Hinduism
the system of religious belief held by by the ordinary Hindus, as distinguished from that of the Indian aborigines and the Mussulman and Christian invaders. HINDU KUSH (hin'dö kösh), or IN- DIAN CAUCASUS, a mountain system of Central Asia. It is generally_considered as a continuation of the Himalayas, which it adjoins at the Indus, and then stretches W. till it unites with the Ghur Mountains in North Afghanistan.
Its culminating point, in the range of Hindu-Koh, to the N. of Cabul, is far beyond the limit of perpetual snow, but is not supposed to exceed 20,000 feet.
HINDUSTAN (hin-dö-stän'), the name commonly given to the whole Indian Empire, but which properly applies only to the Punjab and the valley of the Ganges. See INDIA.
HINDUSTANI (-stä'nē), a native of Hindustan proper. The word is also applied to a language which apparently arose from the efforts made by the Hindus and their Mohammedan conquerors to understand each other. It approaches HINDI (q. v.), but has a large admixture of both Persian and Arabic words foreign to India. Hindustani will carry one all over India, but is really the vernacular of the Mohammedans only, and not of the Hindus properly so called. It is sometimes called Urdu or Oordoo.
When people speak of the Indian language they mean Hindustani, but the designation is erroneous. There are at least 12 leading Indian languages.