The ritual world of Hinduism (manifestations of which differ greatly amongst regions, villages, and individuals) offers a number of common features that link all Hindus into a greater Indian religious system, and influences other religions as well.
The most notable feature in religious ritual is the division between purity and pollution. Religious acts presuppose some degree of impurity or defilement for the practitioner, which must be overcome or neutralized before or during ritual procedures. Purification, usually with water, is a typical feature of most religious actions. Avoidance of the impure - taking animal life, eating flesh, proximity to dead things or bodily fluids - is another feature of Hindu ritual and is important for repressing pollution.