Hinduism in India
  
|
|
K. B. Hedgewar, Vallabhbhai Patel, Mahatma Gandhi |
| Total population |
|---|
| 827,578,868 (2001)[1] 80.5% of the Indian Population |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Majority in all States except Punjab
, Kashmir and North East. |
| Languages |
Hinduism is a religious tradition[2] of India, with 80.5% of the population identifying themselves as Hindus.[3] The vast majority of Hindus in India belong to Vaishnavite and Shaivite denominations.[4]
The Vedic culture originated in India between 2000 and 1500 BC.[5] As a consequence, Hinduism, considered to be the successor of Vedic religion,[6] has had a profound impact on India's history, culture and philosophy. The name India itself is derived from Greek Ἰνδία for Indus, which is derived from the Old Persian word Hindu, from Sanskrit Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the Indus River.[7] Another popular alternative name of India is Hindustān, meaning the "land of Hindus".[8]
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Reform movements
In response to the high rate of conversions during the Muslim Mughal and Christian British rule , Hinduism in India and abroad (like Guyana and Suriname) underwent a series of reforms, the spearheading organisations being Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj. Religious leaders like Swami Vivekananda, Dayanand Saraswati, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Sri Aurobindo and political leaders like Gandhi called for reform and complete turnover of the social structuring. Tulsidas, Sant Kabeer Das, Raidas, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu etc were pioneer of the bhakti movement for the social reformation.
India saw Muslim and later Christian rule; yet the country remains dominated by Hindus. Some account the strength of Hinduism for the flexible and open nature of the religion, in that to worship Jesus Christ or Allah does not necessarily contradict Hinduism. This religion has polytheistic tendencies, so considering another conception of God another form or avatar of the ultimate reality or creator is certainly possible. While most Hindus do not worship non Hindu God(s), it is possible in the explanation.
Another reason could be like Buddhism, Hinduism is an ancient religion with well established traditions that cut deeply into Indian daily life. Unlike indigenous American or African religions, which vary from tribe to tribe, these Indian religions spread across the vast entity that was the Indian subcontinent, generally accepted by a majority of Indian ethnic and tribal groups. Perhaps when Muslim and Christian imperialists encountered other religions, they succeeded because they were forceful and brutal religions. This is in contrast to Buddhism and Hinduism, which had existed basically the same across South and Southeast Asia.
[edit] Hindu nationalism
The cause of civices Indian nationalism, as well as Hindu nationalism fueled these reforms. Hindu nationalism was aggressively promoted by freedom fighters like:
- Vinayak Damodar Savarkar - for the formation of Akhand Bharat
- Purushottam Das Tandon - promoted Hindi as the national language of India
Others include: Syama Prasad Mookerjee, K.B. Hedgewar.
The 1947 Partition of India gave rise to bloody rioting and indiscriminate killing of Hindus and Muslims. Around 7.5 million Muslims left for Pakistan and 7.2 million Hindus left for India. This was a major factor in fueling Hindu-Muslim animosity. What followed over the years was the laying of secular principles in the Indian Constitution. The last 60 years have been relatively peaceful in most parts of the country except with the notable exception of communal riots in 1992 and 2002. A recent example of Hindu nationalist extremism was the destruction of the Babri Mosque in 1992. Hindu extremists claimed this was the site of the birthplace of the God King Rama and this former shrine desecrated by Muslim warriors. The Babri Mosque was built in its place. To reconcile this, Hindu mobs destroyed the mosque to avenge the legacy of Islamic imperialism in India.
Political support to Hindu Nationalism has been given by a number of national and regional political parties in India, most notable amongst them being the Bharatiya Janata Party, the party which led the National Democratic Alliance which ruled the country from 1998-2004 and oversaw the violent religious pogroms in various parts of the country, particularly the Gujarat massacre, as well as the saffronization of education.
Numerous state governments have also lent their support to Hindu Nationalism by bringing out legislations to ban cow slaughter. Hindus respect cows and beef consumption is a social taboo. However, a large percentage of Indians depend on beef as one of the cheapest sources of animal protein, especially lower caste Hindus, Muslims and Christians. The attempt to restrict the consumption of beef based on upper caste Hindu religious beliefs is widely regarded as "Talibanisation".
When false allegations started that Christian missionaries were trying to lure the poorer sections of Hindus to convert to Christianity by offering them money, jobs and other monetary benefits, many state governments introduced laws to check the forced conversions in violation of civil rights of Indian citizens.
Hindu fundamentalists claim Christian missionaries forcefully convert Hindus to Christianity.[9] This belief is described as false propaganda campaign orchestrated by Hindu nationalist organizations in India.[10] The stated purpose of the anti-conversion laws are to prohibit religious conversions allegedly made by "force", "fraud" or "allurement". This view is rejected by Christians and rights groups.[11] In fact, there are incidents where churches are torched and Christian schools are ransacked by Hindu extremists.[2] Christians stated that the laws are enacted actually for the purpose of obstructing conversion generally[3] and to hold onto a Hindu cultural hegemony.[2] There is also allegation that Hindu nationalists harass Christian workers by imprisoning them with false accusations.[3] Hindu extremist organizations in the country want India to become a theocratic Hindu state.[2] The anti-conversion laws favour Hinduism over other religions.[12] The U.S. Congressional Human Rights Caucus briefing on anti-conversion laws in India by Angela C. Wu of the Washington, D.C.-based The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty stated:[5] “ The federal government in India has embraced religious pluralism, and indeed Article 25 of the Indian Constitution guarantees everyone the right and the freedom to preach, practice and propagate her religion. ... Yet many state governments have chosen to exploit religious tensions by enforcing or strengthening anti-conversion laws Some of these laws have long been on the books, but the recent enforcement and even strengthening of these laws, particularly by the Hindu nationalist BJP, is alarming. These laws forbid "forcible conversions" — which police and judges have interpreted to mean anything from charity by religious groups to claiming that God would be happier if someone converted to a new religion. ” The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a Hindu nationalist political party in India, passed an anti-conversion law in the state of Gujarat in 2003. Christian community in the state feared that Hindu extremists will misuse this law by making false accusations against Christian missionaries. A report in an Indian newspaper described the law "From now on, anyone wishing to convert will have to tell the government why they were doing it and for how long they had been following the religion which they were renouncing, failing which, they will be declared offenders and prosecuted under criminal laws". Hindu nationalist organizations prosecuted Muslims and Christians and killed more than 2,000 Muslims in Gujarat in 2002. Due to this law, it becomes mandatory for the clergy who want to convert a person from one religion to another to obtain permission of the district magistrate. It also becomes mandatory for the clergy to provide personal information of the person whom (s)he wants to convert including her/his marital status, occupation and income.[13] The Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) expressed concern over this law in which "force", "fraudulent means" and "allurement" are very loosely defined.[14] Alexa Papadouris, Advocacy Director of the Christian Solidarity Worldwide, said,[15] “ This law is extremely intrusive and entirely at odds with India’s avowed respect for human rights, including the right to freedom of religion. It allows for substantial interference into the private process of an individual’s conversion by a state government known for its extremist Hindu nationalist credentials. The requirement to explain the reasons for conversion to potential hostile officials is a significant block to religious freedom, and the authority given to District Magistrates to deny permission for a conversion ‘ceremony’ is completely unacceptable. It is also a nonsense to demand the ‘time and date’ of a person’s conversion, which is a matter of their private conscience. We call upon the government of Gujarat to immediately repeal this law, and we call upon the international community to condemn what is India’s worst anti-conversion law yet. ” Within May 2008, five states in India enacted anti-conversion laws. These are:[16] Gujarat Orissa Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh Himachal Pradesh Apart from these five states, there are also plans to implement anti-conversion laws in two more states: Arunachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.[3] Throughout the country, violent anti-Christian and anti-conversion campaigns by Hindu extremists continue. Joseph Augustine Charanakunnel, Archbishop of Raipur, the capital of the Indian state Chattisgarh, said "Hindu fundamentalists and local media accuse missionaries of forcing people to convert to Christianity. They carry out cheap anti-conversion propaganda, staging re-conversion ceremonies in which people are 'return' to Hinduism from Christianity. ... Hindu fundamentalists pick on Tribals because they are an easy target. For this reason, the Church has the duty of protecting these helpless people".[17] Rev. Dr. Dominic Emmanuel, spokesman of the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese, said "There is absolutely no truth in the allegation that Christians use unfair means to convert the poor and Dalits to Christianity". He added, "These [anti-conversion] laws have a negative social impact on Christians, as people try to ostracize the Christian community whose only purpose to them seems to be to convert, thereby belittling all the social work the community does for the masses. Christian workers are prevented from reaching out to the needy, who too will continue to suffer".[18] The International Religious Freedom Report 2007 by the U.S. Department of State expressed concern over the wave of anti-conversion laws enacted in several Indian states saying:[19] “ Despite the National Government's rejection of "Hindutva," the ideology that espouses the inculcation of Hindu religious and cultural norms above other religious norms, it continued to influence some government policies and actions at the state and local levels. ... The Government of Himachal Pradesh enacted a state-level "anti-conversion" law, which, similar to other laws of its kind, restricts and regulates religious proselytism. The law prohibits an individual from using "force, inducement, or fraudulent means" when contributing, in speech or conduct, to another individual's religious conversion. The Governments of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat amended their existing laws. The Governor of Rajasthan, later elevated to the Presidency, refused to sign her State's anti-conversion law, effectively nullifying it. Although these laws do not explicitly ban conversions, many Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) argue that in practice, "anti-conversion" laws, both by their design and implementation, infringe upon the individual's right to convert, favor Hinduism over minority religions, and represent a significant challenge to Indian secularism. ” The report documented many cases of abuse:[20] “ The opposition party BJP, the RSS, and other affiliated organizations (collectively known as the Sangh Parivar) claimed to respect and tolerate other religious groups. However, the RSS opposed conversions from Hinduism and expressed the view that all citizens, regardless of their religious affiliation, should adhere to Hindu cultural values. ... The BJP continued to advocate for contentious measures such as the passage of "anti-conversion" legislation in all states in the country, the construction of a Hindu temple in the Ayodhya site, and the enactment of a uniform civil code. ... Faith-based NGOs and the media indicated that authorities arrested 4 people in Andhra Pradesh, 14 in Chhattisgarh, 28 in Madhya Pradesh, 2 in Orissa, and 1 in Uttar Pradesh during the previous reporting period. Many of these cases involved societal attacks on Christians or their property, and in some cases, police brutality was reported. In one instance, the attacked were reportedly arrested instead. ”
[edit] Census of 2001
The Hindu population of India according to the official 2001 census [21] is given below. Most drastic decrease in 1991-2001 period is observed in Manipur, from 57% to 46%, where there has been a resurgence of the indigenous Sanamahi religion. Except for Punjab(Sikh majority), Kashmir(muslim majority) and major parts of North-East India (out of the 7 states of North east- Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh have Hindu minority while Assam and Tripura are hindu majority*),all other Indian states and union territories have an overwhelming majority of Hindus. For more detailed figures from 2001 census, see this table.
| Region | Hindus | Total | % Hindus |
| India | 827,578,868 | 1,028,610,328 | 80.46% |
| Chhattisgarh | 19,729,670 | 20,833,803 | 96.30% |
| Himachal Pradesh | 5,800,222 | 6,077,900 | 95.43% |
| Orissa | 34,726,129 | 36,804,660 | 94.35% |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli | 206,203 | 220,490 | 93.52% |
| Madhya Pradesh | 55,004,675 | 60,348,023 | 91.15% |
| Daman and Diu | 141,901 | 158,204 | 89.69% |
| Gujarat | 45,143,074 | 50,671,017 | 89.09% |
| Andhra Pradesh | 67,836,651 | 76,210,007 | 89.01% |
| Rajasthan | 50,151,452 | 56,507,188 | 88.75% |
| Haryana | 18,655,925 | 21,144,564 | 88.23% |
| Tamil Nadu | 54,985,079 | 62,405,679 | 88.11% |
| Pondicherry | 845,449 | 974,345 | 86.77% |
| Tripura | 2,739,310 | 3,199,203 | 85.62% |
| Uttarakhand | 7,212,260 | 8,489,349 | 84.96% |
| Karnataka | 44,321,279 | 52,850,562 | 83.86% |
| Bihar | 69,076,919 | 82,998,509 | 83.23% |
| Delhi | 11,358,049 | 13,850,507 | 82.00% |
| Uttar Pradesh | 133,979,263 | 166,197,921 | 80.61% |
| Maharashtra | 77,859,385 | 96,878,627 | 80.37% |
| Chandigarh | 707,978 | 900,635 | 78.61% |
| West Bengal | 58,104,835 | 80,176,197 | 72.47% |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 246,589 | 356,152 | 69.24% |
| Jharkhand | 18,475,681 | 26,945,829 | 68.57% |
| Goa | 886,551 | 1,347,668 | 65.78% |
| Assam | 17,296,455 | 26,655,528 | 64.89% |
| Sikkim | 329,548 | 540,851 | 60.93% |
| Kerala | 17,883,449 | 31,841,374 | 56.16% |
| Manipur | 996,894 | 2,166,788 | 46.01% |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 379,935 | 1,097,968 | 34.60% |
| Punjab | 8,997,942 | 24,358,999 | 31.04% |
| Jammu and Kashmir | 3,005,349 | 10,143,700 | 29.63% |
| Meghalaya | 307,822 | 2,318,822 | 13.27% |
| Nagaland | 153,162 | 1,990,036 | 7.70% |
| Lakshadweep | 2,221 | 60,650 | 3.66% |
| Mizoram | 31,562 | 888,573 | 3.55% |
[edit] References
- ^ [1]
- ^ Hinduism is variously defined as a "religion", "set of religious beliefs and practices", "religious tradition" etc. For a discussion on the topic, see: "Establishing the boundaries" in Gavin Flood (2003), pp. 1-17. René Guénon in his Introduction to the Study of the Hindu Doctrines (1921 ed.), Sophia Perennis, ISBN 0-900588-74-8, proposes a definition of the term "religion" and a discussion of its relevance (or lack of) to Hindu doctrines (part II, chapter 4, p. 58).
- ^ India Census 2001
- ^ Adherents.com Hinduism
- ^ N. Siegel, Paul. The meek and the militant: religion and power across the world. Zed Books, 1987. ISBN 0862323495, 9780862323493.
- ^ Hoiberg, Dale. Students' Britannica India. Popular Prakashan, 2000. ISBN 0852297602, 9780852297605.
- ^ "India", Oxford English Dictionary, second edition, 2100a.d. Oxford University Press.
- ^ Thompson Platts, John. A dictionary of Urdū, classical Hindī, and English. W.H. Allen & Co., Oxford University 1884.
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ [6]
- ^ [7]
- ^ [8]
- ^ [9]
- ^ [10]
- ^ [11]
- ^ [12]
- ^ [13]
- ^ Indian Census
