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. Secular India is home to Hinduism, Islam,
Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and other
innumerable religious traditions. Hinduism is the dominant
faith, practiced by over 80% of the population. Besides
Hindus, Muslims are the most prominent religious group and
are an integral part of Indian society. In fact India has
the second largest population of Muslims in the world after
Indonesia.
Common practices have crept into most
religious faiths in India and many of the festivals that
mark each year with music, dance and feasting are shared by
all communities. Each has its own pilgrimage sites, heroes,
legends and even culinary specialties, mingling in a unique
diversity that is the very pulse of society.
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The underlying tenets of Hinduism cannot
be easily defined. There is no unique philosophy that forms
the basis of the faith of the majority of India's
population. Hinduism is perhaps the only religious tradition
that is so diversified in its theoretical premises and
practical expressions as to be called a "museum of
religions". This religion cannot be traced to a
specific founder nor does it have a "holy book" as
a basic scriptural guide. The Rig Veda, Upanishads and
the Bhagwad Gita can all be described as the sacred
text of the Hindus.
Unlike most other religions, Hinduism
does not advocate the worship of one particular deity. One
may worship Shiva or Vishnu or Rama or Krishna or some other
gods and goddesses or one may believe in the 'Supreme
Spirit' or the 'Indestructible Soul' within each individual
and still be called a good Hindu. This gives an indication
of the kind of contrasts this religion is marked by. At one
end of the scale, it is an exploration of the 'Ultimate
Reality'; at the other end there are cults that worship
spirits, trees and animals.
There are festivals and ceremonies
associated not only with gods and goddesses but also with
the sun, moon, planets, rivers, oceans, trees and animals.
Some of the popular Hindu festivals are Deepawali, Holi,
Dussehra, Ganesh Chaturthi, Pongal, Janamasthmi and Shiva
Ratri. These innumerable festive occasions lend
Hinduism its amazing popular appeal and make the Indian
tradition rich and colorful.
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Hindu
Mythology and the Living Gods
Heroes of epics like the Mahabharata
and the Ramayana are
immortalized and are still alive in the day-to-day
existence of the common people. The gods of Hinduism are at
once super-human and human and there is distinct feeling of
warmth and familiarity towards them.
Rama, the hero of the Ramayana,
represents qualities such as honor, courage and valor and is
held up as a model of manliness. His wife Sita is the
prototypal Indian wife who is carried off by Ravana, the
king of Lanka, while Rama and Sita are on exile. Sita's
eventual rescue by Rama, his brother Lakshmana, and Rama's
faithful monkey-general Hanuman are all woven into this
engrossing tale. Stories from this epic have been passed
down orally from one generation to the next. Religious
fairs, festivals and rituals have kept these legends alive,
and there is never an occasion that does not offer an
opportunity to retell the old stories.
The stirring verses of the Mahabharata
tell the story of the dynastic struggle between the Pandavas
and the Kauravas, who were close cousins. Lord Krishna plays
a very important role in this Great Epic. He is a friend,
philosopher and guide to Arjuna, one of the Pandavas, and he
helps Arjuna overcome his hesitation to kill his close
relatives in the battlefield. The wise philosophy of Krishna
and his teachings have been embodied in the Bhagwad Gita.
Although the popular image of Krishna is that of a god who
steals butter as a child, and who, as a youth, plays the
flute and entices cows and cowherd girls alike; in his
mature years he is depicted as the wise philosopher with a
more serious side to his nature.
There are numerous gods and goddesses
worshipped by Hindus all over India. Among these, the most
fundamental to Hinduism, is the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu
and Shiva - creator, preserver and destroyer respectively.
Brahma has four heads corresponding to the four directions
of the compass. He is the creator of life and the entire
universe. Vishnu is the preserver who guides the cycle of
birth and rebirth. He is also supposed to have taken many
incarnations to save the world from evil forces. Both Rama
and Krishna are believed to have been incarnations of
Vishnu. Shiva, usually seen with a coiled cobra around his
neck, destroys all evil and also has many incarnations, not
all of which are terrifying.
The invisible deities are represented by
a complexity of images and idols symbolizing divine powers.
Many of these idols are housed within ornate temples of
unparalleled beauty and grandeur. The Hindu gods are very
much alive and live in temples, snow-capped peaks, in rivers
and oceans and in the very hearts and minds of the Hindus.
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The Sikh religion emerged during the
early 16th century in the state of Punjab in North India.
The founder of this faith was Guru Nanak, who from his
childhood was attracted to both Hindu and Muslim saints.
Born a Hindu, but also inspired by the teachings of Islam,
he began to preach the message of unity of both religions.
According to him, the basic teachings of both faiths were
essentially the same. Nanak attracted many followers and
came to be known as a Guru or a teacher. His disciples came
together to form a new religious tradition called Sikhism.
The Gurus who followed Nanak contributed
to the consolidation and spread of Sikhism. The teachings of
Guru Nanak were incorporated in the 'Guru Granth Sahib',
the Holy Book of the Sikhs which became a symbol of God for
Sikhs. The fifth Guru, Guru Arjun built the Golden Temple at
Amritsar which became the holiest of Sikh shrines. The tenth
Guru, Govind Singh imparted military training to the Sikhs
to help them defend themselves.
On Baisakhi day of 1699 at Anandpur,
Guru Govind Singh ordered his Sikhs to assemble before him
as was customary and created a new brotherhood of Sikhs
called the Khalsa (Pure Ones). Five men selected for their
devotion to the Guru were called Panj Pyares and
given nectar (amrit) for initiation into the
brotherhood of Khalsa. Later the Guru himself received
initiation from Panj Payares as did others.
The members of the new brotherhood were
instructed to wear the five symbols (the five Ks )-
uncut hair, a comb, a steel wrist guard, a sword and
breeches. The initiated men took the name Singh (Lion) and
the women Kaur (Princess). The Guru also decided to
terminate the succession of gurus and was thus the last of
the Sikh Gurus.
Sikhism propounds monotheism, i.e.
worship of one God. It also opposes the caste system and
believes that all men are equal. However the ideas of karma
and rebirth from Hinduism are accepted. Today, many Sikh
practices are common to Hindus. Intermarriages between the
two communities are also common. However the Sikh community
has its own unmistakable identity. Though the Sikhs
constitute less than 2 percent of the Indian population,
they have become a distinct element in the configuration of
the Indian religious tradition and the Indian society.
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Buddhism
Buddhism originated as an offshoot of
Hinduism in India, but eventually it became popular all over
Asia. The personality and teachings of Gautam Buddha, the
founder of this faith, have illumined the lives of millions
of people in Japan, China and Southeast Asia.
There are strong lines of similarity
between Buddhism and the basic teachings of Hinduism.
Buddhism is based on the principle or the law of
impermanence. According to this, everything is subject to
change, although some things may last longer than others.
The other basic principle of Buddhism is the law of
causation, according to which nothing occurs due to pure
chance. Besides natural forces, it is the karma which
leads to the occurrence of all events. The popular notions
of the indestructible soul and the cycle of rebirth emerge
from these two basic philosophies.
Buddha advocated the Middle Path, in
which he offered a balanced, harmonious way of life,
steering between two extremes of self-indulgence and total
abstinence. Buddhism rests upon four Noble Truths: (i)
suffering is universal, (ii) it is caused by desire and
yearning (iii) suffering can be prevented and overcome and
(iv) eradication of desires can lead to removal of
suffering. To prevent suffering one has to conquer craving
and desire and this conquest leads to the attainment of nirvana
or complete enlightenment.
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Islam
The Arab traders brought Islam to India
in the early 8th century, but it was not until the 12th
century that it became a force to reckon with in the Indian
sub-continent. Unlike Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism which
emerged as offshoots of Hinduism, the concept, customs and
religious practices of Islam were unique to this faith which
professed universal brotherhood and submission to Allah -
the God Almighty.
The Muslim invaders in the 12th century
and the Mughal rulers in the 16th and 17th centuries helped
in the spread of Islam in India. In its first phase, Islam
was aggressive. But the mystics of Islam, or the Sufi
saints, helped in spreading the message of peace and
universal love.
The spirit of brotherhood propounded by
Sufi saints and preachers like Kabir and Nanak helped in
loosening the rigidity of the caste system. The interaction
of the two faiths led to a synthesis of Hindu and Islamic
elements in almost every sphere of life and culture. After
an initial period of conflict and confrontation, today the
two religions have accommodated and enriched each other.
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Christianity
Christianity first came to India by way of
St. Thomas. He came to Kerala, in southwestern India,
and founded the first church. Ironically,
Shankaracharya, a Hindu reformer and seer, was born in
Kerala some five hundred years after St. Thomas. St.
Thomas ended up dying in the Chennai region (then known as
Madras) of the Tamils.
Most Christians in India are Catholic (over 60 percent)
and a majority of them are found in the south, particularly
Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu. Approximately on
third of Kerala's population is comprised of Christians and
they are involved in all aspects of society.
Contrary to popular belief, British rule had little to do
with the growth of Christianity in India. The
missionaries generally tended to turn public opinion, even
those of the Indian Christians, against foreign rule.
Bengali Christians in Calcultta were fairly important in
their respective areas, whether it was in education, as a
leader or an opinion-maker.
By tradition, Christianity is said to
have arrived in India with Saint Thomas, one of the apostles
of Jesus Christ, who spent some years in South India and
possibly died there. However, others believe that the first
missionary to arrive in the country was Saint Bartholomew.
Historically, Christian missionary activity started with the
advent of Saint Francis Xavier in 1544. He was followed by
Portuguese missionaries at first and eventually by
missionaries from other countries like Denmark, Holland,
Germany and Great Britain. Throughout the 18th and 19th
centuries Catholic as well as Protestant missionaries
preached Christian doctrines in India and also made
important contributions to social improvement and education
in India.
Much of the modern influences in the
Indian society can be attributed to the role of Christianity
in India. Christian missionaries helped in setting up
schools and colleges all over India and also spread the
message of faith and goodwill in the country. Christianity
and its teachings influenced a number of intellectuals and
thinkers in India, including Mahatma Gandhi.
Today, the Christians in India number
about 30 million and consist of people from every
denomination of Christianity.
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Jainism
Jainism as a religious tradition was
established in India about the same time as Buddhism.
Mahavira, one of the jinas (conquerors) preached the
Jain philosophy around the same time that Buddhism began.
Like Buddhism, Jainism rose against the
corruption in the interpretation of Hinduism prevalent at
the time. The underlying philosophy of Jainism is that
renunciation of worldly desires and self-conquest leads to
perfect wisdom. This faith believes in total abstinence and
asceticism as practiced by the Jinas and the
Tirthankars ("crossing-makers"). The
"crossing refers to the passage from the material to
the spiritual realm, from bondage to freedom. Followers of
this faith accept the popular gods of Hinduism but they are
placed lower than the jinas.
The focus of this religion has been
purification of the soul by means of right conduct, right
faith and right knowledge. This faith also enunciates
complete non-violence and the Jain monks can be seen with
their nose and mouth covered by a cloth mask to ensure that
they do not kill any germs or insects while breathing.
Today, Jainism has more than 3 million adherents in India
and finds wide acceptance because of its philosophy of
sympathy for all living beings.
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The first Zoroastrians to enter India
arrived on the Gujarati coast in the 10th century, soon
after the Arabian conquest of Iran and by the 17th century,
most of them had settled in Bombay. Zoroastrian practice is
based on the responsibility of every man and woman to choose
between good and evil, and to respect God's creations. The
religion's founder, Zarathustra, who lived in Iran in 6000
BC was the first religious prophet to expound a dualistic
philosophy, based on the opposing powers of good and evil.
Most Zoroastrians can be seen in Bombay
today where they are known as Parsees. They have no
distinctive dress and few houses of worship. Five daily
prayers, usually hymns uttered by Zarathustra and
standardized in the religious text Zenda Avesta, are said in
the home or the temple, before a fire, which symbolizes the
realm of truth, righteousness and order.
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