There are a number of sects in Hinduism. Hinduism is a family of religions having the 4 principal denominations, Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartaism. They are divided into Shaivism (followers of Lord Shiva), Vaishnava (followers of Lord Vishnu), Shaktism (followers of Devi) and Smarta (followers of Brahman and all the main deities).
Many Hindus upgrade the Hindu Trinity consisting of the three Gods, Brahman, Vishnu and Shiva. The belief of others is that all the Gods are manifestation of one deity. In Hinduism, one Supreme Being is worshipped by the Hindus but through different names, for example, for the Vaishnavites, their God is Lord Vishnu, for the Shaivites, their god is Lord Shiva, for the Shaktas their Supreme deity is goddess Shakti and for the Smartas (liberal Hindus) it is the devotees who choose their deity. Accordingly the Smartas have a host of religious leaders, sacred literature, guru lineages, pilgrimage centres, monastic communities, priesthoods, schools and numerous temples.
The beliefs of each of these sects are divergent in the sense that each one is an independent and complete religion on its own. Yet a huge heritage of belief Karma, temple worship, manifold gods, dharma, all pervasive divinity, Guru Shishya tradition, reincarnation, sacraments, the scriptural authority called Vedas and culture is shared by each of these sects. A common purpose of furthering the journey of the soul towards its sacred destiny is shared by each of the sects in Hinduism.
