Religion in India India is a very diverse and spiritual place filled with many religious beliefs.

It was the birthplace to many religions that are still practiced today. The most dominant religion in India is Hinduism. About 80% of Indians are Hindus (Aharon). Hinduism is a polytheistic religion that is one of the oldest religions created. It is supposed to have developed about 5000 years ago (Aharon). Two other major religions developed in India, Buddhism and Jainism. In ancient times these two regions were very popular. Today only about 0.5% of Indians are Jains and about 0.7% are Buddhist (Aharon). The Buddhist religion was spread within the Sub-continent India and into the kingdoms south and east of India. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism were the main religion of ancient India. During the modern period a new religion called, Sikhism was established in the 15th century. About 2% of Indians are Sikhs (Aharon). Hinduism, the dominant religion of India has shaped the culture and social development of India. Most events can be related to religion; so one needs to understand the religion to understand Indian society. Hindu religion is based on the concept that human and animal spirits come back to earth to live many times in different forms (Sarah). Hindu religious practices center on the importance of fulfilling the duties associated both with one's social position and one's stage of life (Sarah). Their beliefs affect these people everyday lives. They practice rituals such as meditation every day and have effects on the art. Many images of religious figures such as an elephant man are part of the Indian art. Also wearing modest clothing and dance rituals practiced is embedded with this religion. India has many sacred places based on the Hinduism religion. Hindu temples can be found throughout India. Ancient Indian thought divides time into four different periods. These durations are referred to as the Krta, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali (Sarah). Kali, is the present age of mankind where temples started to appear. In this time period true worship and sacrifice was lost. These temples were built as public shrines that had icons installed in them. The presence of Gods could be felt in these temples if the icons were properly enshrined. Tirthas are another sacred place that is visited by many people every year that are a pilgrimage. A Pilgrimage is a journey by a devout and faithful of a religion to a place sacred according to that religion or other religions (Ramsuratkumar). Hinduism being a huge part of India culture is also connected to Indian government. Hindu nationalistic political party the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) controlled the government of India (Hinduism: The world's third largest religion). The connection of religion to government has led to a decrease in religious tolerance. This linkage has also lead to an increase in anti-Christian violence. In recent news many controversies are still going on between government and religious control. I found an article online that discusses government control over Hindu temples; many advocates have questioned the control of the government on these sacred places. T.R. Ramesh, president of Temple Worshippers Society stated, In spite of the fact that the Supreme Court in 1954 struck down the illegal provisions of the Madras Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Act 1951 related to the appointment of executive officers in temples, the same provisions were brought back by legislating the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Act in 1959, ("Govt. control of," 2013).

Bibliography Aharon, D. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://adaniel.tripod.com/religions.htm (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism.htm Ramsuratkumar, Y. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://vedakalpataru.com/?page_id=162 Sarah, F. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/practices.htm Govt. control of hindu temples questioned. (2013, July 16).The Hindu. Retrieved from http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/govt-control-of-hindu-templesquestioned/article4916982.ece