religion
Religion in India is a part of life. Though Hinduism is the dominant religion, Indians have learnt to co-exist with people of other faiths.
Whether it is the ancient shlokas of the Hindu prayers, the aazaans of the Muslim prayers, the gurvani of the Sikhs or the chanting of the Buddhist monks - all fill the sky simultaneously. The main religious communities in India are Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis.
Hinduism
India's main religion - Hinduism is followed by approximately 80% of the population and is one of the oldest existing religions with its roots going back to 1000 BC. The rituals and the religious practices of the Indus Valley Civilization developed with the influence of the Dravidians and the Aryan invaders who came to India around 1500 BC.
This religion has gifted a number of Holy books to the world, which includes the Bhagwad Gita, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Puranas.
Hinduism believes that a person's life is actually the journey of the soul. The Hindu goes through a series of reincarnations that eventually leads to 'moksha' or 'salvation' i.e. 'freeing the body from the cycle of rebirths'.
Purity of mind and action is essential; as 'karma' or 'actions in life' determine one's reincarnation. 'Dharma', on the other hand controls the laws of the social, ethical and spiritual.
The most interesting fact about the religion is the number of Gods that are worshipped. However, the three main manifestations of the omnipresent God are: Brahma - the creator of the universe, Vishnu - the protector and Shiva - the destroyer.
Islam
Muslims are India's largest religious minority, accounting for nearly 10% of India's population. Muslims are followers of Prophet Mohammad and the Holy book is Holy Quran. The aim of every Muslim is to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
They keep Ramadan (fasting) for one month and follow Zakat (Charity). In every city and town Muslims have mosques where they go for their regular prayers. The Jama Masjid in Delhi is the largest mosque in India.
Indian Muslims shined in every walk of life, two presidents of India were Muslims, sportsmen, film stars and scientists, professor Abdual Kalam who received highest civilian award Bharat Ratan for his services in science and technology. Indian Muslims are great artisans who have contributed highly to Indian handicrafts.
Christianity
Christians in India are generally found in the western coast and Kerala. Christianity has existed in Kerala since very long. Historical evidence shows that the first Indian converts were made by St Thomas, the Apostle himself in 52 AD. St. Thomas preached the Gospel in many parts of India and is said to have been martyred in Madras (now Chennai).
Further evidence of Christianity is found in the travelogue- Christian Geography, by Cosmas Indicopleustes, a Syrian monk who traveled within India in the 6th Century. He refers to the Nestorian churches in Malabar, officiated over by Persian priests and supervised by Persian patriarch who occupied a seat in Cochin.
Only a few Nestorians are left today as Indian Christians turned to the patriarch or Antioch for guidance. The Syrian Orthodox creed continues to flourish in Kerala. It has its own Patriarch at Kottayam.
The Syrian Christian church is a blend of the Indian traditions and Christian orthodox. The devotees remove their shoes at the entrance of the church and a marriage ceremony is not complete without the groom covering the head of the bride with a red veil as well as placing around her neck the thali (a gold chain with a special pendant), which is symbolically worn by all Hindu women.
The caste system too has influenced the religion. The converts have adopted the caste system as a means of social organization within the church.
Buddhism
Although Buddhists are a minority in India the religion is of great importance, as this religion originates here. Buddhism was founded in northern India, when prince Siddharta renounced the world and sought enlightenment. It is a religion of philosophy, which has a code of morality.
Buddhists believe that achieving enlightenment should be the goal for every being. Today there are two major schools of Buddhism.
The Hinayana, 'small vehicle' is an individual pursuit and holds the path to nirvana, the ultimate aim of all Buddhists.
While Mahayana, 'large vehicle' holds the belief that all followers will eventually lead to the salvation of the entire world.
Emperor Ashoka was a great follower of Buddhism, who popularized Buddhism throughout India and abroad.
The religion had a great impact on the architecture of India. Around 85,000 stupas or dome-shaped monuments, with the teachings of Buddhism engraved on rocks and pillars, were constructed.
The famous Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath in Madhya Pradesh attracts scores of visitors around the year.
Sikhism
Sikhism was born out of the teachings of Guru Nanak, at the beginning of the 16th Century. This movement rejected the harmony and the socio-economic divisions of the brahmanical society.
Founded by Guru Nanak in 1469, it was intended to bring together the best of Hindu and Islamic religions. Its basic tenets are similar to that of Hinduism, with the important modification that the Sikhs are opposed to caste distinctions.
Sikhs worship in Gurudwaras. The Holy Book of the Sikhs is the Granth Sahib which contains the works of ten Sikh gurus together with Hindu and Muslim writings. It was the tenth guru of the Sikhs who gave them their identity by enjoining upon them the Five Ks.
All followers of Sikhism are never to be without the kanga (comb), karkha (bangle), kacha (distinctive kind of underwear), carry a kirpan (sword) and kesh (leave their hair uncut). Their children are baptized at a ceremony known as 'pahul'. .
The belief that all men and women are born equal is part of the tenets of sewa (service or inter-aid). Every man, woman and child gives his or her time to help in the Gurudwaras. Food is cooked by the devotees and distributed twice a day, which people from all social strata eat together.
Jainism
Like Buddha, Mahavir was the prince who founded the Jain religion. In fact the two were almost contemporaries.
Mahavir was born in 626 BC at Kundalapura, a city frequently visited by Buddha. He was the 24th and the last of the Jain prophets known as the Tirtankaras or 'finders of the path'.
The Jains now number only about 3½ million. There are many similarities between the two doctrines. Like Buddha, Mahavir too rejected the authority of the Brahmin priest and their rituals and advocated the equality of men.
Both doctrines advocate non-violence and respect for all forms of life; both religions have an established order of monks and nuns. To the Jains, the concept of non-violence is very sacred. Those who are orthodox among them can be seen wearing a white cotton mask covering the nose and the mouth across the face, even sweeping the ground before them as they walk for they fear harming even the smallest insect.
The Jains are divided into two sects, the 'Shwetambaras' and the 'Digambaras'. The latter are more austere of the two and the name literally means 'sky clad'. As a sign of their contempt for material possessions, they do not even wear clothes. They are chiefly monks and prefer to stay within the confines of their monasteries.
Jain temples are different as they have a large number of similar buildings that are often erected at one place. These temples too have many columns, of which no two are identical.
Zoroastrianism
Founded in Persia by the prophet Zarathustra in the 6th or 7th Century BC, Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest religions in the world. He was born in Mazar-i-Sharif, which is now in Afghanistan.
The followers of Zoroastrianism are known as Parsis, since they originally fled to India to escape persecution in Persia.
Zoroastrianism was one of the first religions to advocate God as being Omni-potent. Zend-Avesta, their holy book describes the continual conflict of the good and the evil. Their God Ahura Mazda is the god of light and is symbolized by fire. Man ensures the victory over evil by following the principles of 'humata' or good thoughts, 'hukta' or good words and 'huvarshta' or good deeds.
Parsis worship in fire temples and wear 'sarda' or sacred shirt and a 'kasti' or sacred thread. A ceremony known as 'Navjyote' is performed when the children first wear the sacred thread.
Since Parsis believe in purity of the elements of the earth, they do not cremate or burn the dead. Instead the bodies are left in 'towers of silence' at the mercy of the vultures. Unfortunately, the Parsi community in India has been gradually dwindling
* The information regarding this page is from The India Travel site.