 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
The major religions of India
are Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism,
Jainism, Zoroastrianism and the Baha'i Faith.
Hinduism,
believed to be the oldest of major religions, originated
in northern India. According to some historical theories,
an early form of Hinduism was practiced by early Aryans
who influenced or converted the indigenous Dravidian
people. As of 2001,
there were about 820 million Hindus in India.
Islam
arrived in India through Pakistan
as early as the 8th
century CE. During the following decades,
significant numbers of Indians converted to Islam. In
the 1500s,
the Muslim Mughal
Empire was formed. The Mughals built the Taj
Mahal and numerous other cultural monuments.
As of 2001,
there are about 130 million Muslims in India, most of
whom live in the north and west of the country.
Sikhism
was founded in India's northwestern Punjab
region about 400 years ago. As of 2001
there were 35 million Sikhs in India.
Christianity
was first introduced to India in the first century by
Saint
Thomas, and the ancient Christian communities
of Kerala
are called the Saint
Thomas Christians. Christianity increased
its influence in India significantly during the period
of Europe
an colonization, which began in 1498 when the Portuguese
explorer Vasco
da Gama arrived on the Malabar
coast. Almost all of India came under Portuguese,
Dutch,
French
but mostly British
control until the mid-20th century. Christian Missionary
activity increased in the early 1800s.
Today Christians are most prevalent in the northeast,
major metro areas, and in western states such as Goa.
Buddhism
originated in northern India in what is today the state
of Bihar.
It rapidly gained adherents during the
Buddha's lifetime.
Up to the 9th
century, Indian followers numbered in the
hundreds of millions. While the exact cause of the decline
of Buddhism in India is disputed, it is known that the
mingling of Hindu and Buddhist societies in India and
the rise of Hindu Vedanta
movements began to compete against Buddhism. Many believe
that Hinduism's adaptation to Buddhism resulted in Buddhism's
decline. Also, Muslim
invaders are recorded to have caused massive
devastation on monasteries, libraries, and statuary,
as they did on Hindu
religious life. Many Indian Buddhist populations remained
intact in or migrated to places like Sri
Lanka, Tibet,
and other Asian
countries.
Recently, a revival
of Buddhism in India has made significant
progress. In 1956,
B.
R. Ambedkar, a Dalit
or untouchable leader, and hundreds of thousands
of his followers converted to Buddhism in protest against
the caste system. Subsequent mass conversions on a lesser
scale have occurred since then. Three-quarters of these
"neo-Buddhists" live in Maharashtra.
Alongside these converts are the Vajrayana
Buddhists of Ladakh,
Sikkim,
and Arunachal
Pradesh, a small number of tribal peoples
in the region of Bengal,
and Tibetan refugees.
Jainism
also originated in India, at roughly the same time as
Buddhism.
A form of the ancient Persian
relgion Zoroastrianism
continues to be practiced in India, where its followers
are called Parsis.
One of the most popular but also controversial modern
gurus in India is Sathya
Sai Baba of Puttaparthi.
Related
Stats
|
|
|
| Religions
in India |
|
|
