Religion in India

By Dhruv, Henry, Tamara, Zach, Nadja

Dominant religions in India: HinduismHinduism about 82% of population- various gods and goddesses… -Three main gods - Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer- Believe in reincarnation- Main books are the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda

• Four castes in Hindu religion Brahman are the priests, Kshatria are the warriors, Viashya are business people, Sudra are common peasants and workers

Dominant religions in India: Islamabout 12%Divided into 3 sects: Sunni, Shi’a, SufismTheir prophet is Muhammad   Believe in one god named AllahThere are 6 articles of belief

  These are belief in God, in all the prophets, in the books, in the angels, in the day of judgment, in destiny

• Qur’an is main text

Dominant religions in India: Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism

Christianity is about 2.5%Sikhism is about 2%Buddhism is about 0.7%Jainism is about 0.5%

Religions in India by RegionEach Indian religion has its specific customs and traditions, which negotiate the boundary of religion, cast and creed

Hinduism spread throughout most of India

Ratio of Muslim population exceeds the national average in Lakshadweep Islands, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and West Bengal

Christians largely concentrated in Goa, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala

The Sikhs are mainly concentrated in Punjab

Maharashtra has 85% of Buddhists living in India.

The rest are minor religions and are dispersed around India.

Religions in India by Region (cont.)

Religious ConflictsMuslim-Hindu Conflict

-began with persecution of Hindus during Islamic expansion in medieval period

destruction of temples

Muslim-Sikh conflict-emerged in Punjab during Mughal period-High point 1606 Guru tortured and killed -his son turned the Sikhs into warrior community-Sikhs hope for creation of independent nation did not get it when India

was split most of them went to Indian side rather than Pakistan

Muslim-Christian conflict-fewer conflicts -during 16th, 17th and 18th Christians were systematically persecuted

Muslim-Buddhist conflict-1989 boycott by Buddhists of Muslim in Leh district for 4 years-relations of the two improved after lifting boycott

Importance in Civil LifeWithin India, on a day-to-day basis, the vast majority of people engage in ritual actions, worship, and other religious activities.

Country is dotted with temples and religious shrines.

The local interaction between great traditions and local forms of worship and belief, based on village, caste, tribal, and linguistic differences, creates a range of ritual forms and mythology that varies widely throughout the country.