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What is the main religion in India?

India is known as a “religious museum“, and the most important religion is Hinduism. About 83% of the population in India believes in Hinduism. During the Delhi Sultanate, Islam was introduced to India. After British colonization, British India was divided into two dominions, India, which is dominated by Hinduism, and Pakistan, which is dominated by Islam.

Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism are all religions that originated in India and have a certain influence not only in India but all over the world. Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Baha’iism are also influential religions, but in smaller numbers.

Despite the great influence of religion in India, many people accept atheism and agnosticism.

India is one of the most religiously influenced countries in the world, and the influence of religion penetrates into every part of its society and culture. Religion plays a central and decisive role in the lives of this country and the vast majority of its people.

Hinduism

More than 82% of the population of Hinduism, which means that more than 800 million people believe in the religion. Hinduism developed from Brahmanism, which was formed around the 10th century BC. Hinduism is polytheistic.

It is said that there are as many as 333 million gods in Hinduism. There are many Hindu scriptures, and the teachings are very complex. It has both the theory of advocating gods and some atheistic ideas. It is both a religion of asceticism and a religion of indulgence, but in practical life it becomes a philosophy, a way of life, and a custom.

As Marx put it: “This religion is both a religion of indulgence and a religion of self-torture asceticism; a religion of linga (male genitalia) worship and a religion of Zagnath; a religion of monks and a It’s the religion of dancers.”

The organization of Hinduism is relatively loose, but there is also a unique form of social organization, the so-called “caste system”. Typical features of this system are: social segregation, hierarchy, dietary and social restrictions, different secular and religious rights for different groups, occupational hereditary, and endogamy and cisgamy (i.e. men of higher castes may marry men of lower castes). women, and vice versa is considered a treason).

Hindu religious rituals are quite complicated. An orthodox Hindu goes through 16 sacraments in his life, both domestic and public.

Islam

The status of Islam in India is second only to Hinduism, with about 120 million followers. It was introduced to India from Arabia around the 8th century AD. During the Mughal Empire from the 15th to the 18th century, Islam developed rapidly in India and was designated as the state religion. As a ideological tool for the ruling class, Islam ruled India for centuries.

The Taj Mahal and other mausoleums are gifts from the Mughal Dynasty. Many Hindus, especially those of the lower caste, converted to their religions one after another because of their admiration for the idea of ​​equality among the faithful, and of course some were forced to convert. Andhra Pradesh, 80% are Sunni.

There are two types of Indian Muslims, one is immigrant called Ashraf, and the other is native convert. The first two are Arabs, the latter two are Pashtuns and Mughals, and the native converts are untouchables and Sudras make up the absolute majority.

Christianity

With more than 20 million followers of Christianity, India is the religion with the largest number of followers besides Hinduism and Islam. Believers are mainly distributed in the southern states, with Kerala being the most, followed by northeastern India and some big cities. According to legend, Christianity was introduced to India in the 1st century AD.

Since Christianity advocates “there is only one God”, “all men are equal” and “all men are brothers”, it is very popular in India, where the caste system prevails, and many Hindus of lower castes convert to the religion. In addition, due to the preaching of missionaries and the good deeds of the church (such as building roads and bridges in backward areas, building hospitals, schools, orphanages, etc.), the influence has continued to expand.

Sikhism

Sikhism is a Hindu sect that has been reformed under the influence of Islam. It was originally an anti-caste sect of Hinduism, a rebellion against Brahmin rule and teachings, and later formed a military force in opposition to Muslim rule. Its production is influenced by both Hinduism and Islam, and it can be said that it is the product of the fusion of the two major cultures.

About 400 years ago, Sikhism was founded in Punjab, northwestern India, by Nanak (living between 1469 and 1538). The religion emphasizes belief in one true God and believes that all religions are essentially the same.

It advocates karmic reincarnation and spiritual practice, but opposes the Hindu sacrificial system and all forms of etiquette, opposes any form of idolatry, opposes the caste system, opposes widow burial and bigamy, and advocates eliminating antagonism and conflict between sects.

The main features of Sikhism can be summarized as “Four Antis and Five Ks”. “Four evils”, that is, against abstinence, against cumbersome ritual rituals, against polytheism, martial but against power politics. The “Five Ks” are Hindi acronyms for the five things that Sikhs practice throughout their lives, namely Kesh (grow hair and beard); Kanga (wear a long comb); Kachh (wrap the headband), Kara (wear a steel bracelet on the right hand) ); Krpan (with a short sword). Sikh men have the word “Singh” (meaning lion) after their names, and are known for their bravery and sturdiness.

Buddhism

Buddhism was born in the Dapilavas Kingdom (now Nepal) in the southern foothills of the Himalayas, and was founded by the ancestor Sakyamuni in the 6th century BC. Buddhism has grown so much in India that at one point it was almost universal across the subcontinent. The Peacock Dynasty reached its peak. At that time, King Ashoka vigorously promoted Buddhism and implemented “Dafa”, which made Buddhism develop unprecedentedly.

During the Kushan Dynasty, Buddhism still developed. Later, it began to decline sharply due to various reasons. There was a revival in the 19th century, and the number of monks has increased since the 1950s, but in general, the power is relatively weak.

Jainism

The founding time of Jainism is similar to that of Buddhism, around the 6th to 5th centuries BC. It was one of the main ideological trends opposed to Brahmanism at that time, and it was later divided into Tianyi School (naked) and Baiyi School. It was widely spread in the Middle Ages and has been preserved until modern times. Jain itself means the victor, and is the title of the legendary figure of the religion, Vadamana.

Jainism has been steadily developing in India, which is quite different from the situation of Buddhism. According to statistics, the religion has more than 40,000 temples in India. It has also spread outside India and has many followers in Sri Lanka, Iran, Afghanistan and Arab countries.

Jainism and Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism are one of the four main Dharma religions that originated in India. Overall, although Jains make up only 0.4% of India’s total population (about 4.2 million), their place in Indian society is quite prominent.

The vast majority of Jains in India are prosperous. The power and wealth they wield is disproportionate to the smaller population. According to the 2001 Indian census, Jains had the highest literacy rate at 94.1%, compared to the national average of 64.8%.

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is an ancient Persian religion that is still circulating in India, and its followers are called Parsis. Many centuries ago in present-day Iran, Zoroastrians were persecuted by Muslim rulers and fled to India, where they were protected by an Indian king and placed in Sanjan in Gujarat, western India.