Religions of India

Abstract

A large number of Hindu religious traditions refer, positively or negatively, to a set of religious books, called the Vedas. These scriptures were, originally, the intellectual property of a priestly caste of Brahmans and the basis of their rituals and philosophies. Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism are major Indian traditions which explicitly reject the authority of the Vedas and the social and ritual hegemony of Brahmans. Islam and Christianity are major traditions in India which have been increasingly stigmatized by Hindus as ‘foreign’ to Indian civilization. In the modern period, the expansion of the colonial state is crucial for defining the location of religion in India. The general pattern in all Indian religions is that modern movements attack traditional priestly leadership, so-called ‘backward’ popular religion, and emphasize free, lay access to scripture and to religious debate. In this way, the foundation of religious authority changes and becomes mediated by education and new forms of communication, such as print, and later radio and television. This development also entails a growing participation of religious movements in modern mass politics. The greatest competition in the political arena is between Hindus and Muslims and has led to the partition of British India into India and Pakistan. Hindu nationalism needs to construct a Hindu majority in India, but runs counter to a number of anti-Hindu and anti-Brahmanical movements. Especially in the 1980s and 1990s, it has been successful in launching campaigns against Muslims and Christians to bolster ‘Hindu unity.’ Not only Hindus, but also Muslims and Sikhs, have been increasingly active in the political arena.