What Are the Followers of Hinduism Called?

Shanna Baker/Photolibrary/Getty Images

The followers of Hinduism are referred to as Hindus. According to the Constitution of India, the term Hindu refers to anyone who follows any Indian religion, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism or Jainism.

Hinduism is a relatively new term as of 2014. It was coined in the 19th century by British writers, but it refers to a variety of rituals, practices and beliefs. Hinduism is a major world religion and believed by some scholars to be the world’s oldest religious belief system. The word Hindu is derived from the Sanskrit word “Sindhu,” a historic name for the Indus River in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent.