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Hinduism, the religion of the
overwhelming majority of Indians, is as much a way of life
as a formal ritualised institutionalised religion. It has
no single sacred text but a range of scriptures. The four
Vedas form the backbone of Hinduism with the earliest of
these, the Rig Veda, being the most important. It is
believed that the Vedas are the product of the direct
communication between the gods and the sadhus (holy men).
The pantheon of
Hindu gods is matched in size (and often in character too)
by those of the ancient Greeks and Romans. These revered
figures may represent natural phenomena like wind (Varun),
thunder and rain (Indra), fire (Agni) and the sun (Surya).
Or they may be quasi-mythical characters that appear in the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Shakti, which literally
translates into energy, is represented as a female form and
worshipped in the forms of many goddesses. Of these Kali and
Durga are the most commonly worshipped. Lakshmi and Parvati,
the goddesses of wealth and learning respectively, are
important. At the centre of this enormous pantheon are the
three central figures of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Brahma is
revered as The Creator, Vishnu as The Preserver and Shiva as
The Destroyer. |
Muslims
are the largest religious minority in India. Islam came to
India when trade links were established with the Arabs in
the 8th century AD. In the 12th century, the Mamluk Turk
Qutbuddin Aibak became the first Muslim to rule any part of
India. A succession of Muslim dynasties came to rule
thereafter, predominantly in north India but sometimes even
south of the Vindhya Ranges as in the reign of the Mughal
king Aurangzeb. The influence of Islam grew as many people
adopted the religion of their rulers, resulting in a culture
that is characterised by beauty. New forms of architecture,
a new language - Urdu, developments in dress and design, the
arts of cuisine, music, painting and sculpture bloomed
especially in northern India, but also in the south
Siddhartha Gautam was born in the
early 7th century BC in the town of Lumbini (in present day
Nepal), not far from the Indo-Nepal border. Born a prince of
the Sakya clan, exposure to suffering caused Siddhartha to
renounce home and family and set out in search of
enlightenment. He attained enlightenment under the Bodhi
tree at Bodhgaya in Bihar, India, and came thereafter to be
known as Buddha or The Enlightened One.
Buddhism, whose central tenet is Dharma or Truth,
propounds the Middle Path.
Buddhism gained its popularity in the subcontinent
gradually, as monks and nuns who were taught in viharas or
monasteries spread its teachings. It received a great boost
when the Mauryan emperor Ashoka embraced the religion.
Today, the religion is no longer as popular in the land it
was born as it is further southeast. It’s flame is kept
burning in India today mainly by Tibetan Buddhists for whom
the country has become a refuge, and by Dalits (or lower
caste Hindus) who rejected the Hindu social creed of a rigid
caste system and adopted the egalitarian Buddhist
philosophy.
Established by Vardhaman Mahavira
around the same time as Buddhism,
Jainism takes its name from the word jina for
conqueror. It preaches simple living and absolutely
disallows hurting another living being. Jains, then, are
strict vegetarians. Many keep their mouths covered by a
piece of cloth lest they breathe in an insect or germs and
kill it. Jainism has a large following in India, especially
in the west Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Both Jainism and Buddhism have contributed greatly to Indian
culture. The magnificent Jain Dilwara Temples in Rajasthan
and the Mathura and Gandhara schools of art inspired by the
Buddha are only a few examples.
Christianity
came to India as early as the arrival of the apostle Saint
Thomas. The earliest Christian missionary though, is thought
to be Saint Xavier who came to India in 1542. India’s
colonial experience ensured the spread of Christianity,
which was propagated by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the
British. Protestants, Catholics and Syrian Christians,
mainly from the southern state of Kerala, make up the Indian
Christian community.
Sikhism,
another major religion born in India, evolved out of the
effort of combining the best of Hinduism and Islam. Founded
by Guru Nanak in the late 15th century AD, and influenced by
Sufi Islam, Sikhism has ten gurus or teachers and, like
Islam, a holy book – the Guru Granth Sahib – as a symbol of
God. Sikhism flourished particularly in the Punjab in north
India to the extent that it became a thorn in the side of
orthodox Muslims. Its persecution in Mughal times led to the
formation of the Sikh army called the khalsa. Sikh men wear
the symbols of their faith on their person; these are the
kachchha (undershorts), the kanga (comb), the kirpan
(sword), the kada (steel bangle) and kesh (long hair). Of
these the most obvious is their long hair, which is tied up
in a turban.
Many Persians
migrated to India in the 8th century AD, and brought with
them the ancient religion of Zarathustra or
Zoroastrianism. Legend has it that their
leader requested the Hindu ruler Jadhav Rana for permission
to settle in this great land, promising that Parsis would be
like sugar dissolved in a bowl of water; India being like
the bowl of water and the Parsis like sugar, dissolving
unobtrusively and yet suffusing the nation with their
sweetness and spirit. Needless to say, they were allowed to
stay. The Parsis worship fire as a symbol of Ahura Mazda,
the Wise Lord.
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