Religions in India

India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in this world and has the reputation of the 'land of Spirituality'. Majority of the Indian population (over 80%) are Hindus thus giving India the name ‘Hindustan'. However, all the major religions in the world are seen in India too. India is the birth place of Hinduism and Zoroastrianism. Given below is a short write up of the different Religions of India.

Hinduism

This is one of the oldest religions in the World. Hindus believe in the concept of Trinity ( Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva), rebirth and karma. Hinduism is based on the four Vedas( Rig Veda, Sam Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda) which is said to have sprung up from the head of Lord Brahma. Rig Veda is the oldest of the Vedas and it is believed to be written much earlier than 2000 BC. It contains 1028 hymns for pleasing the different Gods. Samveda deals with music and Yajur Veda deals with rituals, sacrifices etc. Atharva Veda deals with medicine. There are also two great epics of Hindus, namely Ramayana and Mahabharata. Ramayana written by the sage Valmiki and is as old as 1500 BC and Mahabharata is written by Veda Vysya much before 400 AD.Hindus believe that living beings are not separate from God and that he is anywhere and everywhere.

Buddhism

Buddhism is the fifth largest religion in India with approximately 6.5 million followers. It a world religion based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha, a prince, who meditated under a peepal tree for 6 long years and attained enlightenment at the age of 35. He is considered as a descendant of Sage Angirasa and an avatar of Lord Vishnu. This religion came into existence around 580 BC. Buddhists believe that the aim of live is the extinction of suffering in life and welfare of all living beings. By recognizing the four noble truths of life and following the noble eightfold path, one can end the suffering in life and that one can escape from the vicious cycle of birth and death by following the main ethics of Buddhism comprising of Right Speech, Right Actions ,Right Livelihood, Right Exercise ,Right Awareness , Right Concentration ,Right Thoughts and Right Understanding. As per Buddhism, there is nothing such as a soul or athma.They believe that a human being is made of five elements which combine together at the time of birth. However, like Hindus, Buddhists also believe in rebirth and karma . It is to be noted that Dr B R Ambedkar, the harijan leader, was greatly influenced by this religion and adopted Buddhism.Some of the Buddhist famous tourist locations are Lumbini, Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, Sanchi, Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, Kapilavastu,karla Caves, Bhaja Caves Varanasi, Mathura, Vaishali etc.

Jainism

Jainism is started by Rshabha Deva, the Adinath. (Thanks Jyoti Kothari). It further grew under the leadership of Mahaveera, the 24th Teerthankara. At the age of thirty, Mahavira renounced his wealthy life and followed the path of his Guru Parshvanatha to discover the meaning of existence. After 12 years of penance he attained enlightenment and spent the rest of his life meditating and teaching. Jains celebrate the main events in the life of Mahavira as festivals. Jainism preaches the doctrine of ahimsa and non violence. Jainism is greatly influenced by Hinduism. Jainism also believes rebirth, karma and moksha. They also follow vegetarianism. Some famous tourist destinations of Jains are Shatrunjaya Hills in Gujarat , Mount Abu in Rajasthan and Sravana Belgola in Karnataka.

Sikhism

Sikhism was found in the 15th century by Guru Nanak. Sikhs believe in the concept of Unity of God. The word Sikh is derived from the Sanskrit word Shikshya which means disciple. Sikhism is influenced by both Hinduism and Islam. Sikhs believein rebirth too.Guru Gobind Singh's Guru Grant Sahib is considered the holy book of Sikhism. Every sikh male wears five articles kara, kesh, kanga, kachcha and kripan. The Sikhs are mostly found in Punjab but also can be found in other parts of India and the world. Sikhism preaches equality for all irrespective of caste, creed, color, race, sex or religion. They do not believe in pilgrimage, fasting, superstitions and rituals like Hindus. The place of worship of Sikhs are called Gurudwara.

Zoroastrianism

This is the religion originated in Persia. This religion is around 2600 years old. The founder of this religion is Zoroaster. The Zoroastrian people in India are called Parsis. Zoroastrians believe in the oneness of god and believed that Ahura Mazda was the one and only god, who is formless. The Parsi place of worship is called the fire temple. Zenda Avesta is the religious scripture of the Parsis which contains the teachings, sermons and prayers composed by Prophet Zoroaster himself. Parsis are found mostly in Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Islam

India has the third largest population of Muslims in the world. The word 'Islam' is an Arabic word which means 'submission to the will of God'.The religion of Islam was popularised in 6th century AD by Prophet Muhammad, who is considered the messenger of God . The Holy Quran, the sacred book of Muslims, is written by him as revealed by God. Muslims believe in the Day of Judgement and Life after Death. They also believe in the oneness of God and that God (Allah) is the complete authority over human destiny. The holy city of Makkah is a famous pilgrimage place of Muslims all over the world.

Christianity

Christianity is the most worshipped religion in the World. Christians believe that originator and preserver of creation is one. They also believe in the Holy Trinity, as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.The holy book of the Christians is called the Bible and the place of Worship is called as Church. The Bible contains a collection of writings dating from 9 BC to 1 century AD written in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and English. The Bible is divided into Old Testament containing 46 books and the New Testament with 27 books. Christianity came to India through St Thomas, a disciple of Christ. Rabindra Nath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi were greatly influenced by this religion.