Hinduism is a religion. It is the oldest continually practiced religion on Earth. It originated in the Indian subcontinent and is the major religion in India and Nepal. Hinduism is not a revealed text religion comparable to those in the Abrahamic tradition (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). Some sects believe some scriptures (such as the Vedas) to be revealed, others do not. There is no universal agreement about this. Hinduism is polytheistic, but most Hindus believe in the One/All. It at once accepts immanent and transcendent divinity. Diverse opinions on the primary deities exist. My partner, for instance, comes from an area and clan that worships Devi Durga as supreme. Vishnu (of whom Krishna is an avatar, or incarnation) and Shiva sects are most commonly described in western texts involving Hinduism. Sects devoted to Hanuman, Ganesha, Lakshmi, Krishna, Kali, Buddha, and other deities are equally common in India. (I say this having lived there for 10 months, myself.) The specifics of Hindu myths vary by sect, caste tradition, clan tradition, and family tradition. The concepts of kharma and dharma and the immortality of the soul are central to Hinduism, as is a belief in reincarnation. It is interesting to note that reincarnation is not the only "after life" belief. I'd be hard-pressed to explain this exactly, but my partner has told me that a soul goes to a place roughly termed (in English) as heaven. Souls are only reincarnated if they have learning/growth to do, and this is based upon kharma. I can also tell you from personal experience that rituals done after death (for want of a better word, funerary rites...but some are repeated yearly on auspicious dates related to the date of death) are believed to affect the circumstances of the deceased, as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism