1. INDIA
country where the Buddha attained Nirvana – where
people practiced Christianity even before Europe took to it –
where Sufis and the Mystics walked on lonely trails for days
on end, and where as recently as 1995,thousands of
Ganesha idols suddenly started drinking milk! People still
debate if they really did – some believe, others do not. In
India, you always have a choice.
2. HINDUISM
More a way of life than a religion,
Hinduism is a collective term used to
denote the practices, customs and
traditions of more than 80% Indians.
The origin of Hinduism is lost in
antiquity. It possibly originated
more than 5000 years ago and is
an amalgamation of the beliefs
and customs of the settlers from
Central Asia with those of the
indigenous people of India.
3. HINDUISM
According to Hinduism; Brahma is the
Creator, Vishnu is the Preserver, and
Shiva is the Destroyer and Reproducer.
Each god has an associated animal
known as the "vehicle" in which he or
she rides along with a consort with
certain attributes. Generally each god
has a symbol in his hands. Brahma's
consort is Saraswati, the Goddess of
Learning. She rides in a white swan and
holds the Veena in his hands. Vishnu,
the Preserver, has paid nine visits to the
earth. In one of the visits he appeared as
Lord Rama. Rama also managed to give
a number of secondary Gods like the
Hanuman; the monkey God, Rama's lady
was Sita.
MEENAKSHI TEMPLE -
MADURAI
4. HINDUISM
Hinduism is also known as
Sanatana Dharma. Hinduism has
a number of Holy books, including
the Bhagavad-Gita, which is
credited to Krishna, The
Ramayana and Mahabharata, the
Vedas, the Upanishads and the
Puranas. The Vedas are the basic
texts that the Hindus hold
sacrosanct. These include the
mantras, Brahmanas,
theAranyakas or forest treatises,
and the Upanishads or
philosophical dissertations. TEMPLES IN VARANASI
5. HINDUISM
Hindu temples predominate
in India, from the mysterious
13th century Sun Temple at
Konark in Orissa to the
Technicolor glory of Madurai
Meenakshi temple in
Tamilnadu. For Hindus, the
square is the perfect shape,
so most of the temples have
square as the plan. Each
temple is dedicated to a
particular God.
6. CHRISTIANITY
It is hard to believe that
the Se Cathedral in Goa
was constructed a century
before the Taj Mahal was
even thought of. Even
harder to believe is the
fact that one of the oldest
Christian communities in
the world lives in India!
7. CHRISTIANITY
VASCODAGAMA
CHURCH,COCHIN
In the churches shoes are
often left outside and women
and men sit on opposite sides
of the nave. The Christians in
India are organized into local
communities, regional bodies
like diocese, union councils
and national ones like synod
national federation. Most of
the churches have a bishop
for each diocese.
8. CHRISTIANITY
Today, Christians are a part of
the greater Indian community,
comprising 2.3% of the Indian
population. They are perhaps
more religious in their beliefs and
following of the faith, than the
Christian community in the west.
At the same time they are
distinctly Indian in their customs
and social practices. The
Christian community is spread
thinly across the country with in
the North Eastern states, Goa,
Kerala, and Pondicherry.
9. BUDDHISM
Buddhism became a powerful
religious force almost all over
India from the 2nd BC to 3rd
AD. It reached its peak under
the Mauryan empire (322–185
AD). From the 6-8th century,
the resurgence of Hinduism
also resulted in the decline of
Buddhism in India. Today,
there are approximately 30
million Buddhists in India.
10. BUDDHISM
Buddhism is based upon
four noble truths:
All human conditions
lead to suffering
Suffering has a cause
That cause is craving
or desire or thirst
There is a path for the
cessation of suffering
11. JAINISM
Jainism is one of the
oldest living
religions in the
world. It was
founded by Mahavira
in 6th century BC
and has remained
more or less
unchanged for
centuries.
12. JAINISM
Today, Jainism is followed by
approximately 7 million people in
India, which is a small percentage of
the Indian population. Most of them
belong to Karnataka in the south, or
Gujarat and Rajasthan in the west.
Even so, the Jains are a prominent
community and have been able to
maintain their cultural identity. Today,
they are also among the most affluent
in India. However, they maintain an
extremely simple lifestyle, in
conformity with the Jain ideology.
13. JAINISM
SHRAVANABELAGOLA
TEMPLE
Shravanbelgola, the Digambara's
temple near Mysore has a statue of
the saint Gomateshvara carved in it
peak. Here the architecture, worship
and everything take their cue from
Hinduism. Most of the Jains take
their vows, go on pilgrimages and
fast on "Pavan" meaning holy days,
the 8th and 14th days of the moon's
waxing and waning every month.
They also accept Sallakhana, the
fast to death while meditating, as an
honorable way of ending ones life.
Since two of the sacred hills are in
Gujarat most of the Jains live there
15. ISLAM
Islam is an Arabic word meaning both
"Submission to God" and "Peace". The
followers of Islam who are called Muslims
are found all over the world. One tenth of
the total Muslims in the world live in India.
India is one of the largest Islamic nations
in the world. Some of India's most
spectacular Mosques are relics of the
Mughals who ruled India from 1525 to
early 18th century.
Most of the Mosques are found in the northern part of the country
only. Mosques have a large space inside for prayer with the outer
part having astounding beauty and different designs. In essence
its plan is derived from the prophet's house in Medina.
16. Friday is the Muslim holy
day and the main Mosque in
each city is called the Jami
Masjid or Friday Mosque.
Each Muslim is supposed to
offer Namaz or prayer daily
for five times and fast for the
whole month of ramzan. A
Muslim is also supposed to
give away one fortieth of his
wealth every year as charity.
ISLAM
PEOPLE THRONGING THE
AJI HALI MOSQUE IN
BOMBAY
17. Delhi's Jama Masjid is
one of India's most
spectacular mosques
and features traditional
Ablaq stonework. It is
the country's largest
mosque and is able to
hold 25,000 people at
any time.
ISLAM
18. They are the most visible of the religious groups because of the five
symbols introduced by their Guru to make them stand out in a crowd.
They are the five Kakkars and are:
SIKHISM
Kesha or uncut hair,
Kangha or wooden or ivory comb, Kaccha or shorts,
Kara or the steel bracelet
Kritipan or the sword.
19. SIKHISM
Sikhism is the religion of
the Sikhs, literally
disciples. It originated in
Punjab in the late 15th
century as a reaction to
the rigidities in
Hinduism and Islam.
The religion was founded by Guru Nanak Dev, also
the first guru of the Sikhs. It was more a way of life
than a religion until the 17th century when Guru
Govind Singh formalised it. He formed the order of
the Khalsa or a chosen race of soldier saints who
abide by a strict code of moral conduct
20. SIKHISM
The word "Sikh" goes back to
Sanskrit "shisya" meaning disciple
or learner. However, the term
"Sikh" in the Punjab came to be
used for the disciples of Guru
Nanak and his nine spiritual
successors. The Sikhs are a few
million in India and they are chiefly
found in the state of Punjab.
GOLDEN TEMPLE
AMRITSAR
They are the most visible of the religious
groups because of the five symbols
introduced by their Guru to make them
stand out in a crowd.
21. Sikhs have no fixed congregational
worship except on Ekadasi, the
11th day of the lunar month and on
Sangrand or New years Day.
Worship can be at the gurdwara or
the house as long as there is a
copy of the Granth Sahib. They
practice tolerance and love of
others and their belief in hospitality
extends to offering shelter to
anyone who comes to their
Gurdwaras. They are one of the
better-of groups in the Indian
society.
SIKHISM
GURDWARA
They have a well-known reputation for mechanical aptitude and
specialize in handling machinery of any type, from auto rickshaws
to Jumbo jets.
22. SIKHISM
There are always Ragis or musicians,
both male and female, to perform kirtan
while the faithful clap in
accompaniment. The scripture is written
in Gurmukhi language and printed in a
form of Devnagiri script. Worshippers
also bring offerings of money and food
and some of them prepare the Langar,
the community vegetarian meal of dhal
vegetables, rice and chapattis eaten by
all equally.
Sikhism is an egalitarian religion. One must remove the shoes
while entering the temple premises and covering of the head is
also a must.
GOLDEN TEMPLE
ENTRANCE
23. GOLDEN TEMPLE - AMRITSAR
The Golden Temple in Amritsar is the Paragon of the Sikh temples.
This holiest shrine of Sikhism, also known as Hari Mandir, blends
Hindu and Muslim style of architecture.
SIKHISM
