Hinduism has more than a billion adherents, most of whom live in India though there are also many Hindus who live in other countries. Over 320,000,000 Hindus live in the United States, and more than 250,000,000 Hindus call the Indonesian archipelago their home. That said, only three countries in the world have populations where the majority of people identify as Hindu: India, Nepal and Mauritius. While India has more people who identify as Hindu living within its borders, Nepal is actually the country that has the highest percentage of its population made up of Hindus. More than 81 percent of Nepalese people identify as Hindu. India, meanwhile, has a population that is 79 percent Hindu. The population of Mauritius is just short of 50 percent Hindu.
Hinduism does not have a single founder, and much of its early history has been lost to the passage of time. What history survived the millennia has come to be shrouded in mythology, but Hinduism’s holy language has remained unchanged. The Vedas, arguably the most famous of Hinduism’s holy texts, were preserved in an oral tradition. Unlike many texts, however, the words of the Vedas were not the central focus but the actual sounds of the Vedas recitation. These sounds were believed to echoes of creation itself and needed to be continually replicated to ensure the world did not come to an end. As such, Hinduism managed to preserve the sound of ancient Sanskrit.
In addition to successfully preserving an ancient language, Hindus have a lot to brag about when it comes to their religion. Here are the five best things about being Hindu.