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In the olden days,
the people of India were not city-dwellers. They lived in the forests and enjoyed
the kind of life which the dense forests offered. Most of the myths revolved
around trees, Yakshas, snake spirits, Nagas, Nagins,
etc. Today, India is the home to all the world's major
religions. About 80% of the people of India are Hindus. Besides
this there are various other people belonging to various
communities like Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and
various other religious groups. One of the most important
feature of the Indian religion and the social life is the caste
system. After independence there has been significant changes in
the caste system, but still in India most of the people are
identified as the member of the particular caste group.
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The origin of
the modern Hinduism can be traced back about
more than 2000 years ago, but today there has
been some major changes in the belief and
practice.
The Aryans were the first people who came to
India and settled in the Indus and Gangetic plains. The
actual history of the Aryans seems to be
recorded in the two great epics, which are the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The Lord Krishna
who was considered as the Supreme god at that
time, was later worshipped by many devotees. Between the 4th and 9th centuries,
some of the various ancient
gods and goddesses of the Vedic period
appeared and were later worshipped like the Brahma, Agni, Surya, Indra, Shiva, Vishnu
and Shakti. For most of the Hindus today, worship is regarded as an integral part of the
faith. The great majority of the Hindus
worship these gods in the temples and also
have a small shrine in their homes.
More Information on Hinduism |
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India was the home of Buddhism, but today it
is practiced only on the margins of the
sub-continent, in Leh, Ladakh, Nepal and Bhutan.
Today, there are approximately 5 million Buddhists in
India, who worship the Lord Buddha, also known
as the Gautama. There are various places of
great significance for Buddhists around India
like Lumbini, the Buddha’s
birth place, Bodhgaya,
where he attained enlightenment, the deer park
at Sarnath, where he preached his first sermon, and Kushinagara,
where he died at the age of 80. Besides this
there are remarkable monuments, sculptures and
works of art in Sanchi and Ajanta, where it is
still possible to view the flowering of Buddhist
culture in India.
More
Information on Buddhism
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The Lord Mahavira founded Jainism around
500 BC. He was very kind hearted towards
all beings and rejected the Hindu belief that the Supreme Creator had
created this universe. The Jain
monks became embodiments of total renunciation and
wore fewer clothes. A begging bowl and a stove were
their only possession. They covered their mouths to
avoid any living insect accidentally entering their
mouth and that is how they preached non-violence. In
the course of time, non-violence also became an essential
element of Hinduism. Various Hindu thinkers provides respect
to the others’ beliefs.
More Information on Jainism
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Muslims are the
largest minority of India. They constitute a majority in the Kashmir
Valley, and are evenly spread in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The
majority of Muslims are Sunnis, who follow the descendants of
Mohammed’s direct successor, the Caliph, while other Muslims
are Shiaites who are the descendants of the Prophet’s son in
law, Ali. Both the sects visit Mecca which is Prophet Mohammed’s
birth place.
More Information
on Islam
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Sikhs constitute
about 2% of the Indian population. Sikhism was founded by Guru
Nanak (1944-1538), and originated as a Bhakti movement. He rejected the caste system
and treated everyone equally. Sikhism is a fairly
new religion, which split from Hinduism in the 16th
century. It grew in response to conflict between Hindus and
Muslims in Punjab forced by the terrible suppression by the
Muslim rulers. Provoked by Aurangzeb's hostility the tenth Guru,
Guru Gobind Singh,
enjoined upon all Sikhs to take the surname ‘Singh’ (Lion). |
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The Sikhs believe in one God and worship him
in their temples called Gurudwaras.
Their holy book is the Granth Sahib, a collection of the teachings of their Ten
Gurus and other contemporary saints, both Hindus and Muslims. The
tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, ordered that there would be no more
Gurus after him and that their sacred book, the Granth Sahib, should be read for guidance. Their
holiest city is Amritsar with its Golden Temple called Harmander
Sahib.
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Christianity
is also a major religion of India. The Christianity was
started in India within half a century of
Christ's lifetime. Saint Thomas arrived in Kerala in 54 AD and
spread the Christian faith. When Apostle St.
Thomas, a disciple of Jesus Christ, landed on the Indian soil,
he was received by a Jewish girl. Since Apostle St. George had
come from Syria, the Christians in Kerala came to be known as
Syrian Christians. Christianity was accepted mostly by low-caste
Hindus. There are about 18 million Christians in India and most
of them are concentrated in the State of Goa and in the
north-eastern States of Mizoram and Meghalaya, where Christian
missionaries converted the tribal people often by attracting
them.
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on Christianity |
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Jews in India, have
lived in Cochin for almost 3000 years. Their migration dates
back to 973 AD when King Soloman’s merchant fleet started trading
with Kerala for spices and silver. They originally settled on
the Malabar coast. The Dravidian King of Cochin treated them
well and granted a piece of land to Josepin Rabban, a Jewish
leader. They prospered and have lived peacefully over the
centuries in Kerala. Now, only some of the Jews are there as most
of them have now migrated to Israel. It is possible to see some
old Jews in the Cochin synagogue, one of the oldest in the world. |
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Zoroastrianism was
founded by Prophet Zoroaster around 800 BC. A good example of
India’s hospitality towards the offended people of the world
can be seen in the treatment of Zoroastrians who came to Gujarat
(India) from Iran around AD 766. They are called Parsis in
India and reside in Mumbai and other places of
India. Over the centuries, they have tried to preserve purity in
their blood by intermarrying among themselves. Of late, this system is breaking down as many Parsi boys and girls do not feel the necessity to marry among
themselves. The advent of Islam in Iran led to their
maltreatment and they
found India safer. The Zoroastrian holy book is the Zend-Avesta,
which describes the ongoing battle between good and evil. They
worship Ahura Mazda,
who is symbolized by fire. Parsis worship nature’s elements and
are fire worshippers, keeping the symbol of their belief burning
in their temples.
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on Zoroastrianism
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