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Page semi-protected An article related to Hinduism Om.svg Hindu History Philosophy[show] Deities[show] Scriptures[show] Practices[show] Philosophers and saints[show] Other topics[show] Portal icon Hinduism portal Portal icon Hindu Mythology portal v t e Hindu (About this sound pronunciation (helpinfo)) refers to an identity associate d with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion (i.e. Hinduism, Jain ism, Buddhism or Sikhism).[1] In common use today, it refers to an adherent of H induism. The two common forms that represent Hinduism are Shaivism and Vaishnavi sm.[2][3] There was no word or a mention of word 'Hindu' in any of the India's ancient scr ipts like Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas etc. to further reference this argument. On e of the earliest written record of the word "Hindu" as the Indian subcontinent was made by the Arabic explorer Ibn Battuta in his book "Rihla". He was of Moroc can origin and had travelled the length and breadth of the Islamic civilization which included the North Africa, Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Egypt and even parts of Indonesia. He described the Indian subcontinent as Al Hind as it is still referred to in Arabic. With more than a billion adherents, Hinduism is the world's third largest religi on.