Eastern Religions

To begin with an example from the religions of the Indian subcontinent, Hinduism, or Vedism as it was first known, was based on the worship of nature with three gods—Indra (rain), Surya (sun), and Agni (fire). In the present day, the reverence for cows is well-known, and there are many animals represented as gods such as Nandi (bull), Ganesha (elephant), and Hanuman (monkey). This has led to many actual animals being cherished in Hindu temples. The Karni Mata temple in Rajasthan, India, is inhabited by thousands of rats; and there are [Page 1480]also monkeys in many Hindu temples, the Durga Temple at Varanasi (Benares) is home to hundreds of them, and the ...