India has traditionally been a land of faith and spirituality – it is home to the adherents of all the major religions of the world. Out of these, four were born in India while the others came with invaders, travellers and missionaries from abroad. While India is the cradle of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, Islam can be compared to an adopted child as it has been part of our social and cultural fabric for centuries. Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Brahmaism also have their followers in India but they are very small in number. Despite the multitude of faiths prevalent in India, the country has by and large, been free of any internecine strife. Hindus constitute an overwhelming majority in the country and it is a creed which is renowned for its catholicity of outlook. For Hindus, religion is a tool to achieve a one-to-one communication between god and man. However, Hinduism became too ritualistic; and in the 6th century B.C., a great social churning took place in the country – out of which emerged Jainism and Buddhism. Jains place self-conquest above all else – it is one of the most ascetic of faiths, with its votaries living in the most spartan manner imaginable. Buddhism, on the other hand was exported to the Far East, although its philosophy was almost snuffed out in the land of its origin. An iconoclastic faith like Buddhism could not compete with ritualistic Brahminism that cleverly co-opted Buddha into their 'holy pantheon of gods'.
It is not possible to explore India without understanding its religious beliefs and practices. A number of world religions originated in India, and others that started elsewhere strengthened here. To understand India, it is important to understand its religions as religion casts its shadow on every Indian, right from their birth. There are many religions followed here but detail about some of them is given below.
Scared India :
Religion plays an important role in the daily life of Indians. Hinduism, in particular, is extremely complex and continuously evolving. With over 330 million Hindu deities to choose from, many of whom are different aspects of the same deity, Hindus practice their religion in many individual ways. Hinduism is the largest major religion in India. Approximately 80% of the population practices various forms of Hinduism.
- The Mughals brought Islam with them when they invaded India in the 12th century. Today, Islam is practiced by about 14% of the population.
- 2.4% of the population are Christians (mostly found on the southwest coastal areas and in the northeast)
- 2% are Sikhs (found principally in the Punjab, although many migrated to Delhi after partition)
- 0.7% are Buddhists (found mainly in the Himalayan areas)
- 0.5% are Jains (strongest in Gujarat, but also prominent in Rajasthan)
- An additional 0.4% of the population practice other religions such as Judaism (a small population in Goa), Zoroastrianism (confined mainly to Bombay's Parsi population), and The Baha'i religion.
Hinduism
Buddhism
Jainism
Sikhism
Zoroastrianism
Islam
