Religion in India
Religion in India is characterised by a diversity of religious beliefs and practices. Throughout India's history, religion has been an important part of the country's culture and the Indian subcontinent is the birthplace of four of the world's major religions, namely, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, which are collectively known as native Indian religions or Dharmic religions and represent approx. 83% of the total population of India.
This article is about contemporary religions followed in the Republic of India. For religions native to the Indian subcontinent, see Indian religions. For the book, see The Religion of India. For the religions of indigenous peoples of North America, see Native American religions.
The Preamble to the Constitution of India states that India is a secular state,[2][3] and the Constitution of India has declared the right to freedom of religion to be a fundamental right.[4]
According to the 2011 census, 79.8% of the population of India practices Hinduism, 14.2% adheres to Islam, 2.3% adheres to Christianity, 1.7% adheres to Sikhism, 0.7% adheres to Buddhism and 0.4% adheres to Jainism. Zoroastrianism, Sanamahism and Judaism also have an ancient history in India, and each has several thousands of Indian adherents. India has the largest population of people adhering to both Zoroastrianism (i.e. Parsis and Iranis) and the Bahá'í Faith in the world;[5] these religions are otherwise largely exclusive to their native Persia where they originated from.
The Constitution of India, declares India to be a secular state with no state religion.[6] The Forty-second Amendment of the Constitution of India enacted in 1976 asserts the Preamble to the Constitution of India as secular.[7]The Supreme Court of India in the 1994 case S. R. Bommai v. Union of India established that India had been secular since the formation of the Republic on 26 January 1950.[8] Secularism in India is understood to mean not a complete separation of religion from state, but a state that participates in a neutral manner in the affairs of all religious groups and as well as atheism while maintaining equidistance from all.
However, the original copy of the Indian constitution has an illustration of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana in Part III on Fundamental Rights and Rama has been considered as the true guardian of people's rights.[9] Article 48 of the Indian constitution prohibits the slaughter of cows or calves (a sacred animal in Hinduism) and the same is a criminal offense in most states of India.[10][11]
Secularism is defined as a basic structure doctrine of the constitution through the argument of Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala case, that cannot be removed or amended by any means.[12] However, there is no mention of the term “Basic Structure” anywhere in the Constitution of India. The idea that the Parliament cannot introduce laws that would amend the basic structure of the constitution have been evolved judicially over time and many cases.
The particular provisions regarding secularism and freedom of religion in India in the constitution are:
The largest religious gathering ever held on Earth, 2019 Prayag Kumbh Mela held in Allahabad (officially known as Prayagraj) attracted around 120 million people from around the world.
Mahamagam Festival is a holy festival celebrated once in twelve years in Tamil Nadu. Mahamagam Festival, which is held at Kumbakonam. This festival is also called as Kumbamela of South.[139][140]
![Mahamagam Festival is a holy festival celebrated once in twelve years in Tamil Nadu. Mahamagam Festival, which is held at Kumbakonam. This festival is also called as Kumbamela of South.[139][140]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Mahamaham_Festival_in_Kumbakonam.jpg/200px-Mahamaham_Festival_in_Kumbakonam.jpg)
Maramon Convention, the largest annual Christian gathering in Asia, organised by the Mar Thoma Syrian Church.
Tawang Monastery in Arunachal Pradesh, was built in the 1600s, is the largest monastery in India and second-largest in the world after the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet.
The Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh is the oldest stone structure in India. Built by Emperor Asoka in the 3rd century BCE, it houses the relics of Buddha Siddhartha Gautama.
