Hinduism is an ancient religion (although Hinduism is diverse, withmonotheism, henotheism, polytheism, panentheism, pantheism, monism,atheism, agnosticism, and gnosticism being represented[35][36][37][38]), and Hinduism is also the largest religious grouping in India; its 828 million adherents (2001) compose 80.5%[2] of the population. The term Hindu, originally a geographical description, derives from the Sanskrit, Sindhu, (the historical appellation for the Indus River), and refers to a person from the land of the river Sindhu[citation needed].
Islam is a monotheistic religion centred around the belief in one God and following the example of Muhammad. It is the largest minority religion in India. According to the 2001 census, India is home to 138 million Muslims,[39] the world's third-largest Muslim populationafter those in Indonesia (210 million)[40]and Pakistan (166 million); they compose 13.4% of the population.[41]Muslims represent the majority inJammu and Kashmir and Lakshadweep,[42] and high concentrations in thestates of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, andKerala.,[42][43] There has been no particular census conducted in India with regards to sects, but sources suggest the largest denomination is Sunni Islam[44] with a substantial minority of Shiite Muslims. Indian sources likeTimes of India and DNA reported Indian Shiite population in mid 2005-2006 between 25% to 31% of entire Muslim population of India which accounts them in numbers between 40[45] to 50 million[46] of a total of 157 million.[44][47]
Christianity is a monotheistic religion centred on the life and teachings ofJesus as presented in the New Testament; it is the third largest religion of India, making up 2.3% of the population. St. Thomas is credited with introduction of Christianity in India. He arrived in Malabar in AD 52.[48][49][50]Christians comprise a majority inNagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalayaand have significant populations inNorth-East India, Goa and Kerala.
Prayer flags above the buddhist monastery (gompa) of Tanze, in the Kurgiakh Valley. The wind is believed to propagate prayers printed on the flags.
Buddhism is a dharmic, nontheisticreligion and philosophy. Buddhists form majority populations in the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, and theLadakh region of Jammu and Kashmir and a large minority (40%) in Sikkim. Around 8 million Buddhists live in India, about 0.8% of the population.[39]
Jainism is a non-theistic Dharmic religion and philosophical system originating in Iron Age India. Jains compose 0.4% (around 4.2 million) of India's population, and are concentrated in the states of Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.[42] Although Jainism is usually believed to be atheistic/non-theistic, Paul Dundas writes, "While Jainism is, as we have seen, atheist in the limited sense of rejection of a creator god and the possibility of the intervention of such a being in human affairs, it nonetheless must be regarded as a theist religion in the more profound sense that it accepts the existence of a divine principle, the parmatman, often in fact referred to as 'God' (e.g. ParPr 114-16), existing in potential state within all beings".[51]
Paul Dundas writes that most British judges of the 19th century "had no doubts about the independent nature and origin of Jainism".[52] In 1847, one judge wrote that religious minorities likeJains, Parsis, and Sikhs "Had nothing or next to nothing in common with brahmanical worship".[52]Another judge noted in 1874 that Jains could not be subject to Hindu law because "the term Hindoos means persons within the purview of the shastras, which shastras are at the bottom of Hindu law. If a person is out of that purview, Hindoo law cannot be applied to him"[52] He does note, "the earliest censuses of India suggest that many Jains and members of other religious groups saw themselves as in fact constituting varieties of Hinduism and, according to the Census Report for the Punjab of 1921, 'in view of the unwillingness of large number of Jains and Sikhs to be classed separately from Hindus, permission was given to record such persons as Jain-Hindus and Sikh-Hindus".[52] He does recognize the "preconceptions of the census enumerators" influenced the census. Furthermore he adds the term "Jain-hindu" was an 'unhappy and artificial compromise".[52]
Sikhism began in sixteenth century North India with the teachings of Nanak and nine successive human gurus. As of 2001, there were 19.2 million Sikhs in India. Punjab is the spiritual home of Sikhs, and is the only state in India where Sikhs form a majority. There are also significant populations of Sikhs in neighboring New Delhi and Haryana.
As of the census of 2001, Parsis (followers of Zoroastrianism in India) represent approximately 0.006% of the total population of India,[53] with relatively high concentrations in and around the city ofMumbai. Parsis number around 61,000 in India with high concentrations in Mumbai according to 2001 census. There are several tribal religions in India, such as Donyi-Polo. Santhal is also one of the many tribal religions followed by the Santhal people who number around 4 million but only around 23,645 follow the religion. About 2.2 million people in India follow the Bahá'í Faith, thus forming the largest community of Bahá'ís in the world.[54]
Judaism is also present in India, a monotheistic religion from the Levant. There is today a very small community of Indian Jews. There were more Jews in India historically, including the Cochin Jews ofKerala, the Bene Israel of Maharashtra, and the Baghdadi Jews near Mumbai. In addition, since independence two primarily proselyte Indian Jewish communities in India: the Bnei Menashe ofMizoram and Manipur, and the Bene Ephraim, also called Telugu Jews. Of the approximately 95,000 Jews of Indian origin, fewer than 20,000 remain in India. Some parts of India are especially popular with Israelis, swelling local Jewish populations seasonally.
Around 0.07% of the people did not state their religion in the 2001 census.
Population trends for major religious groups (1961-2001)
Hindu | 83.45% | 82.73% | 82.30% | 81.53% | 80.46% |
Muslim | 10.69% | 11.21% | 11.75% | 12.61% | 13.43% |
Christian | 2.44% | 2.60% | 2.44% | 2.32% | 2.34% |
Sikh | 1.79% | 1.89% | 1.92% | 1.94% | 1.87% |
Buddhist | 0.74% | 0.70% | 0.70% | 0.77% | 0.77% |
Animist, others | 0.43% | 0.41% | 0.42% | 0.44% | 0.72% |
Jain | 0.46% | 0.48% | 0.47% | 0.40% | 0.41% |
The following is a breakdown of India's religious communities:
Characteristics of religious groups (2001 census)
Hindu | 80.46% | 20.3% | 931 | 65.1% | 40.4% | 944 | 894 | 925 |
Muslim | 13.43% | 29.3% | 936 | 59.1% | 31.3% | 953 | 907 | 950 |
Christian | 2.34% | 22.6% | 1009 | 80.3% | 39.7% | 1001 | 1026 | 964 |
Sikh | 1.87% | 18.2% | 893 | 69.4% | 37.7% | 895 | 886 | 786 |
Buddhist | 0.77% | 18.2% | 953 | 72.7% | 40.6% | 958 | 944 | 942 |
Animist, others | 0.72% | 103.1% | 992 | 47.0% | 48.4% | 995 | 966 | 976 |
Jain | 0.41% | 26.0% | 940 | 94.1% | 32.9% | 937 | 941 | 870 |
Though followed by a minor portion of the Indian population, irreligion (including atheists, agnostics, and humanists) has a strong tradition in India.[56]
According to the Dentsu Communication Institute Inc, Japan Research Center (2006), 6.6 % of Indians stated that they had no religion.[57]
Main articles: Constitution of India, Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties of India, Secularism in India, andIndian religion#Status in the Republic of India
The preamble to the Constitution of India proclaimed India a "sovereign socialist secular democratic republic". The word secular was inserted into the Preamble by the Forty-second Amendment Act of 1976. It mandates equal treatment and tolerance of all religions. India does not have an official state religion; it enshrines the right to practice, preach, and propagate any religion. No religious instruction is imparted in government-supported schools. In S. R. Bommai vs. Union of India, the Supreme Court of India held that secularism was an integral tenet of the Constitution.[58]
The right to freedom of religion is a fundamental right according to the Indian Constitution. The Constitution also suggests a uniform civil codefor its citizens as a Directive Principle.[59] This has not been implemented until now as Directive Principles are Constitutionally unenforceable. The Supreme Court has further held that the enactment of a uniform civil code all at once may be counterproductive to the unity of the nation, and only a gradual progressive change should be brought about (Pannalal Bansilal v State of Andhra Pradesh, 1996).[60] In Maharishi Avadesh v Union of India (1994) the Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking a writ of mandamus against the government to introduce a common civil code, and thus laid the responsibility of its introduction on the legislature.[61]
Major religious communities not based in India continue to be governed by their own personal laws. While Muslims, Christians, Zoroastrians, and Jews have personal laws exclusive to themselves; Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs are governed by a single personal law known asHindu personal law. Article 25 (2)(b) of the Constitution of India states that references to Hindus include "persons professing the Sikh, Jain or Buddhist religion".[62] Furthermore the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 defines the legal status of Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs as legal Hindus but not "Hindus by religion".[63] The only Indian religion exclusively covered under the secular ("civil") law of India is Brahmoism starting from Act III of 1872.
Religion plays a major role in the Indian way of life.[64] Rituals, worship, and other religious activities are very prominent in an individual's daily life; it is also a principal organiser of social life. The degree of religiosity varies among individuals; in recent decades, religious orthodoxy and observances have become less common in Indian society, particularly among young urban-dwellers.
The vast majority of Indians engage in religious rituals on a daily basis.[65] Most Hindus observe religious rituals at home.[66] Observation of rituals greatly vary among regions, villages, and individuals. Devout Hindus perform daily chores such as worshiping puja, fire scrifice called Yajnaat the dawn after bathing (usually at a family shrine, and typically includes lighting a lamp and offering foodstuffs before the images of deities), recitation from religious scripts like Vedas,Puranas singing hymns in praise of gods etc.[66]
A 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 neutralised before or during ritual procedures. Purification, usually with water, is thus a typical feature of most religious action.[66] Other characteristics include a belief in the efficacy of sacrifice and concept of merit, gained through the performance of charity or good works, that will accumulate over time and reduce sufferings in the next world.[66]
Devout Muslims offer five daily prayers at specific times of the day, indicated by adhan (call to prayer) from the local mosques. Before offering prayers, they must ritually clean themselves by performing wudu, which involves washing parts of the body that are generally exposed to dirt or dust. A recent study by the Sachar Committee found that 3-4% of Muslim children study in madrasas (Islamic schools).[67]
Dietary habits are significantly influenced by religion. Almost one-third of Indians practise vegetarianism;[68] it came to prominence during the rule of Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire, a promoter of Buddhism.[69][70] Vegetarianism is much less common among Sikhs and almost uncommon among Muslims, Christians, Bahá'ís, Parsis and Jews.[71] Jainism requires monks and laity, from all its sects and traditions, to be vegetarian. Hinduism bars beef consumption, while Islam bars pork.
A Hindu marriage.
Occasions like birth, marriage, and death involve what are often elaborate sets of religious customs. In Hinduism, major life-cycle rituals include annaprashan (a baby's first intake of solid food), upanayanam ("sacred thread ceremony" undergone by upper-caste youths), and shraadh(paying homage to a deceased individual).[72][73] For most people in India, the betrothal of the young couple and the exact date and time of the wedding are matters decided by the parents in consultation with astrologers.[72]
Muslims practice a series of life-cycle rituals that differ from those of Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists.[74] Several rituals mark the first days of life—including whispering call to prayer, first bath, and shaving of the head. Religious instruction begins early. Male circumcision usually takes place after birth; in some families, it may be delayed until after the onset of puberty.[74]
Marriage requires a payment by the husband to the wife and the solemnisation of a marital contract in a social gathering.[74] On the third day after burial of the dead, friends and relatives gather to console the bereaved, read and recite the Quran, and pray for the soul of the deceased.[74] Indian Islam is distinguished by the emphasis it places on shrines commemorating great Sufi saints.[74]
The largest religious gathering ever held on Earth, the 2001 Maha Kumbh Mela held inPrayag attracted around 70 million Hindus from around the world.
Maramon Convention is the largest annual Christian gathering in Asia, organized by the Mar thoma Church
India hosts numerous pilgrimage sites belonging to many religions. Hindus worldwide recognise several Indian holy cities, including Allahabad, Haridwar, Varanasi, Ujjain, Rameshwaram andVrindavan. Notable temple cities include Puri, which hosts a major Jagannath temple and Rath Yatra celebration; Tirumala - Tirupati, home to the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple; and Katra, home to the Vaishno Devi temple.
The Himalayan towns of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri compose the Char Dham(four abodes) pilgrimage circuit. The Kumbh Mela (the "pitcher festival") is one of the holiest of Hindu pilgrimages that is held every four years; the location is rotated among Allahabad, Haridwar,Nashik, and Ujjain.
Among the Eight Great Places of Buddhism, seven are in India. Bodh Gaya, Sarnath andKushinagar are the places where important events in the life of Gautama Buddha took place.Sanchi hosts a Buddhist stupa erected by the emperor Ashoka. Several Tibetan Buddhist sites in the Himalayan foothills of India have been built, such as Rumtek Monastery and Dharamsala.
For Muslims, the Dargah Shareef of Khwaza Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer is a major pilgrimage site. Other Islamic pilgrimages include those to the Tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti in Fatehpur Sikri,Jama Masjid in Delhi, and to Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai. Dilwara Temples in Mount Abu, Palitana,Pavapuri, Girnar and Shravanabelagola are notable pilgrimage sites (tirtha) in Jainism.
The Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar is the most sacred gurdwara of Sikhism, while theThalaimaippathi at Swamithope is the leading pilgrim center for Ayyavazhi sect members. TheLotus Temple in Delhi is a prominent house of worship of the Bahá'í faith. A relatively new pilgrimage site is the samadhi of Meher Baba in Meherabad, which is visited by his followers from around the world.[75]
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