Religion of India
India,
the land of spirituality and philosophy considers religion
as an integral part of its entire tradition. The worship of
various religions and its rituals play a significant role in
every aspect of human life in the country. Religion of India
is the birthplace of two great religions of the world, namely,
Hinduism and Buddhism. It is also the birthplace of one of the
oldest religions of the world, Zoroastrianism, and home to an
ancient religion, Jainism. Sikhism is another very
recognizable religion which began here bringing together the
best aspects of Hinduism and Islam. Followers of religions
originated in other countries such as Islam, Christianity,
Bahaism and Judaism also form a part of the population of
secular nation, India.
Hinduism Religion in India
It
has always been easier to define Hinduism by what it is not than
by what it is. Foreigner gave the name ‘Hindu’ to the
people of the subcontinent who did not profess the other major
faiths, such as Muslims or Christians. The beliefs and practices
of modern Hinduism began to take shape in the centuries on
either side of the birth of Christ. But while some aspects of
modern Hinduism can be traced back more than 2,000 years
before that, other features are recent.
Hinduism is perhaps the only religious tradition that is so
diversified in its theoretical premises and practical
expressions as to be called a "museum of religions". This
religion cannot be traced to a specific founder nor does it have
a "holy book" as a basic scriptural guide. The Rig Veda,
Upanishads and the Bhagwad Gita can all be described as the
sacred text of the Hindus.
Buddhism
Buddhism
originated as an offshoot of Hinduism in India, but eventually
it became popular all over Asia. The personality and teachings
of Gautam Buddha, the founder of this faith, have
illumined the lives of millions of people in Japan, China and
Southeast Asia. There are strong lines of similarity between
Buddhism religion and the basic teachings of Hinduism. Buddhism is
based on the principle or the law of impermanence. According to
this, everything is focus to change, although some things may
last longer than others. The other basic principle of
Buddhism is the law of causation, according to which nothing
occurs due to pure chance. Besides natural forces, it is the
karma which leads to the occurrence of all events.
Jainism
Vardhamana Mahavira or 'The Great Hero' was the
twenty-fourth and the last Tirthankara of the Jain religion.
Mahavira was preceded by 23 other Tirthankaras. The first
Tirthankara of Jain religion was Risabhnath or Adinath while the
23rd was Parshvanath. Many people believe that Lord Mahavira was
the creator of Jainism but the foundation of Jain religion was
laid down by the Tirthankaras who preceded Vardhaman Mahavira.
The father of Vardhaman was head of a famous Kshatriya clan and
his mother a Lichchavai princess.
Sikhism
The
Sikh religion emerged through the early 16th century in
the state of Punjab in North India. The founder of this faith
was Guru Nanak, who from his childhood was attracted to both
Hindu and Muslim saints. Born a Hindu, but also inspired by the
teachings of Islam, he began to preach the message of unity of
both religions. According to him, the basic teachings of both
faiths were essentially the same. Nanak attracted many followers
and came to be known as a Guru or a teacher. His disciples came
together to form a new religious tradition called Sikhism
Relgion in India.
Muslim
Prophet Mohammed founded Islam Religion. He was born in 570 A.D.
at Mecca (now in Saudi Arabia) and got his first revelation of
'Allah' (God) in 610 A.D. All these revelations or visions are
compiled in the 'Koran' - the Muslim holy book. Unlike
Hinduism, Prophet Mohammed preached against idol worship and
even today the Muslims believe that the search of God through
images is a sin. Friday is the holy day for Muslims and the main
mosque in each town is known as Jamma Masjid. The spiritual goal
of each Muslim is to make the pilgrimage to Mecca (the Hajj) and
to become a Hajji.
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