From:
http://www.devtome.com/doku.php?id=hinduPantheon-
People think that Hindu is a “Polytheistic” faith, but it isn't at all. In the Hindu faith their are many 'mini gods', but all of them are simply “forms” or “representations” of a piece or aspect of another god. Ex: Indra, Rudra and Agni are 3 completely separate gods, with different “lives” and “stories”. But really they are all just forms of Shiva. Shiva is one of the Holy Trinity, which is the 3 main gods that all the other gods are representing. But in reality those three gods are just 1 god. The way that works is even more singular than the Christians Holy Trinity. Each of the gods represent an aspect of creation. Destruction, Preservation and Creation, which are all elements of creation. Without Destruction, new things are not created. And without preservation, there is neither creation or destruction, just a constant change and chaos. But in reality all three of these things come together to be 'creation' or 'the universe' as a whole.
When you think of a “god”, you think of 'the man/thing in control of the universe', but when we speak about Hindu gods, this is the completely wrong way to look at it. Hindu gods do not 'create' the universe, they come together to 'be' the universe. One god represents fire, which is both powerful and cleansing, while destructive. Fire is also part of Shiva, and Shiva is the social aspects of: Fatherhood, human and animal communication, Marijuana and dancing, fire is a part of all of these things in most cultures. So when someone says 'Shiva', they may automatically think of a picture of a blue man, with 4 arms and snakes around his neck. But that picture is not Shiva, that picture is used to represent the many aspects of Shiva. The 4 arms are a symbol of something, the snakes on his neck symbolize the 3 forms of creation, as well as the cycles of the universe, the tiger pelt he sits on symbolizes that you must conquer lust, and everything he wears symbolizes something. It is not just a simple painting that people worship, it is a lifestyle that they try to emulate.
Household Gods-
Instead of “House rules”, in India they have a house god, and the family is supposed to abide by the karma and dharma of that god. And instead of “cliques”, each individual finds their own personal god that represents them, their lifestyle and their role in society.'
Where Hindu Comes From-
The Hindu faith comes from many places, but the four main historical records and holy books are the “Vedas”, there are actually MANY more than 4 vedas, and MANY more than 4 holy texts, but the 4 main religious texts that build up the majority of hindu culture are the vedas. The main veda is the Rig Veda. And the Rig Veda is much different than your traditional Quran, Bible or Torah. It is not “The story of a people, their struggle and their rights to own the world”. First off, it is the OLDEST faith, older than Christianity, Islam or Judaism. And it is the story of society, how it works, and how different parts of it fit together. So instead of saying “God created this, then this, then this.” Is starts off by saying, “How did the universe start?!? You would ask ME? I am a human, how should I know??” Then it goes on to say “Maybe the universe started as an embryo…” and compares creation to sex. Then it goes on to say “It started when the gods mimicked each other…” and compares the creation of the universe, to the creation of a friendship. It is a beautiful book.
The actually practice of “Hindu” can be traced back to the dawn of civilization… In the first known civilization, the Indus Valley Civilization they have found carvings of the 'god' known as Pashupati, who can be tied to the cults of Shiva and Pan (Hindu and Greek gods). Pashupati is the first known god of man, and is basically the god of civilization as we know it.
