Question

Name some of the religions in India.

Answer 1

Hint: India is a land of diverse culture, due to which it is home to numerous ethnolinguistic groups and communities. Religion is a major element of culture as a whole and in India, people practice different religions.

Complete Step by Step answer:
India is the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Apart from these, People in India also practice Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Bahai faith and Judaism. Hinduism has the largest number of followers in India with over 79% of the population practising Hinduism. It is also one of the oldest religions in the world and its origin dates back to 1500-500 BCE, the period during which Vedic culture emerged in India. Buddhism which has around 0.7% practitioners in India originated between 1000-500 BCE and is based on the teachings and philosophy of Gautam Buddha. Jainism dates back to 700-500 BCE and is based on the spiritual ideas of the Tirthankaras.

Currently, 0.4% of the population practice Jainism in India. During the rule of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal empire in India, Islam was propagated and today Islam practitioners comprise 14.2% of the population of India. Christianity was brought to India during the colonial rule of the British empire and today its followers comprise 2.3% of the population in India. Sikhism originated in the Punjab region in the Northwest of the subcontinent during 1400-1500 CE based on the teachings of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru. Today practitioners of Sikhism in India are about 1.7% of the population in India.

Note: Since its inception, secularism has meant the separation of religion and State. The foundation of the concept is that religious activities or beliefs do not interfere with civic or state affairs. In the context of the Indian Constitution, the term “secular” implies that India is not a theocratic state and thus does not have an official religion. The Fundamental Rights contained in Part III of the Indian Constitution grants the Right to Freedom of Religion to all individuals and guarantees equal treatment to all irrespective of their religious beliefs or the lack thereof.