Romans, the pre-Zoroastrian Iranians, the ancient Celts and even the Germanic peoples ie essentially a nature religion, with a number of deities. The earliest Hindu Text, the Rig Veda, gives the names of these deities, known as the devas as: Indra- Sky god/supreme god (cf Jupiter, Zeus, Odin) Agni-the Fire god Soma- god of sleep and mysticism Varuna- the god of the underworld, of law, of the sea, Mitra- the pact keeper Surya/Savitri/Aryaman - the sun Rudra, God of the storm, the hunt, death, Nature, perhaps an early form of Shiva Prajapati/Vishnu the sustainer Vayu- the wind and the Ashvins- the celestial twins (cf Castor and Pollux) Alongside the devas were the devi, their consorts Important devīs were Sarasvatī- learning Ūṣā/Uma, wife of the sky god and Prithvī/Parvati-earth mother. Pitted against the devas were the asuras, the older brothers of the devas, who lost heaven to them.

I can agree with word Hindu.Hindu word related with gegrapyical term it is not relgious term.No old relgious book has found this word.Actually The relgion is vedic .Hindu word use by foriner.All indian are many religion.Hindu is not relgion.We have no founder vedic religion.who belive in cast sysctme.Vedic relgion has no founder,book.This religion depends on brahaman.Jain is oldest religion of the world.This religion has it own text,cultue and founder.Vedic text also infornme about 1st Tirthanker lord Rishvdev.Jain is a minoerty relgion and has seperate histotryi ,language.JAin is no part of any Relgion.So I againask that who is founder of this vedic society.Please tell me and referewnce about hindu.Sincerly

1) "The earliest evidence for certain (minor) elements of Hinduism may date back as far as the late neolithic and the early Harappan period (ca. 5500–2600 BCE). The beliefs and practices of the pre-classical era (ca. 1500-500 BCE) are called the "Vedic religion". The oldest surviving text of Hinduism is the Rigveda, which is dated to between 1700–1100 BCE based on linguistic and philological evidence." Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism#Origins 2) "what we understand as Hinduism today, has a long and checkered history of at least 6000 years or more." "the Rig Vedic Aryans did not start a new religion in the sub-continent when they occupied the Indus Valley. They were practicing a religion that was already centuries old." "the Vedic religion, which is a precursor of the present day Hinduism, should have its antecedents rooted in the prehistoric times" These quotes and more information here: http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduintrod1.asp 3) "this religion was subject to new philosophies that changed with time. Hinduism consists of a wide range of beliefs that are not related to the other at all. There is no known founder of Hinduism, no creed, no single source of authority. All related Hindu philosophies share just a resemblance to each other. There is no defined beginning as with other religions." Source: http://www.allaboutreligion.org/founder-of-hinduism-faq.htm So there was not a founder of hinduism, or at least none that would be known.

A good answer at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hinduism

ya mama!!!!!

The Aryans who conquered India.

hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the WORLD. the actual founder of this religio is actually unknown. but i can confidently say that it was inspired by a common truth known as god. hinduism is not just a religion but a way of life. i hope this helps.

It's not a organized religion on the lines of Semitic (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) or prophetic (Buddhism, Sikhism) religions. Hinduism is the most ancient and most practical 'way-of-life'. Hindus, ‘blessed’ with a minimal to NIL ‘burden of faith’, now live in the ‘modern’ era of internet and world-wide-web. We now have the opportunity & ability, through the exposition of relevant historic evidence to convince the wider [aka 'Western'] world: • That Hindus have always had the widest and wisest understanding of the universe, mathematics, astronomy, biology, earth-ecology and man’s place in all of this (e.g., ‘Jeewo-Jeewasya-Jeewanam’ & ‘Wasudheiwakutumbakam’); • That that Hindus and ‘Indians’ are synonymous & the river Indus or ‘Sindhu’ got its name from the ‘Indu’ (moon) people living by its banks and not the other way round; • That the early Indians successfully developed a practical & popular socio-economic model of ‘administration’ [Mohen jo Daro-Harappa-Lothal] &/or ‘benevolent monarchy’ [Ashoka-Kanishka-Harshavardhana] that supported huge populations & created vast amounts of wealth & prosperity for all, for many centuries; • That although this practical Hindu socio-economic model had a vocation-based caste system, it did not exploit fellow humans as ‘slaves’ as done by most other cultures; • That the social doctrines of 'Hindu-ism' have always been the closest to 'secular-ism'; • That Hindus have evolved their ‘dharma’ or ‘way of life’ long before the advent of prophetic or ‘Semitic’ religions, [Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam & perhaps even Sikhism] and without today’s’ concepts & practices of 'nationality-visas & xenophobia in general --& particularly promoted "multi-cultural" tolerance; • That the non-dogmatic spiritual concepts of 'Hindu-ism' [= Sanatan-Jain-Sikh], although liberal in ‘symbolic polytheist choice’, in fact pioneered a single creator/creative ‘unity’ in a way quite different from the Prophetic-Abrahamic-Semitic-exclusivist-monotheist ‘religions’ as well as Buddhism; • That Hinduism has always acknowledged the need to revise and improvise their ‘dharma’ & most ‘modern’ Hindus have continuously evolved their ‘way of life’ by trimming the largely superfluous and unhelpful superstitious ritual, [thus bringing 'Hinduism’ the closest to ‘atheism’]; • That by its liberal flexibility to painlessly emerge from any set of superstitions, today, the ‘ancient’ time-tested & adaptable Hinduism can rise to the challenge of becoming the most modern, ‘futuristic’, eco-friendly, secular & "multi-cultural way of life” for the safe future of mankind free of dogma and surplus superstition o so long as any component of the 'multiculturalism' does not (a) harbour malaise against the host as ‘infidels’ and pursue a destructive doctrine against them, and/or (b) feed as a parasite on them (e.g., Islam).

Simply Put God founded Hinduism. Hinduism in the purest form derives from the beginning of creation which comes from Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu is the knower of everything and is all that is knowable. All religions come from God, so one might wonder why are there so many religions? In reality there is only religion; the teachings of God but people forget and this they fall further into the association of this world forgetting it is only temporary(Maya or Illusion), they allow their senses to make decision for them and this results in irreligion and the path of sin is spread at a rapid rate. When the world becomes so sinful that laws seem to be meaningless, when irreligion is at a high and religion seems to be lost, when devotion is replaced with no devotion, when duty is abandoned, when truth is lost in the midst of untruth, when hatred and atheism becomes the path of life God and the messengers of the Lord come down to prevent the world from being destroyed. God directly or his Pure Devotees who are divine by nature, come down to protect the world from total destruction and souls from total sin and misery. God restores devotion to the ignorant; establish truth as the ultimate law, shows the greatest love in the form of selfless devotion and this itself is the greatest prayer to the Lord. Thus, the world is preserved and those who choose to follow God are purified. This has been seen by Lord Vishnu in all his avatars. Even other religions which are the same religion in reality, just in a different area and name; have them same teachings and God or messengers of God come down as Jesus Christ, Moses, Mohammad, Buddha etc. Sometimes God doesn’t come directly instead it is the Great Souls come down to restore the path of truth, peace, love, devotion, faith of God. But even we can become Great Souls if become God’s devotee, surrender to God fully with love, devotion and faith and make sure our deed, word and medication is solely for God’s dedication. check out this site (might help): http://www.asitis.com/4/index.html

There is no founder for Hindu. It is not an ism it is a complete religion and a way of life. A universal religion.