A kaleidoscope of religions
According to the last major national census in 2011, 79.8 per cent of citizens are Hindus, 14.2 per cent are Muslims, 2.3 per cent are Christians, 1.7 per cent are Sikhs, 0.7 per cent are Buddhists and 0.4 per cent of the population is Jain. These figures should be put into perspective when considering the south of the country, where each state has its own religious characteristics. While Hinduism is in the majority everywhere, the proportion of its devotees varies enormously. The states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have a predominantly Hindu population (84 to 91 per cent). Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana have a higher proportion of Muslims in their population (over 11.5%) than the other states, with the exception of Kerala. Some states have religious particularities inherited from their history. For example, a quarter of the population of Goa is Christian, and "only" 66% is Hindu. Kerala, where influences from all over the world have collided, is 54.7 per cent Hindu, 27.6 per cent Muslim and 18.4 per cent Christian. In Karnataka, in the small town of Bylakuppe, there is the second largest Tibetan diaspora in the world (about 70,000 people), after the one in Dharamsala, in northern India. In its monasteries, the traditional rites of Tibetan Buddhism are still practiced.
Hinduism
The principles of Hinduism are complex: it is a polytheistic religion that has no specific founder, nor a single "sacred book" that can be used as a support of faith, and that counts an innumerable number of deities in its pantheon. It is one of the oldest religions in the world and is still practiced today. With over a billion followers around the globe, Hinduism is the third most widespread religion after Christianity and Islam. In India, it is the majority faith and its followers make up nearly 80% of the population. There are two main traditions in Hinduism: Shivaism and Vishnuism.
Foundations. The principles of Hinduism began to emerge with the writing of the Vedas, which are said to have been composed and compiled at the time of Krishna (around 3500 BC). This collection of texts written in Sanskrit would be the work of various Indian sages, the Rishis. The Vedas consist of four books, themselves divided into four volumes: the oldest is the Samhitâs (books of mantras), then the Brâhmanas (teachings on the rituals to be practiced), the Âranyakas (theological teachings), and finally the Upanishads (philosophical aspect). Some auxiliary works developed later, which develop the themes of the previous collections and allow an easier understanding of the texts, are also part of this tradition. Other important post-Vedic works, such as the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad-Gîtâ, are considered part of the Vedas by some Hindu traditions. Hinduism is a syncretic religion and sometimes accepts other deities into the pantheon, which may differ between schools and traditions (for example, some accept Buddha as the 9th avatar of the god Vishnu).
Concepts. Hindus believe in the immortality of the human soul(âtman), which precedes the existence of the human body and persists after physical death. The transmigration of the soul is the basis of the concept of reincarnation, which is present in Hinduism as in other religions born in India. Karma is the sum of past actions, good and bad, which determines the quality of reincarnation. The goal of life is therefore to free oneself from this cycle, to attain liberation(moksha) and to become one with the Cosmos/God. To achieve this salvation, the individual must necessarily engage in a specific discipline, yoga. There are a multitude of yogic techniques. Karma yoga, for example, is the action of serving others in a selfless way and devoting one's actions to the deity. Hatha yoga and its more modern form,Ashtanga yoga, are the most common forms of yoga in the West. It is a set of meditation techniques, mantra chanting and postures that facilitate the flow of energy through the different centers of the body(chakras), thus allowing the practitioner to reach spiritual awakening. Each discipline has a teacher(guru), whose role is essential. There is a range of other methods relating to diet, breath(prânâyâma), or asceticism for the most determined. Hinduism is a dynamic religion made up of a vast array of ancient and modern traditions.
Rituals. The rituals of the Hindu tradition vary drastically according to the states, the regions, the villages, the castes, the individuals... The main common lines are present, notably the essential notions of purity and impurity. It is essential to avoid impure practices (killing an animal, eating meat) and to purify oneself through good deeds, devotion and prayers. The path of devotion to the gods(bhakti) is considered the most important for many Hindus. Although polytheistic, most devotees focus their devotion on a personal god, which may be that of their caste, community, family, etc. The set of ritual offerings to the deity (prayers, flowers, food, incense, etc.) forms the basis of a puja. These rituals are most often performed daily, in front of the family altar in a home or in a temple. Dawn and dusk are considered the best times of the day to perform a puja. In the south of the country, colorful geometric shapes(kollams) are often drawn in chalk by the housewife in front of the doorway of their home: they are meant to encourage the coming of Lakshmi and financial and spiritual abundance, as well as to ward off negative energies. Many stages of life are also marked by a ritual supposed to bring good fortune: marriage, birth, initiation, exams. Special ceremonies surround the death of a Hindu: family members have specific rituals and tasks to perform in order to help the deceased attain liberation. Cremation is the most common method of burial. The ashes are collected and then thrown into a sacred river or ocean, considered auspicious for the deceased.
Main gods. The Hindu pantheon is presided over by a trinity, the Trimûrti, whose supreme deities represent the cosmic functions of creation, conservation and destruction: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
Brahma is the creator god of the universe: he creates but does not act on his creation afterwards. His feminine energy (shakti) is embodied by his wife Sarasvati, who presides over knowledge, wisdom and the arts. His mount is the swan. Brahma is most often represented as a bearded god with four heads. Hindu legend has it that while he was creating the universe, he fathered a female deity, Sarasvati, with whom he fell madly in love. In an attempt to escape Brahma's insistent gaze, Sarasvati moves in opposite directions, but Brahma creates an extra head each time to be able to observe her, even ending up with a fifth head to watch over him. When Shiva realizes that Brahma is infatuated with his own "daughter", he thinks that this is an intolerable position for a god and decides to cut off his upper head so that he can dominate him. Shiva then decreed that Brahma should not be worshipped in any temple. Since this event, the four heads of Brahmâ recite the four Vedas to repent. This perfect knowledge of the sacred texts is considered necessary for the creation of the universe. In spite of its primordial importance in the Trimûrti, its worship is not very widespread among the Hinduists. There are very few temples dedicated exclusively to Brahma, except in Pondicherry and Pushkar in Rajasthan.
Vishnu is the protector of the universe, he preserves the balance between the forces of good and the dark forces. If the balance is in danger, Vishnu the eternal incarnates on earth in a specific form adapted to his mission, an avatar. Vishnu is famous for his numerous avatars, 8 in number. The most frequent avatars seen in temples in India are Narasimha, the half-man half-lion god, Rama, the hero of the Ramayana and 7th incarnation of Vishnu, and the last avatar is Krishna. The next incarnation of Vishnu is Kalki. This avatar is an apocalyptic figure who will appear to end the era of Kali Yuga. Vishnu's wife or female energy is Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and abundance, who is very popular in South India. The three wives of the Trimûrti, Sarasvatî, Lakshmi and Pârvatî, also form a sacred trinity, the Tridevî. The god Vishnu is most often represented with a blue-black skin color and with four arms. His most notable attributes are the conch, the disc(chakra), and the white lotus. His mount is the bird-man Garuda. In all Vishnu temples, you will see a statue of Garuda standing in front of the shrine containing the idol of Vishnu, most often depicted lying on the serpent Ananta.
Shiva is the destructive god of the universe and also has immense power of transformation and regeneration. He is also known as Âdiyogi, the first yogi, the one with universal and absolute knowledge. Shiva is depicted as an ascetic covered with sacred funeral ashes, engaged in deep solitary meditation. He is therefore a figure particularly revered by sadhus (renunciants). Shiva is often depicted with blue skin, with histhird eye open, and with two or four arms depending on his shape. A crescent moon sits atop his skull and the Ganges flows down his long hair tied in a bun. A cobra, symbolizing kundalini energy, is wrapped around his neck, and he also wears a rudraksha necklace. He is dressed only in a simple tiger skin, and a trident(trishula) is planted in the ground on his right. His attributes are those of an ascetic and contrast with the royal attributes of Vishnu. Shiva is intrinsically linked to the female matrix energy(shakti), which can have a different incarnation depending on its aspect. Pârvatî, reincarnation of the first wife of Shiva immolated by fire and sister of Vishnu, constitutes a model of moral conduct and virtue for Indian women. Durga, seated on her tiger, embodies protection, strength and motherhood. She is a goddess in her own right and is venerated throughout the country. Kâlî is represented in a frightening form, with black skin, the pulled out tongue and a necklace of skulls around the neck. Kali is the goddess of destruction and transformation. Shiva's vehicle is the Nandi, a white bull. A statue of the Nandi guards the entrance of the sanctuaries dedicated to Shiva. Devotees whisper their requests in his ear so that he can transmit them to Shiva. In the vast majority of temples, Shiva is represented in an abstract way: the idol is in fact a lingam, or shivalinga, a cylindrical phallic stone rounded at the top, placed on a yoni, symbolizing the female matrix. Shiva and Pârvatî have two sons. The first is Ganesh, the very popular elephant-headed god. Ganapati, as he is also called, has four arms and a broken tusk. He is the god of wisdom, protection and prudence. Devotees usually pray to him before ceremonies and before undertaking a major project (travel, studies), because Ganesh is the god who eliminates obstacles. The other son is Skanda, also called Karttikeya or more frequently Murugan in the south of the country, a warrior lord particularly venerated in the state of Tamil Nadu. According to legend, Shiva and Pârvatî live on top of Mount Kailash, a sacred mountain in Tibet.
Islam
India is home to the second largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia, with over 150 million people. Representing 14.2% of the population, they are the second largest religious minority in the country. The overwhelming majority of devout Muslims in India are Sunni. Although the highest concentration of Muslims is in the north of the country, there are several sizeable Muslim communities in the south, including Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Islam appeared very early on the Malabar coast through Arab merchants who came from the Middle East to trade in spices. The first mosque in the country appeared in Kerala in the 7th century. The Muslims who arrived in Kerala became integrated into the local population over time, and Kerala's Muslims, who speak Malayalam as their native language, are now referred to as Mappilas or Moplahs. Islam then spread from western Asia to the south, and the Muslim sultanate of Delhi ruled the north of the country from the early 12th to the 14th century, greatly strengthening the position of Islam in the country. The religious traditions, customs and rituals of Islam contrast sharply with those of Hinduism, in contrast to the other native religions of India such as Buddhism and Jainism.
Christianity
The Christian faith is the third largest religious minority in India. Although it represents only 2.3% of the country's overall population, the religion is more prevalent in the south of the country, particularly in the states of Goa, Andaman and Nicobar, Kerala and, to a lesser degree, Tamil Nadu. Christianity is believed to have originated with the visit of St. Thomas, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ, over 2,000 years ago. After landing on the Malabar coast, he evangelized a part of the population of the territory corresponding today to the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Thereafter, European settlers also sought to evangelize the populations. In the 15th century, the Portuguese Jesuit missionary St. Francis Xavier opened the breach where other missionaries from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Denmark ... Many locals are converted by force, others convert to escape the sad condition imposed by their caste. The amazingly well-preserved body of St. Francis Xavier rests today in a glass coffin, visible to all, in the Bom Jesus Basilica in Old Goa.
Judaism
Judaism is believed to be the earliest exogenous religion to have taken root in India, arriving around the sixth century BC. Like Islam, the Jewish faith appeared on the Malabar coast through maritime trade with the Mediterranean. The first Jewish community settled in Cranganore and Kochi, in present-day Kerala. Over the centuries, the Jews of Kochi, still present in small numbers today, assimilated the Kerala culture in a remarkable way, making Malayalam their main language while preserving their traditional religious heritage. Today, the splendid Paradesi Synagogue, completely rebuilt in 1568, can still be admired in the Jewish quarter of Fort Kochi. A second Jewish community, the Bene Israel, arrived on the Konkan coast in the 11th century. Mainly settled in the rural areas of Maharashtra for several centuries, they integrated wonderfully into the daily life of the locals, using a Judeo-Marathi dialect as their language. In the 19th century, they migrated to the large cities of Bombay, Pune, Ahmedabad and Karachi (now in Pakistan). The third wave of Jewish migration was made up of Jews from Iraq who arrived in the 18th century as a result of the maritime trade established by the British. These Jewish merchants settled mainly in Bombay and Calcutta in order to make their trade prosper.
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is a religion founded by the prophet Zarathustra (or Zoroaster) in Persia, modern-day Iran, in the 2nd century BC. The Parsis are the descendants of immigrants who arrived in India between the 8th and 10th centuries to escape Muslim persecution. Bombay later became their strategic base to carry out their commercial activities which flourished during the colonial period. The highest concentration of followers of this religion in the world is in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Although this community is small - there are reportedly only a little over 60,000 followers in the country and a handful in Iran and the United States - its weight in Indian society is significant because it is one of the wealthiest communities in the country, and its financial power gives it considerable influence in political, social and economic life. In Mumbai, especially in the Fort and Malabar Hill districts, one can still admire Parsi monuments with their bewitching and particular architecture, as well as the "towers of silence", these pillars open to the sky where they deposit their dead so that they can be devoured by scavenging birds, in accordance with their tradition.
Other religions
The country's three other native religions, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, have little presence in the south. Only Maharashtra has a significant number of Buddhists, who make up nearly 6 per cent of the state's population, and followers of Jainism. Sikhism is the preserve of Punjab in northeast India. A few gurdwaras, the places of worship of the Sikhs, are however present in the major cities of the south
