Hinduism is easily the oldest major world religion that is still in use today. It has not only survived countless attacks but has also thrived and has changed little to none in the last 2500-3000 years. Hinduism has been able to accomplish this through a variety of traits that it possesses. One such trait is that Hinduism is inclusive. By inclusive I mean that practicing Hindus never try to convert a Christian, Jew, or Muslim to their exact manner of theological thought. Instead, they see other religious practitioners as Hindus themselves; Hindus that are praying to one of many other gods. This leads to another reason that Hinduism has conquered adversity. That is, Hinduism's tremendous variety in ways and means of worship. A third reason that Hinduism has been so popular is that it is more than just a religion; it is an entire way of life. For these and many other reasons, Hinduism has overcome millennia and will overcome even more.
Hinduism came to be roughly what we know it as today between 1500-500 BCE. When the Aryans came through the Khyber Pass and pushed out the Harappan culture, they found themselves among great riches in beautiful, fertile lands. With these lands, the Aryans were able to lead a more relaxed and introspective life. Undoubtedly not all of the Harappans were pushed south to the Dravidian culture, so soon the Harappan belief in reincarnation began to reemerge. The Aryan gods of fire, Agni and the god of war, Indra merged with the gods of the Harappan and Dravidian culture to produce one great, unreachable god named Brahma and his two lieutenants named Shiva and Vishnu. This shows the ultimate realism that the Hindu culture possesses over many other religions. The god Vishnu is the creator, and Shiva is the destroyer. One is not looked upon as better than the other. Hindus realize that you cannot have one without an equal part of the other. These are not the only gods in Hindu culture.
