Religion in Ancient India
India has long been known as a very spiritual, religious heavy area
of the world. In India, religion is a way of life. It is an integral
part of the entire Indian tradition. For the majority of Indians,
religion permeates every aspect of life, from common-place daily chores
to education and politics.
India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, with
one of the most deeply religious societies and cultures. Religion plays a
central and definitive role in the life of the country and most of its
people.
The faith of more than 80% of the people is Hinduism, considered the
world's oldest religious and philosophical system. Islam is practiced by
around 13% of all Indians.
Sikhism, Ayyavazhi, Buddhism and Jainism are Indian-born religious
systems that are strong and influential not only in India but across the
world. Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and the Bah‡'’ Faith are
also influential but their numbers are smaller.
Despite the strong role of religion in Indian life, atheism and agnostics are also visible influences.
Hinduism
Hinduism is a worldwide religious tradition that is based on the Vedas,
and is the direct descendant of the Vedic religion. Hinduism evolved
from a monolithic religion into a multitude of traditions over a period
of 1500 years. It encompasses many religious rituals that widely vary in
practice, as well as many diverse sects and philosophies. With an array
of deities, all manifestations of the one Supreme monistic Brahman, are
venerated. Thus, Hinduism is often misconceived to be a polytheistic
religion, although the belief in a singular, Universal Soul is a
fundamental tenet of the Hindu faith. Beliefs, codes and principles vary
from region to region. It is the third largest religion in the world,
with a following of approximately 1 billion people. Ninety-eight percent
of Hindus can be found on the Indian subcontinent, chiefly in India. It
is noteworthy however that the relatively small Himalayan kingdom of
Nepal is the only nation in the world with Hinduism as its state
religion.
Buddhism
Buddhism, known in ancient India as Buddha Dharma, originated in
northern India in what is today the state of Bihar. It rapidly gained
adherents during the Buddha's lifetime. Up to the 9th century, Indian
followers numbered in the hundreds of millions. While the exact cause of
the decline of Buddhism in India is disputed, it is known that the
mingling of Hindu and Buddhist societies in India and the rise of Hindu
Vedanta movements began to compete against Buddhism. Many believe that
Hinduism's adaptation to Buddhism resulted in Buddhism's rapid decline.
Also, Muslim invaders are recorded to have caused massive devastation on
monasteries, libraries, and statuary, as they did on Hindu religious
life. Many Indian Buddhist populations remained intact in or migrated to
places like Sri Lanka, Tibet, and other Asian countries.
Recently, a revival of Buddhism in India has made significant progress.
In 1956, B. R. Ambedkar, a freedom fighter during the Indian struggle
for independence from the British, and hundreds of thousands of his
followers converted to Buddhism in protest against the caste system.
Subsequent mass conversions on a lesser scale have occurred since then.
Three-quarters of these "neo-Buddhists" live in Maharashtra. Alongside
these converts are the Vajrayana Buddhists of Ladakh, Sikkim, and
Arunachal Pradesh, a small number of tribal peoples in the region of
Bengal, and Tibetan refugees.
Jainism
Jainism, along with Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, is one of the four
major Dharma religions originating in India. In general, Jains are
extremely well-represented inspite of the fact that they form only 0.4%
(around 4.2 million) of India's total population. Many of them rich and
an overwhelming majority of them are well to do. As such, it can be said
that they hold power and wealth disproportionate to their small
population. According to the India Census 2001, Jains have the highest
literacy rate (religion-wise) of 94.1% compared to the national average
of 64.8%.
Christianity in India
Christianity, according to tradition (and now supported by recent
research), arrived in India in the first century through the apostle
Thomas. St. Thomas converted many South Indians who continued to
practice Christianity until present. It was further consolidated by the
arrival of Syriac Jewish-Christians now known as Knanaya people in the
second century C.E. This ancient ethnic Christian community of Kerala is
known as Nasrani or Syrian Christian. The Nasrani people and especially
the Knanaya people within the Nasranis have strong Jewish historical
ties. Their form of Christianity is one of the most ancient: Syriac
Christianity which is also known as the Eastern Orthodox Church and
referred to in India as Saint Thomas Christians. It should be noted that
the term "Saint Thomas Christians" is a loose term that many
non-Nasranis Christians in Kerala are often labeled. The vast majority
of Christians in Kerala are not the original Nasrani/Knanaya but
indigenous local converts.
Roman Catholicism reached India during the period of European
colonization, which began in 1498 when the Portuguese explorer Vasco da
Gama arrived on the Malabar coast.Christian missionary activity
increased in the early 1800s. Today Christianity is the third largest
religion of India making up 2 - 2.5% of the population. Christians are
most prevalent in the northeast in states such as Nagaland,Mizoram,
south India, major metro areas, and in western states such as Goa.
Islam in India
Gate of the Jami mosque built in 1571
Islam arrived in India as early as the 8th century CE. During the
following decades,contributed greatly to the cultural enhancement of an
already rich Indian culture, shaping not only the shape of Northern
Indian classical music (Hindustani, a melding of Indian and Middle
Eastern elements) but encouraging a grand tradition of Urdu (a melding
of Hindi, Arabic and Persian languages) literature both religious and
secular. Among other monuments, the Taj Mahal is a gift of the Mughals.
As of 2001, there are about 130 million Muslims in India, most of whom
were converted during the Mughal period and they mostly live in the
north and west of the country.
Ayyavazhi
The Holy Symbol of Ayyavazhi Tradition
Ayyavazhi is a religion originated in south india in the 19th century.
Officially it was considered as an offshoot section of Hinduism. But
either in Philosophy or in religious practices Ayyavazhi and Hinduism
varies a lot. Though it has not received official recognition, it has
transformed itself into a distinctive religious phenomenon, making its
presence felt in India's southern parts, mostly in southern districts of
Tamil Nadu and in some parts of Kerala. But it is one of the fastest
growing religions of Southern India, its rapid growth has been noted in
the Christian missionary reports of the mid-19th century. It has more
than 7000 worship centers throughout south India, mostly in Tamil Nadu
and some in the city of Mumbai.
Zoroastrianism
A form of the ancient Persian religion Zoroastrianism continues to be
practiced in India, where its followers are called Parsis. Suffering
persecution from Muslim rulers in what is now modern-day Iran,
Zoroastrian immigrants were granted protection under a Hindu king in the
Western section of India many centuries ago.
Sikhism
The Golden Temple
Sikhism, was founded in India's northwestern Punjab region about 400
years ago. As of 2001 there were 19.3 million Sikhs in India. Many of
today's Sikhs are situated in Punjab, the largest Sikh province in the
world and the ancestral home of Sikhs. The most famous Sikh temple is
the Golden Temple, located in Amritsar, Punjab. Many Sikhs serve in the
Indian Army. The current prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh, is a
Sikh. Punjab is the spiritual home of Sikhs and is the only state in
India where Sikhs form a majority.
Indian Jews
Indian Jews are a religious minority, living among India's predominantly
Hindu populace. However, Judaism was one of the first religions to
arrive in India and assimilate with local traditions through cultural
diffusion. The Jewish population in India is hard to estimate since each
Jewish community is distinct with different origins; some arrived
during the time of the Kingdom of Judah, others are descendants of
Israel's Lost Ten Tribes. Of the total Jewish population in India, about
half live in Mizoram and a quarter live in the city of Mumbai. Unlike
many parts of the world, Jews have historically lived in India without
largescale anti-Semitism. However, Jews in India have recently suffered
from terrorist attacks by Lashkar-e-Toiba, which has declared Jews and
Hindus to be enemies of Islam. In Mumbai, two synagogues are located in
predominantly Muslim inhabited areas.
In addition to Jewish members of various diplomatic corps, there are five native Jewish communities in India:
1. The Cochin Jews arrived in India 2,500 years ago and settled down in Cochin, Kerala as traders.
2. The Baghdadi Jews arrived in the city Mumbai from Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, and Arab countries about 250 years ago.
3. The Bene Israel arrived in the state of Maharashtra 2,100 years ago.
4. The Bnei Menashe are Mizo and Kuki tribesmen in Manipur and Mizoram who claim descent from the tribe of Menasseh.
6. The Bene Ephraim (also called Telugu Jews) are a small group who speak Telugu; their observance of Judaism dates to 1981.
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