In this entry of the Very Short Introductions series, professor Kim Knott presents some of the basic ideas and practices behind the world's third-largest religion.

Hinduism is one of the oldest and most widespread religions in the world.

Today, it is practiced by around 1.35 billion people worldwide. This represents almost 16% of the world's population, making it the third most populous religion on Earth.

Kim Knott is a professor emerita of religious and secular studies at Lancaster University, and the President of the European Association for the Study of Religion.

Knott's fields of research are the relationship between religion and socio-political context, the 'secular sacred', migration, and diasporas.

Very Short Introductions is a series of books from Oxford University Press aiming to concisely debunk complex subjects.

In this volume, Knott walks us through the main principles and most sacred texts of Hinduism, exploring the challenges the religion is facing today.