Religions in India

India is one of the most religious countries globally, with every religion practiced in India. India is a secular state, meaning that no single religion is preferred over the other from a legal and government perspective. On the other hand, Hinduism is the common religion among the people, with more than 75 % of them practicing Hinduism, which translates to more than one billion of India’s total people. Other religions that follow Hinduism are Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Sikhism. This comes from the Indian constitution giving its citizens the freedom of worship and religion.

Besides India being the most religiously diverse country globally, its religions are some of the most ancient. Buddism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism have ties to India’s subcontinent; up to date, they continue to have many followers.

This article guides you through India’s religions that you must know, and if you decide to visit the country, don’t forget to get an India e-visa. For additional information, click here.

Hinduism

This is the dominating religion in India and one of the ancient religions worldwide. Hinduism religion emerged in the world more than 3500 years ago. This religion contains many practices that differ in methods and consist of different philosophies and sects. The faith also has several deities manifested in only one supreme Deity called or known as the Brahman. Hinduism is also believed to be a polytheistic religion meaning that its followers believe in a universal essential tenet of Hindu practice and belief. Hinduism is the 3^rd religion worldwide, with over one billion members; 1000 million live in India.

Christianity.

Christianity developed its roots in India in the first century by a famous Christian missionary named Saint Thomas. That gentleman converted most of the Indians in the southern part of the country, and up to date, many are still practicing Christianity. Christianity in India was strengthened and enforced in the second century through the coming of Jewish Christians recognized as Knanaya people. During colonization, Roman Catholicism went to India that began in 1498 when a famous Portuguese traveler, Vasco da Gama, arrived in the Indian land. Early in the 18^th century, missionary activities were seen to increase, and for the last few decades, Christianity has been among the most common minority languages in the Indian land. Christain followers are widely spread in the Western states like Goa and the Northeastern parts such as Mizoram and South Indian.

Islamic

The Islamic religion was introduced to India in the 8th century, contributing more and improving other cultures. It molded the world of Indian classical music. Islamic faith in the region is believed to motivate important Persian and Arabic languages through religious and secular literature. According to recent research, approximately 135 million people in Indian land follow the Islamic religion. Most converted to Islam in Mughal times and resided in parts of Nothern and Western India.

Sikhism

Sikhism religion started to enter the Indian land around 400 years ago. It began to have its roots in the Punjab region. According to a recent study, approximately 21 million Sikh believers live in India, most of whom live in the Punjab region. Punjab has the largest number of people who believe in Sikhism worldwide. This area has the inherited homes of the Sikhs. A large number of the Sikhs have been thought to have served in the Indian army. The most popular Sikh Temple in the Indian land and the entire world is the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Buddhism

Buddhism is among the minority religion in Indian land, with followers of 0.7 % of the total population. In the past few decades, Buddhism has been widely spread in all parts of the Indian continent, but today, it is only found in the Indian Himalayan region. Currently, tIndia’sgovernment is putting more effort into promoting and improving the Indian country’s ties to Buddhism to encourage tourism in the area. Buddhist places of worship and religious practices are known as temples. The famous Buddhism temple in India is the Mahabodhi temple, which is located in Bodh Gaya. It is considered the most sacred shrine for Buddhism believers in India and the world.

Jainism

It is vital to note that India has the largest population in the world who are followers of the Jain religion. However, its followers and believers still make up a small number of religious beliefs in the Indian Continent, with only 0.4 % of the total population. This religion was introduced in the Indian land around 3000 BCE. Most people consider Jainism as an ancient religion. In India, there are only five million believers in the Jainism religion. A Jain temple is a place of worship in the Jainism religion. The place of worship is also known as Derasar in Rajasthan and Gujarat or Basadi in Karnataka. The most Jain temples in Indian land are the Palitana Temple in Palitana and the Ranakpur Temple Jain Temple in Ranakpur.

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism has the least number of followers in the Indian land. They consist of only 0.1 % of the total population of the Indian people. Their faith can be traced back to the famous prophet Zoroaster, believed to have lived in Iran’s current land. Zoroastrianism religion is among the oldest religions in the world.

In conclusion, other religions practiced in the Indian land are Judaism and Bahai. They take up 0.7 % of the total population in India. The total number of people who believe in the Bahai religion is not more than 4800. Jewish are the people who believe in Judaism religion. They are believed to have lived in India for centuries, and Judaism is one of the oldest religions recorded by Indian authority. Currently, only 5000 Jews live in India.