Hinduism is not only a religion but also a way of life.[note 1] Hinduism is widely practiced in South Asia mainly in India and Nepal. Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world,[note 2] and Hindus refer to it as Sanātana Dharma, "the eternal tradition," or the "eternal way," beyond human history.[4][5] Scholars regard Hinduism as a combination[6] of different Indian cultures and traditions,[7] with diverse roots.[8][note 3] Hinduism has no founder and origins of Hinduism is unknown.[9] What we now call Hinduism have roots in cave paintings that have been preserved from Mesolithic sites dating from c. 30,000 BCE in Bhimbetka, near present-day Bhopal, in the Vindhya Mountains in the Madhya Pradesh." There was no concept of religion in India and Hinduism was not a religion. Hinduism as a religion started to develop between 500 BCE and 300 CE,[10] after the Vedic period (1500 BCE to 500 BCE).[10][11] Hinduism contains a wide range of philosophies, and is linked by the concepts, like rituals, cosmology, Texts, and pilgrimage to sacred sites.
Mandatory sentences is a type of sentence which a judicial officer is required to impose regardless of the circumstances of the offense. It is to ensure that the offender does not escape punishment. Mandatory sentencing requires that offenders serve a predefined term for a specific crime and the judge does not have the discretion to increase or reduce the sentence. It is fixed for a particular crime by the law.
