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:: GENERAL - RELIGIONS IN INDIA

India is the only country in the world where a large number of religions have not only evolved but flourished and have grown from strength to strength.Religion is an integeral aspect of life in India. Religion has a great impact on the personal lives of poeple of India on a daily basis. India is a secular state, where the constitution honors all religions equally. India is one of the few countries of the world where the social and religious identity of the nation has remained intact despite numerous invasions, persecution, colonialism and political upsurges.

India has traditionally been a land of faith and spirituality - it is home to the adherents of all the major religions of the world. Out of these, four were born in India while the others came with invaders, travellers and missionaries from abroad. While India is the cradle of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, Islam can be compared to an adopted child as it has been part of our social and cultural fabric for centuries. Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Baha'ism also have their followers in India but they are very small in number. Despite the multitude of faiths prevalent in India, the country has by and large, been free of any internecine strife. Hindus constitute an overwhelming majority in the country and it is a creed which is renowned for its catholicity of outlook. For Hindus, religion is a tool to achieve a one-to-one communication between god and man. However, Hinduism became too ritualistic; and in the 6th century B.C., a great social churning took place in the country - out of which emerged Jainism and Buddhism. Jains place self-conquest above all else - it is one of the most ascetic of faiths, with its votaries living in the most spartan manner imaginable. Buddhism, on the other hand was exported to the Far East, although its philosophy was almost snuffed out in the land of its origin. An iconoclastic faith like Buddhism could not compete with ritualistic Brahminism that cleverly co-opted Buddha into their 'holy pantheon of gods'.

It is not possible to explore India without understanding its religious beliefs and practices. A number of world religions originated in India, and others that started elsewhere strengthened here. To understand India, it is important to understand its religions as religion casts its shadow on every Indian, right from their birth. There are many religions followed here but detail about some of them is given below.

BUDDHISM

Gautama or Siddhartha (566-486 B.C), who later came to be known as the Buddha or 'The Enlightened One' was born into a wealthy Kshatriya family, in Lumbini, at the foothills of Nepal. He founded the religion of Buddhism after he attained true wisdom under a pipal tree at Bodhgaya. Buddha delivered his first public address at Sarnath Deer park in Benares, where he spoke of the four noble truths which are, (i) the world is full of suffering (ii) suffering is caused by desire (iii) suffering can be removed (iv) in order to remove suffering one has to overcome desire.

CHRISTIANITY

There were 30,000 Jews in India at the time of Independence. Though many have left, in a number of cities, there are small Jewish communities still residing. The Jews of Kochi (Cochin), in Kerala are of special interest because a group claims that they have arrived here in 587 BC. The Jewish Synagogue at Mattancherry and the Jew street are among the major tourist attractions in Kerala.

HINDUISM

Hindus constitute the majority in India. Religious scripts like the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Puranas enlighten one about Hinduism. However, there is no single text which can sum up its philosophy. TheVedas are hymns praising different Gods. While the Upanishads are discourses between a guru (spiritual guide) and a shishya (disciple), stressing upon the unity of the God, the concept of atma (soul), life after death and karma, emphasises on the fact that happiness in this life has been achieved due to good deeds performed in the previous one. The ultimate goal of every Hindu is to attain moksha which is deliverance from the cycle of birth & rebirth. One can believe in either Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu or the Planets or the Rain God, or heroes based on the epics, all of them or none of them. Thus Hinduism is more of a way of life, rather than a religion. Its tolerance and flexibility has helped to preserve its sanctity under successive invasions and to embrace alien beliefs. The main divine principle of Hinduism is that God is one, but his avatars or incarnations are many.

JAINISM

Vardhamana Mahavira or 'The Great Hero' founded Jainism during 540-468 B.C. While his father was a head of a famous Kshatriya clan & his mother a Lichchavai princess, Mahavir became an ascetic at the age of 30 and attained 'Kaivalya' (perfect knowledge) by the age of 42. He was known as Jina by his conquerors and thus his followers were called Jains. He died at Pavapuri near Rajgir. The main philosophy of Jainism is total renunciation and the right faith, right knowledge and right action are the three jewels of good living. The preachers of Jainism after the death of Mahavira are known as 'Tirthankaras'.

SIKHISM

Guru Nanak (1469-1539) was the founder of Sikhism in India, the religion that draws its elements from both Hinduism & Islam. The followers of the religion came to be known as Sikhs and their worship places as Gurudwaras (abodes of the gurus). They cremate their dead and baptize their children in a ceremony known as 'pahul'. Their holy book is the Granth Sahib which contains the works of the 10 sikh gurus together with Hindu & Muslim writings. The last guru died in 1708. Guru Nanak not only preached the importance of "Satnam & Waheguru" (true name or one god) but also that having a right guru (teacher) is important for self realisation. He neither believed in idol worship nor in casteism or asceticism and was a believer in 'Karma' as the only means of attaining 'moksha'. He introduced the concept of a common kitchen (the langar) to feed the poor.