RELIGION IN ANCIENT INDIA

India has long been known as a very spiritual, religious heavy area of the world. In India,
religion is a way of life. It is an integral part of the entire Indian tradition. For the majority of
Indians, religion permeates every aspect of life, from common-place daily chores to
education and politics. India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, with
one of the most deeply religious societies and cultures. Religion plays a central and definitive
role in the life of the country and most of its people. The predominant religion in ancient
India was Hinduism. The roots of Hindu religion can be traced back to the Vedic period.
Hinduism is believed to be the oldest of major religions and originated in northern India.
Early Aryan, or Vedic, culture was the early Hinduism whose interaction with non-Aryan
cultures resulted in what we call Classical Hinduism. It is interesting to note that much of
ancient, classical and modern Indian culture has been greatly shaped by Hindu thought.
The Mahabharata and Ramayana, both sacred Hindu texts, served as India's main motivating
base for a great deal of literary, artistic and musical creations in subsequent millennia. The
Epic Period was a golden era in Indian philosophical thought because of the tolerance of
different opinions and teachings. The most popular form of Indian medicine, Ayurveda, was
developed by Vedic saints and Jyotish, Hindu astrology, is the most popular form of
astrology in India today. Yoga, an internationally-famous system of meditation, is one of six
systems of Hindu thought. Besides Hinduism, other main religions during ancient India were
Buddhism, and Jainism. Buddhism originated in northern India in what is today the state of
Bihar. It rapidly gained adherents during the Buddha's lifetime. Up to the 9th century, Indian
followers numbered in the hundreds of millions. Buddhism, known in ancient India as
Buddha Dharma, originated in northern India in what is today the state of Bihar. It rapidly
gained adherents during the Buddha's lifetime. Up to the 9th century, Indian followers
numbered in the hundreds of millions. There also developed many heterodox religious sects
in ancient India. One such sect was Ajivika, founded by Mahavira's rival Goshala
Maskariputra. Ajivikas did not believe in karma and thought that the destiny was
predetermined and could not be changed. There were also several other religious
contemporaries to Buddha and Mahavira during the 6th century B.C. Another preacher of the
same period was Pakuda Katyayana, who also taught that the soul was superior to good and
evil, thus unchanged or untouched by it. He classified everything into seven categories, i.e.
earth, water, fire, air, pleasure, pain and soul, which were eternal. Ajita Kesakambalin,
another contemporary of Buddha taught complete materialism. He did not believe in the
afterlife and considered death as the final phase of all souls.The faith of more than 80% of the
people is Hinduism, considered the world's oldest religious and philosophical system. Islam
is practiced by around 13% of all Indians.Sikhism, Ayyavazhi, Buddhism and Jainism are
Indian-born religious systems that are strong and influential not only in India but across the
world. Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and the Bah' Faith are also influential but their
numbers are smaller.Despite the strong role of religion in Indian life, atheism and agnostics
are also visible influences.
1) Hinduism: Hinduism is a worldwide religious tradition that is based on the Vedas, and
is the direct descendant of the Vedic religion. Hinduism evolved from a monolithic religion
into a multitude of traditions over a period of 1500 years. It encompasses many religious
rituals that widely vary in practice, as well as many diverse sects and philosophies. With an
array of deities, all manifestations of the one Supreme monistic Brahman, are venerated.
Thus, Hinduism is often misconceived to be a polytheistic religion, although the belief in a
singular, Universal Soul is a fundamental tenet of the Hindu faith. Beliefs, codes and
principles vary from region to region. It is the third largest religion in the world, with a

following of approximately 1 billion people. Ninety-eight percent of Hindus can be found on

the Indian subcontinent, chiefly in India. It is noteworthy however that the relatively small
Himalayan kingdom of Nepal is the only nation in the world with Hinduism as its state
religion.
2) Buddhism: Buddhism, known in ancient India as Buddha Dharma, originated in
northern India in what is today the state of Bihar. It rapidly gained adherents during the
Buddha's lifetime. Up to the 9th century, Indian followers numbered in the hundreds of
millions. While the exact cause of the decline of Buddhism in India is disputed, it is known
that the mingling of Hindu and Buddhist societies in India and the rise of Hindu Vedanta
movements began to compete against Buddhism. Many believe that Hinduism's adaptation to
Buddhism resulted in Buddhism's rapid decline. Also, Muslim invaders are recorded to have
caused massive devastation on monasteries, libraries, and statuary, as they did on Hindu
religious life. Many Indian Buddhist populations remained intact in or migrated to places like
Sri Lanka, Tibet, and other Asian countries. Recently, a revival of Buddhism in India has
made significant progress. In 1956, B. R. Ambedkar, a freedom fighter during the Indian
struggle for independence from the British, and hundreds of thousands of his followers
converted to Buddhism in protest against the caste system. Subsequent mass conversions on a
lesser scale have occurred since then. Three-quarters of these "neo-Buddhists" live in
Maharashtra. Alongside these converts are the Vajrayana Buddhists of Ladakh, Sikkim, and
Arunachal Pradesh, a small number of tribal peoples in the region of Bengal, and Tibetan
refugees.
3) Jainism: Along with Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, is one of the four major
Dharma religions originating in India. In general, Jains are extremely well-represented inspite
of the fact that they form only 0.4% (around 4.2 million) of India's total population. Many of
them rich and an overwhelming majority of them are well to do. As such, it can be said that
they hold power and wealth disproportionate to their small population. According to the India
Census 2001, Jains have the highest literacy rate (religion-wise) of 94.1% compared to the
national average of 64.8%.
4) Christianity in India: Christianity, according to tradition (and now supported by
recent research), arrived in India in the first century through the apostle Thomas. St. Thomas
converted many South Indians who continued to practice Christianity until present. It was
further consolidated by the arrival of Syriac Jewish-Christians now known as Knanaya people
in the second century C.E. This ancient ethnic Christian community of Kerala is known as
Nasrani or Syrian Christian. The Nasrani people and especially the Knanaya people within
the Nasranis have strong Jewish historical ties. Their form of Christianity is one of the most
ancient: Syriac Christianity which is also known as the Eastern Orthodox Church and referred
to in India as Saint Thomas Christians. It should be noted that the term "Saint Thomas
Christians" is a loose term that many non-Nasranis Christians in Kerala are often labeled. The
vast majority of Christians in Kerala are not the original Nasrani/Knanaya but indigenous
local converts.Roman Catholicism reached India during the period of European colonization,
which began in 1498 when the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrived on the Malabar
coast.Christian missionary activity increased in the early 1800s. Today Christianity is the
third largest religion of India making up 2 - 2.5% of the population. Christians are most
prevalent in the northeast in states such as Nagaland,Mizoram, south India, major metro
areas, and in western states such as Goa.
5) Islam in India: Islam arrived in India as early as the 8th century CE. During the
following decades,contributed greatly to the cultural enhancement of an already rich Indian
culture, shaping not only the shape of Northern Indian classical music (Hindustani, a melding
of Indian and Middle Eastern elements) but encouraging a grand tradition of Urdu (a melding

of Hindi, Arabic and Persian languages) literature both religious and secular. Among other
monuments, the Taj Mahal is a gift of the Mughals. As of 2001, there are about 130 million
Muslims in India, most of whom were converted during the Mughal period and they mostly
live in the north and west of the country.
6) Ayyavazhi: Ayyavazhi is a religion originated in south india in the 19th century.
Officially it was considered as an offshoot section of Hinduism. But either in Philosophy or
in religious practices Ayyavazhi and Hinduism varies a lot. Though it has not received
official recognition, it has transformed itself into a distinctive religious phenomenon, making
its presence felt in India's southern parts, mostly in southern districts of Tamil Nadu and in
some parts of Kerala. But it is one of the fastest growing religions of Southern India, its rapid
growth has been noted in the Christian missionary reports of the mid-19th century. It has
more than 7000 worship centers throughout south India, mostly in Tamil Nadu and some in
the city of Mumbai.
7) Zoroastrianism: A form of the ancient Persian religion Zoroastrianism continues to be
practiced in India, where its followers are called Parsis. Suffering persecution from Muslim
rulers in what is now modern-day Iran, Zoroastrian immigrants were granted protection under
a Hindu king in the Western section of India many centuries ago.
8) Sikhism: Sikhism, was founded in India's northwestern Punjab region about 400 years
ago. As of 2001 there were 19.3 million Sikhs in India. Many of today's Sikhs are situated in
Punjab, the largest Sikh province in the world and the ancestral home of Sikhs. The most
famous Sikh temple is the Golden Temple, located in Amritsar, Punjab. Many Sikhs serve in
the Indian Army. The recent prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh, is a Sikh. Punjab is
the spiritual home of Sikhs and is the only state in India where Sikhs form a majority.
9) Indian Jews: Indian Jews are a religious minority, living among India's predominantly
Hindu populace. However, Judaism was one of the first religions to arrive in India and
assimilate with local traditions through cultural diffusion. The Jewish population in India is
hard to estimate since each Jewish community is distinct with different origins; some arrived
during the time of the Kingdom of Judah, others are descendants of Israel's Lost Ten Tribes.
Of the total Jewish population in India, about half live in Mizoram and a quarter live in the
city of Mumbai. Unlike many parts of the world, Jews have historically lived in India without
largescale anti-Semitism. However, Jews in India have recently suffered from terrorist attacks
by Lashkar-e-Toiba, which has declared Jews and Hindus to be enemies of Islam. In
Mumbai, two synagogues are located in predominantly Muslim inhabited areas. In addition to
Jewish members of various diplomatic corps, there are five native Jewish communities in
India:
1. The Cochin Jews arrived in India 2,500 years ago and settled down in Cochin,
Kerala as traders.
2. The Baghdadi Jews arrived in the city Mumbai from Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan,
and Arab countries about 250 years ago.
3. The Bene Israel arrived in the state of Maharashtra 2,100 years ago.
4. The Bnei Menashe are Mizo and Kuki tribesmen in Manipur and Mizoram who
claim descent from the tribe of Menasseh.
6. The Bene Ephraim (also called Telugu Jews) are a small group who speak Telugu;
their observance of Judaism dates to 1981.