Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominate religion of the Indian subcontinent. Divided into several sects and variants, it involves the worship of a wide pantheon of Gods, like Yoruba religion including the personified aspects of nature and spirit.

Hinduism achieved wide exposure in the American counterculture of 1950 and 1960s. With its adherence to vegetarianism, nonviolence, and alternative medicine it further gathered attention by elements of the African-American cultural avant garde in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Its musical tradition dates back thousands of years and focuses on long, trance-inducing, elaborately improvised instrumental ragas and devotional songs.

Well-known practitioners and dabblers in aspects of Hinduism (including its evangelical sect Hare Krishna) have included Alice Coltrane, Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, Narada Michael Walden, Carlos "Devadip" Santana, Charles Mingus, The Beatles, and Boy George.