L-28 Major Religious Communities in India

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MAJOR RELIGIOUSC01\1lVIUNITIES IN INDIA

India is a land ofseveral religious wmmunities. As hordes ofpeople came toIndia in search oftertile lands, bettN resources and opportunities, and to escapefrcm crud regimes, they also brought with them their cultures, a componentofwhich is religion. Broadly speaking. Indian religions may be divided into twocategories: first, those h i ~ h are oflocal origin, and second, those which wereintroduced from other parts of he world. Under the first category, we may placeHinduism, and those religious movements that emerged on the Indian soil and laterbecame independent religions, such as Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Placedunder the second category are Zoroastrianism. Judaism, Christhwity, and Islam.In India, none ofthem could remain isolated. Rather, continuous interactions tookplace (and are taking place even now) between the local religious communitiesand those which carne from outside. From these interactions there came upcompositecultUre oflndia

After reading this lesson, you will be able to: describe the characteristicsofdifferent religions in India; and discuss the natureof nteraction between different religious communities.

28.1 MAJOR RELIGIOUS GROUPSWe shall study the characteristics ofeachof he religions found in India in a timesequence, i.e beginning with the oldest religion and moving to those that arerelatively younger.

MODULE-IVIndian Society

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MODULE - IV i!;J;, Major Religious Communities in India' ' 'Indian Society

28.1.1 HinduismAbout eighty-three per cent of ndia's population is Hindu. Besides India, Hindusare found in other countries ofAsia, Africa, the Caribbean Islands, Fiji, and the\-;::N;-o7te--s--t United Kingdom.Hinduism is one of he most ancient religions of he world. Its roots can be traced'back to the Indus Valley Civilization, around 3oo0 B.C. Archaeologists point outthat the worship ofShivaand the mother goddess (shaktr) came into existence inthe pre-Aryan period (3000-2000 B.C.). Having such a long history, it is obviousthat Hinduism has developed over a period of ime and is bound to show a fargreater diversity in its thoughts and practices thanany other religion.The doctrines ofHinduism are not contained in any one sacred book. Hinduismdoes not have a single historical founder. Hindus worship innumera'>le gods andgoddesses. But at the same time, they also have the concept ofone God, fromwhom everything emerges and in whom everything dissolves. At one end, ifHinduism is polytheistic (i.e., consists ofmany gods and gOddesses), at the other,it is monotheistic (i.e., has the conceptofone God). It is iilteresting thai one neednot believe in the existence ofgod in order tobe a Hindu. Contradictory beliefs arecontained in Hinduism. There are no particularbeliefs or practices that are common to allHindus. Hinduism comprises a vast body ofsacred literature such as the Vedas,Upanishads, Dharmashastra, Puranas,Darsanas, Agamas and Tantras, etc. Thesetexts deal with the philosophical issues; someof hem deal with the perfonnanceof ituals intemples and households. As is true of thephilosophical matters, in rituals also, there is agreat deal ofvariation.Hinduism is intimately connected with usociety with be result that it is difficult to saywhere one ends and the otherbegins. Becauseof his, some authors say that_Hinduism may be understood as a way oflife.The social basis ofHinduism is fOund in caste system, which according to RigVeda has a divine origin.The four social categories, called varna, emetged fromthe body of the purusa, the first being who was sacrificed in a ritual. Socialcategories that at one time-were regarded as untouchable were not part of thisscheme. This model of caste with four varnas


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i\lajor d t ~ w u s ( o m n H H i i t f l ' ~ tn India j: in reality, thereare notfour but innumerable castes that areendogamous,

marry within. Theyareknownasjatis.Eachofthemhasamonopolyoveranion and claims to fall in one or the othervarna. When Hindu sacred and

MODULE-IVlnditln. Sfciety

texts speakofcaste, it is mostly varna that they have in view and very l'lll"flY 1 - ~ - : - -The conceptsofpurity and pollution are central to Hinduism, and thus caste Notes, although the strictness with which they are observed differs from one

society to another.to Hinduism are dharma, karma, and rrwksa. The word

means 'duty', and each individual isadvised to live according to the dutyor one's caste, sex, and age. The net balance ofgood andbaddeeds

previous births is called karma. It determines whetherone will be born ahumanbe released forever from the cycle ofbirth and death. Thee from the world is called moksa (meaning 'salvation'), which

be the aim ofevery Hindu. But one should thinkofone's salvation afteraccomplished one's household duties as successfullyas possible.

the courseof ts history, Hinduism has undergone many changes. Certain Hinduuntouchability, sati (i.e., a woman following her hUsband to

human sacrifice, female infanticide (i.e., killing of emale children), wereOneof he great reformers of he nineteenth

in 1828. He said areturn to Vedic Hinduism would provide anend tomanyt practices that had developed in Hinduism. Dayananda Saraswati, who

AryaSamaj in 1875, also worked for a revival ofVedic Hinduism. Otherhave come inHinduism becauseof eculari7ation, the ideology ofequality,

a history ofalmost three thousand years, Zoroastrianism is oneof he mostt living religions. It s the most importantandbestknown religionofancient,

pre-Islamic, Iran. The roots ofZoroastrianism can be located in an Easterntribal, and basically pastoral society. The religion originated around 1000

and developed further under the first Iranian empire.m takes its name from thatofilsfiMmder, Zaralhushtra(orZoroaster),

o probably lived around the beginningof he first millenuium B. C. The storybirth in the Zoroastrian texts is that when the world had fallen

the handsofevil people, MotherEarth appeared before the Almighty in theofa cow. She requested the Lord to save her from the evil that had spread.the Lord said he would send down a hero named Zarathushtra who wouldSoon after, the story goes, in the city ofRae, in Iran, a son was born to


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MODULE - IV ,,, ~ . ; i ~ ~ ~ \Lqur Rd1g1uus ( onHnunrtll'") Ill I n d i ~ tIndian Society

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Prince Pourushaspa. He was named Spitama, who later became Zarathushtra.Because the Prince suspected that tyrant chiefs might kill thechild, he senthim tohis mother'sfitther'shouse, where he grewup. Spitama began to preach at theage of ifteen, andhis preaching constitutes the central body ofZoroastrianism.Another name for Zoroastrianism is Mazdaism. It is derived from the name ofMazda ('Wise') or AhumMazda('Wise God'),who is regarded in Zoroastrianismas the Creatorof he whole universe. Zoroastrians believe that there is but oneGod. They say: 'Everything emanates from Ahura Mazda and merges back toHimat the end.' Ahum Mazda is formless. The characteristics of heLord and theteachings ofZarathushtra are contained in texts calledgathas.The earth hasa significant place in Zoroastrianism. She is regarded as the motherwhosustains all human beings. During life, the Zoroastrian is in her charge, andafter death, he returns to her. Fire (alar) is an outward symbol ofZoroastrians.Zarathushtra taught the Iranians toworship fire as thepurest and holiest ofGod'screation. This is the reason why Zoroastrians do not burn their dead, becausecontact with the dead and decaying body would pollute the holy fire. Forthesamereason, they neitherbury the corpse nor throw it inwater. So, they build walled-inplatforms of masonry, open to the sky. Known as the Towers of Silence(dalchamas), it is in here that the corpse is exposed, which the birds eat away.The bones crumbleby the actionofsun, rain and wind. The bone-dust is depositedinto the large pit in the centerof he tower, where all, peopleofdifferent classes, atlastmingle together in thebosom ofMother Earth.The followers ofZoroastrianism, called Parsis, came to India about the eighthcentury A.D. They constitute a small community in India, having a populationofaround one lakh individuals, settled mostly in the western part. Some of heirfitmilies have attained great industrial success, like thatof he Tatas. Most aspectsoftheParsi culture, apart from their religious rites, are like that of he other tradingcommunities ofMaharashtraand Gqjarat. Since the mid-nineteenth century, Parsishave been the leadersoflndia's modernization.Othermodernizing groups in theirregion and elsewhere in the country emulate their example.

Answer the following questions.l What is theapproximate population ofHindus in India?2 Whereare theHindus found in theworld?3 To which civilization can the roots ofHinduism be trace


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\i.qor d t ~ w u s ( ommunities in India ; ; < > . ; ; ~__, -- -4 Name the religionofpre-Islamiclrnn.5 Where are the followers ofZoroastrianism found in India?28.1.3 BuddhismBuddhism acquired adominant position in India under the rule ofEmperorAshoka(273-236 B.C.). As a consequence of he missionary propaganda, Buddhismspread all over India Ashoka sent his son and daughter to propagate the teachingsofBuddhaindifferentparts oflndia. Buddhism also embraced several communitiesoutside India, thus becoming aworld religion. By thetwelfihcentury A.D., Buddhismwas on its way out from India. In northern India, Harshavardhana and the Palaemperors provided a lot of patronage to Buddhism. But the other royal familieswere staunch adherents of he Bra!unanical sects.At one time, it was believed that once Buddhism had adopted the Tantric practices,it started degenerating. Today, thisexplanationisnotheld. Theotherreasongivenwas that Buddhistcommunities were peace loving and defenseless. The monasterieswere the strongholds ofBuddhism. The hordes of Muslim warriors that invadedIndia destroyed the monasteries, leading to a crumbling ofBuddhism. Anotherexplanation is that Hinduism offered a colossal challenge to Buddhism. Many ofthe Buddhist ideas and practices were absorbed into Hinduism. Not only thatHinduism adopted Buddhist practices and ideology, Buddhism also adopted certainHindu practices, thus began the process of he Hinduization ofBuddhism.Besides these, there were some internal causes that led to its decline. Buddhismwas dependent upon monasteries that did not have broad popular support butrelied exclusively on royal patronage. So, when royal support declined, there wasasubsequent decline ofmonasteries. Further, Buddhist monks were more interestedin theirown salvation, rather than converting people to their faith.Today, Himalayan Buddhism ofdirect Indian ancestry remains only inNepal, whereit is fused with Hinduism. Its priests are called Vajracharya, who are Tantric priests,and they are married persons. Because of his, this kind ofBuddhism is also knownas Vajracharya Buddhism. Buddhism ofTibetanorigin survives in Ladakh, Sikkim,Bhutan, and also Nepal. Italso survives with Tibetan refugees in India, whosesettlements are in different parts.Certain focused attempts have also been made to revive Buddhism in thesubcontinent. A Sinhalese monk, Anagarika Dharrnapada, founded in 1891, asociety for the reviva! ofBuddhism. The society was called the Mahabodhi Society,and one ofits aims was to work towards Buddhist education. It also took therepairofBodhgayaTemple.

MODULE IVIndian Society

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::: \lajor Rcliious Cnmmumtte' 1n ln


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\lajor c l i ~ i o u s Communities in India ~ MODULE-IV.;;"'multiplicityofseeds. Although Jains are divided into two main groups, namely

and Svetambara, most of he doctrines are common to them. Thedifference between them is that the Digambara male saints (muri) are 'sky-

Indian Society

1-- : . . - - -1women) wear white robes. ThisdivisionofJains came into existence in 79 Notes

are divided into numerous castes. Some scholars estimate that there arethan sixty castes among Jains. Many Jains are tradespersons, but

are in other occupations as well, such as cultivation and service. Jains inIndia divide themselves in four groups, headed by those who are templeThis priestly caste is like the Brahmin caste among Hindus, With the main

that even these highest among Jains will interdine with all other Jains ofAmong Hindus, members ofdifferent castes do not have inter-diningJains have also adopted the cfutracteristics of hearea where they have

to reside. For instance, in Gujarat, some Jain castes have taken up theofhypergamy(anuloma), i.e., taking women from lower castes in marriage

than giving theirs.reform movements have arisen in the long history ofJainism. They have

have long inter-married with counterpart Hindu castes, but these reformersthat inter-marriages be arranged among Jain castes rather than with Hindus.worship ofcertain Hindu deities, which has been taken up by some Jain

should be abandoned. These movements have been successful in .orneoflndia.

of he following statements is true or false? Write Tafter the statement thattrue and F after the statement that is false.Harshvardhana and the Pala emperors provided a lot ofpatronage to Buddhism.Some scholars regard Buddhism as peace loving and defenseless.Twenty percent population oflndia is ofBuddhists.Jains believe in twenty-four tirthankara.Tibetan refugees in India follow Jainism.


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28.1.5 ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic truth. Everything in it is related to the acts ofmercyaccomplished and inspired by Jesus. Christianity is a historical religion. It came

' r - - ~ - : - - - - 1 out of Judaism. The beliefof Christians is that God spoke directly and acteddecisively in the life, death, and revival (resurrection) ofJesus, seen as the 'Christ'.Resurrection is a tenn that Christians use for the event or time when Jesus becamealive again three days after his death. Jesus is seen as the chosen one ofGod. It swith Jesus that the history ofChristianity takes its start.Having ahistoryofmore thantwo thousand years,Christianity has manifested agreat variety ofexpressionsin different parts of theworld. It continues to behighly heterogeneous, for itsadherents are more than abillion people in differentcountries. In spite of thisdiversity, some of itsprinciples are commonlyheld. Christianity believesthat God has told human beings what is good for them. Anvone who comes toGod must believe that He exists and He gives rewards to those who search forHim. One of he central beliefs ofChristianity is that three things are everlasting:faith, hope. and love, and the greatest ofall is 'loYe' tor everything that exists in thel.ll1iverse. One should depend upon the Father of Jesus Christ, i.e., God, who isthe sourceofall good in this life and in the life to come.Christianity is ofgreater antiquity in India than in any other country in the worldexcept Palestine. It is older in India than in Rome itself Christianitycame to Indiain two main movements, which are separated by a period ofalmost one thousandyears. The first movement occurred inthe early centuries afterChrist when Christiantravellers, following the trade routes, settled along the coast ofKerala. Theyconverted the local people and established permanent groupsofChristians there.The members of he various Churchesof he Thomas Christians are convincedthat the ApostleThomas himselffounded theirchurch in its original form. There isreliable evidence that churches existed in India from fourth century A.D. Thesechurches maintained their distinctiveness by retaining Syriac as the language ofworship and receiving theirbishops from Mesopotamia. These Christians are knov.uas Syrian Christians.


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Major Religious Communities in India " ',t';; ~ . : ' .' - " 1 > ' 9 ' ~second movement began in the sixteenth century when Europeans gained

er trade centers and later, over the entire subcontinent.Thein 1510. They regarded commerce and conversionas


related. Missionaries, who were professionally dedicated to converting 1---..,;-:--/people, carried out the second introductionofChristianity into India. Notesthe end of he sixteenth century, as a result of he special privileges for Christians,

great majority ofpopulation had become Christian, members of he Romanc Church. With the support of he King ofDenmark, theProtestants entered

field in 170". Expansion began in 1858 when the British governmenttookle from the East IndiaCompany. Today, Christians number about three peroflndia's population.

missionaries were genetallyagainst the traditionalsocial order, i.e. castewere not able to provide feasible alternatives. Convertsmade n Jinly from lower castes, but even after they had embraced Christianity,

ranking did not change. Higher castes treated them in the same way ashad treated them earlier. Not only were the lower castes converted to

in certain parts, missionary activitieswere also active in tribal areas,of he north-eastern partof ndia. As a result, qualitative changes have

in the lifestyles of people who had embraced Christianity. The level ofis higher among them. Christian missions also provided legal help to

land hadbeen forcibly taken airay by outsiders. Many tribal languagesthe northeastern part found a script in Roman because of the efforts of theIn otherwords, Christianity has been a source oflong-lastingchangesIndia.

Judaismt o l l o w ~ r s rJfJudaism are known as Je\\S. Tite ancient Indian settlementsof

in Cochit1 anj Maharashtra. Both the settlements are small in numbera combined populationofnot more than twenty thousand individuals.

,


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MODULE-IYIndian Society

'1l, Major Rdiginus ( ommumtirs in India

several Konkani-speaking villages as i l - p r e s s e r s . ~ ? i n c e oil-pressing is not aprestigious occupation, they do notrank high in their villages. As they do not workon Saturdays, they are also known as Saturday Oilmen. They observe Jewishfestivals. There is also evidence that they have tried to improve upon their statusby purifying their diet and prohibiting the remarriageofwidows. Like those inCochin, these Jews are also divided into White Jews, those who claim pure Jewishancestry, and Black Jews, who are oflnixed origin. The White Jews p ~ c ethemselves above the Black. Some scholars say that these two groups are like tttetwo castes.

Fill inthe blanks.a. Cbristinity is a faith.b. The followers ofJudaism are called___c. TheJewsofMaharashtraaredividedinto _ _ _ _ _ n d _ ~ ~ - - - d. is seen as the chosen one ofGod.e. In , Portuguese occupied Goa.f Many tribal communities in northeastern part of India have embraced

28.1.7 IslamIn this section, we shall provide an account of headherents oflslam in India, whonumber about thirteen percent oflndia's population.Besideslndonesia,Indiahasthe largest population ofMuslims than is the casewithany other country.The rootslm inA!abic means'to be in peace, to be anintegral whole'. From thatcomes the word Islam,which means 'to surrender

l l f " __________________________________________ s ~ o c ~ ~ ~ o ~ t o ~ G ~ Y


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. . , ,, 'to God's law and thus to be an integral ~ l e . ' One who so surren to God'slaws is called Muslim. the followersofIslam believe thatGodh3s rev Hismessage regarding how hUII181l!cind should live. Through all ages, God haSHis messengers as the guides ofhmnan!Jeings. The first Prophetwas Adam.W3Sthefust]lumanbeingaswe!L lbelastin.thechainofProphetswasMuhammad,the Prophetof he sixth centuryA.D. Some Prophets received the holy messagesfrom God in the form ofscriptures. The last such scripture was the Quran, the

revealed book ofMuslims.Throughout the ages, the basic doctrine1/fi!l)am has remained thesame. It wasorganized in Arabi11 in the a r l y ~ v e n t h ctihtury A.D. The three basic conceptsof

' . ~Islam are: the oneness ofGod (a{-Tawhid), ~ concept ofProphethood (a/-R i s a / a ) , a n d t h e c o n c e p t o f l i f e h e r e a f \ e r ( a / - A k h i r a h ~ T h e i d e a o f i s l a m i s s u m m e dup intheideaof'Thereisnodeity, ~ t God'. Ita s God to be one andoiiltone. God of Quran is t r a n s c e n d ~ n t , powerful, and erciful. There are fiveconstitue::!s of he Islamic a i t h ( ~ , namely belief n God, in angels, in revealedbooks, in God's e s s e n g e r s , and in!'\last y , w h e n ~ will come to anend. Corresponding to h ~ a ~ v e - f o l d ~ c a l doctrinewas formulated. Thesefive aspects constitute the 'pillars' oflsl&n:'They are: Bearing witoess in public at least once in one's lifetime that 'There is no God

but God and Muhammad is His PWphet.' Islam's fundamental ideas are theonenessofGod and the finalityofthe Prophet.

Praying five times a qay (before sunrise, early afternoon, late afternoon,immediatelyafterstmsei, andbefore retiring),while facing theKa'bahatMecca.

.,' ' .. ' Paymg welfare tax (mkat)forpoor.

F ~ i n g during Ramadan (the ninth monthof he Islamic lunar year) with noeating, drinking, smoking, or sexual intercourse from dawn until sunset.

Performing the annual pilgrimage to the Ka'bah once in one's adult lifetimepmvided one can affordthe journey and has pmvision for one's family.

In India, Muslims live both in towns and i l l ~ ~ g e s . Some tribal communities alsoadhere to Islam, such as Gujars. In all social contexts, Muslims are a partof hewider units. In i l l ~ ~ g e s , for example, they are regarded and regard themselves as acaste (jatz). They pmvide occupational services-ofweavers, oilmancaste, banglesellers, waterman caste, etc.- to the other castes. They are a part of he patronclient relations, i.e.,jajmani system. The fact that there are inter-communityrelations does not imply that u s ~ inviilllges are notaware of heir identity.Muslims in Indian villages are aware of he distinctivenessof heir religion. They

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permit cousin maniages. They allow greater inheritance rights to women. Also,their women have stricter rulesofseclusion. Often, \11herever there is a Muslimsettlement, there is a mosque, where all of hem, irrespective of heir class andoccupational differences, assemble to pray. They participate in ceremoniestogether,

\ - . , ; : N ' l ' " o ~ t - e s - - 1 such as Id or the Prophet's birthday. Hence, even when there are separate (oftenendogamous) groups within Muslims, their religion brings them together, to sharethe samemosque and participate in community festivals. Socialdiffi:rentiationamongMuslims has a connotation different from what it has for Hindus.28.1.8 SikhismThe word Sikh is derived from the Paliword sikha and the Sanskrit word sisya.Boththesewordsmean 'disciple'. Sikhsarethedisciplesoftengurus(teachers),beginning with Guru Nanak (1469-1539) and ending with Guru Gobind Singh(1666-1708). A Sikh is one who believes in the 1:en gurus and the Guru GranthSahib, a scripture which their fifth guru, Aljun Dev, compiled in 1604. Sikhismwas an offshootof he bhakti (devotional) cult ofVaisnavaHinduism. Guru Nanakwas the Punjab's chief spokesman ofbhaktitradition.Nanak was the son ofa revenue official in the village offalwandi (forty miles from

. Lahore). He was born in the caste ofKhatris, who regarded themselves asKshatriya. At the ageof wenty-nine, he had a mystical experience, as a result ofwhich he pronounced, 'There is no Hindu; there is no Muslim.' He rejected allsocial distinctions among his followers. He went on various journeys where ineach one he spread the message ofhuman equality. People in the villages ofPunjabremember him in the fOllowing words: 'Gum Nanak, the Kingof eligions, to theHindus, a guru, to the Muslims, a saint 'Nanak accepted most of he traditional beliefs ofHinduisrn, butattacked the practiceofuntouchability. In his thought, God is the father, lover, master, and the greatgiverofall gifts. God is formless (nirankara) and without quality (nirguna . Hemay be known by different names, such as Rab, Rahim, Govinda, Murari, andHari. Nanak firSt called God Aumkara, but later referred tobini as Sat Kartar (the'true creator') or Sat Nam (the 'true name'). In Sikhism, the symbol ofGod isOm. -In order to create equality at the practical level, Guru Nanak established freecommunity kitchens (langar) at whichall his believers, irrespectiveof heir caste,ate together. This institution oflangariscentral to Sikhism. Besides this, the institutionofgurushipisatthecoreofNanak'sreligioussystem.Noonecanachievesalvationwithout the ~ , who must be respected and consulted. But the honour given to .the guru does not imply that he s)lould be worshipped. Sikhism makes a clear

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distinction between God and guru. The latter is a teacher, not an incarnation ofGod. Nanak called himself a 'slave and servant ofgod.' Beginning withhim, thereis a chainof he nine other gurus, namely GuruAngad (1504-1552), Amar Das


(1479-1574), Ram Das (1534-1581), Guru Arjun (1563-1606), Hargobind ~ - : - - - 1(1595-1644), Har Rai (1630-1661), Har Kishan (1656-1664), Teg Bahdur(1621-1675), and Gobind Singh. Each one oi them made his own distinctcontribution to the development ofSikhism.Nanak strongly disapprovedofasceticiSm andputtmg one's body to pain as astep towards e n l i g h t e n m e ~ f . He propagated the vocation ( a s r ~ m a ) ~ f thehouseholder (grahas{a). One should spend one's time in the company ofholymen(sadh sangat). One shonld repeat thename (nam)ofGod and participate indevotional song-singing (kirtan). Throughthem, one would succeed in attainingsalvation.

two percentof ndia's population belongs to Sikhism, maiuly concentratedinthe l'u!yab. As thecommunity ofSikhs has been highly entetprising, its membershave been b ~ to control business not only in other ~ oflndia but abroad aswell. Sikhs.mamtain matrimonial ties with Hindus, but assert their independentidentity. The institutions ofcommunity kitchenand guruship sustain it, as we sawearlier. Iii modem times, Sikhs have alsp set up political bodies (s,uch as SriGurudwara,PrabandhakCommittee; Akali Dal) that perform thefunction ofcreatinga i d e n t i t y for them. The studiesofSikh villages point out that they comprisesociaYunits, placed insome kindof anking, which act like castes. The place ofworship (gurudwara) isopen to allSikhs, irrespectiveof heir social standing, butmarriages across them are rarely practiced. r

Answer the following questions.1 _Whatpercentageoflndia'spopulationfollowslslarn?

2 Whatisthemeaningofthetermlslam?

3 Are Muslims a part of hejajmani system in lildian villages?

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MODULE-IVlndi11n Society

, . , \b.tjor Religious ( ommunitJcs in lnd1a" '

4 WbatisthemeaningofthetermSikh?

5 HowmanygurusdoSikhsrecognize?~ N ~ o ~ t : - : e - : - s - - 1

Indiaisamulti-religioussociety. India is a secular coW!lry comprising various religions of heworld, whichare

further divided into several sects and cults. It is not only that there are differentworld religions represented in India, butalso, these religions are divided intoseveral sectsand cults.

Each one of hem claims a sizable membership. Hinduism contains in its fold hundredsofgods and goddesses, and severaldozens ofsectsand movements. Muslims are divided into Shias and Sunnis. Digambara and Svetambara are the two groups within Jainism. The otherreligions are also similarly fragmented. The local religious movements have begunmainly because of wo reasons.Either, they opposed the principle ofsocial organization that Hindus held,

namely caste system. Or, they emerged around a religious leader who promiseda different pathofsalvation. The leader did not necessarily attack the casteideology. We may think of he Osho cult (which Acharya Osho Rajneeshfounded) and the cult of ranscendental meditation (founded by MaharishiMahesh Yogi) as examples of he second type.

By comparison, the indigenous religious movements, which laterbequnedistinct religions (like Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism), arose as reactions to casteinequality and the denial ofsalvationto many groups.

Religions entering into India (like Christianity and Islam) also attacked casteinequality and they tried to create a society in which all human beings wereequal. These religions, whether oflocal or external origin, had to convert the local

people for their membership. Many local communities were attracted to them.For instance, Jats were attracted to Sikhism. The members of he merchant

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to r Hchgious ( ommunities in India "":'' . .caste (Vaishya) were attracted to Jainism. Lower castes were attracted toChristianity and Islam, the religions in which they sawan alternative to emergeout ofcaste inequality.

MODULE-IVJndisn Society

These religions claimed to provide equality to their members, but the reality 1 1 - ~ N ; : o - : - t e : - :was different. The original members avoided any interaction offood andmarriage with localconverts. The earlier caste relations and practices continuedwith the converts. So, those who were from upper castes avoided any socialintercourse with the converts. from lowercastes.Sufism is an important institution thatunitesdifferent communities. BothHindusand Muslims worship Sufi saints. Along with the other saintsof he Bhaktimovement, they have played a crucial role in creating the composite cultureofIndia

the following questions. in I00-200 wordsGive reasons for the decline ofBuddhism.What is the central belief oflslam?Give an account of he five 'pillars' ofIslam.What is the central beliefofJainism? Name the sects in which the Jains are divided.What are the properties ofGod according to Sikhs? Describe the idea of the'communitykitchen'?

1 ANS\VER TO INTEXT QlESTIONSI) eighty three per cent2) Asia, Africa, the Caribkean Islands, Fiji and United Kindgom3) Indus valley civilization4)Zoroastrianism5) Maharashtra and Gujarat


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L-28 Major Religious Communities in India