Hinduism is regarded as one of the oldest world religions, and the world’s third largest religion. Hinduism is ancient, its beliefs, philosophies, gods and goddesses, practices and rituals are in the hundreds. Hinduism has many traditions, just as Wicca does, among the largest are the Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Srauta traditions that are practiced in the largest of populated areas in India.
Among other practices and philosophies, Hinduism includes a wide spectrum of laws and prescriptions of “daily morality” based on the notion of Karma, Dharma, and societal norms. Hinduism is a conglomeration of distinct intellectual or philosophical points of view, rather than a rigid common set of beliefs and rules.
To its adherents, Hinduism is the traditional way of life, and because of the wide range of traditions and ideas incorporated within or covered by it, arriving at a comprehensive definition of the term is problematic. While sometimes referred to as a religion, Hinduism is more often defined as a religious tradition. It is therefore described as both the oldest of the world’s religions, and the most diverse.
Hinduism is sometimes characterized by the belief in reincarnation (Samsara), determined by the law of Karma, and the idea that salvation is freedom from this cycle of repeated birth and death. Most Hindu traditions honor the ancient sacred-texts called the Vedas (knowledge). Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism.
Most Hindus believe that the spirit or soul — the true “self” of every person, called the atman — is eternal. Hinduism is a diverse system of thought with beliefs spanning monotheism, polytheism, panentheism, pantheism, monism, and atheism among others; and its concept of God is complex and depends upon each individual and the tradition and philosophy followed.
The connections between Wicca and Hinduism can be few or many, depending on how you want to look at it. Both religions can believe in multiple Gods, both practice daily devotions and rituals, and both somewhat believe in the same philosophies of life, death, and reincarnation. The vast majority of Hindus engage in religious rituals on a daily basis. Most Hindus observe religious rituals at home. but observation of rituals greatly vary among regions, villages, and individuals. Devout Hindus perform daily chores such as worshiping at dawn after bathing (usually at a family shrine, and typically includes lighting a lamp and offering foodstuffs before the images of deities), recitation from religious scripts, singing devotional hymns, meditation, chanting mantras, reciting scriptures, etc.
As for Wicca, I’m going to assume you have knowledge of it. And since this is a Pagan/Wicca blog, there’s information all around! Hope my very basic summary of Hinduism is clear.