Hinduism

Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world. It differs from Christianity and Western religions. There is no single founder, or a central organization. Though many theories exist, the roots may be traced back to 4000 BC. Sacred texts include the Vedas, The Ramayana, and The Mahabharata. Though Hinduism is viewed in the west as a polytheistic religion it isn't exactly polytheistic, in fact, it is somewhat difficult to categorize the religion. Though some view it as monotheistic, the most accurate classifications are Trinitarian and henotheistic. Trinitarian because Brahman (God) is visualized as a triad: Brahma - the creator, Vishnu - the Peserver, and Shiva - the Destroyer. Henotheistic because a single deity is recognized (Brahman/God) and other Gods and Goddesses are recognized as facets, forms, and manifestations, or aspects of the supreme God.
Hindus believe in reincarnation. It results in a continuous cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. It is called "samsara." Karma is the accumulation of a person's good and bad deeds, so basically karma determines how one will live their next life. If a person has a lot of good karma - living a life of pure acts, thoughts, and devotion, they can be reborn at a higher level. Continuing this, one can escape "samsara" and achieve enlightenment. On the contrary, if one has a lot of bad karma, this can cause them to be reborn as a lower lever. The unequal distribution of wealth, prestige, and suffering is seen as consequences of one's soul's karma.
Hindus organize their lives around 4 "goals" aka "the doctrine of the fourfold end of life."
There are three goals (pravritti} for those in this world:
Dharma - righteousness in religious life, the most important
Artha - success in their economic life
Kama - gratification of the senses.
The ultimate goal (nivritti) for those who renounce the world is:
Moksa - liberation from "samsara." This is the supreme goal.
The "red dot" is a common question of non-Hindus. It is commonly referred to as a "bindi" by Hindus. It serves various purposes. It symbolizes the "third eye," this eye is considered to be more perceptive in that it is focused inwards toward God. Both men and women wear it; though men wear generally only wear it during religious ceremonies and prayer. Women, on the other hand, may wear it to symbolize marriage (the RED dot) or they may wear any color to match their traditional clothing. Generally divorced or widowed women, especially widowed women, do not wear a dot unless it is during religious ceremonies.
One of Hinduism’s important texts is the Ramayana, which is an epic about Rama. Though there are previous events that lead up to it, an important part of the epic is when Rama and his army build a bridge to link India and Sri Lanka, to fight their enemies which resided in Sri Lanka at the time. The bridge, a chain of limestone shoals, is 30 mi long. The bridge is referred to as Rama’s Bridge in the east and Adam’s Bridge in the west. Though there has been some speculation of the existence of this bridge and its origins, ultimate proof is resulted from pictures from NASA. The curvatures and composition reveals that it is in fact man-made.