How old is the Hindu religion?

The origin of Hinduism has no exact date because it is a synthesis of traditions with no single founder or central text. The fusion of the ideals that form Hinduism began around 2000 BCE. Some scholars relate its origin to the beginnings of organized religion in India, approximately 5500 BCE.

Hinduism is known as the oldest religion in the world, and it is the world's third-largest belief system after Christianity and Islam. Due to Hinduism's inclusion of several deities, texts and traditions, many of its followers consider it to be a combination of more than one religion. Some Hindu teachings state that all of its deities are different expressions of a single god.