Festivals, Religion and Secularism
When India gained independance, secularism was part of the grand design. This may well have gone rapidly wrong with the Muslim regions of East and West Pakistan (now Bangladesh and Pakistan) were partitioned. This displaced millions of people, made villains of some (several cases of mass slaughter), made heroes of others (assisted escape) and leaves a legacy still.
The border between the Sind province in Pakistan and the Punjab in India has seperated many Sikh families for two generations. Better known is the war of attrition in Kashmir that flared up in 1991; effectively closing the area to all foreigners and many Indians.
India does, however, remain a secular society. The Hindu religion is dominant and India, also known as Hindustan has worked hard in areas to remain open. The Ahodya Temple incident and recent bombings in Mumbai highlight unrest in Muslim areas. The storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar offended all Sikhs after the assaination of Indira Gandhi. A few do whip up religious fervour and hatred - which is easy in an illiterate environment - but generally there is much tolerance. VP Singh, the current Prime Minister is a Sikh and there are moves to ensure religious mix in teh army & other public institutions. India is still a very religious country, visitor should be aware of such sensitivities. In the authors opinion, secularism has resulte in fewer rifts between religions than between the various castes.
The religious mix is lited below and we invite you to research religions at your leisure.
In India the religious groups can be broken down as follows:
| Hindus | 675,000,000 |
| Muslims | 110,000,000 |
| Christians | 38,000,000 |
| Sikhs | 17,000,000 |
| Buddhists | 6,000,000 |
| Jains | 4,000,000 |
This makes India the second most populous state for Muslims.
A fine example of secularism is the Ellora Caves in Verul, near Aurangabad in Maharastra. Here 34 temples (12 Budhist, 17 Hindu, 5 Jain) were carved into the basalt rock between 600AD and 1000AD. This is a world heritage site and the Kailasa Temple, dedictaed to Shiva, is the worlds largest monolithic structure. British Museum - Ancient India
Other religions include:
Parsi - perhaps the best known Parsi is Persis Khambata the actress (Star Trek the Motion Picture). Many find the parctice of leaving their dead for the vultures a fascinating aspect of the religion.
Bahai - A non-denominational religion with readings from several religions. The Bahai Temple in the shape of a Lotus flower in Delhi (see bove) is well worth a visit.
Hari Krishna - Several large temples across the country.
Festivals in India
Indian festivals are part of the vibrancy of the country. The noise, colour and smells intensify. In areas such as Rajasthan, the traditional dress colours are bright, including men's turbans, and are added to animals buildings and vehicles.
Planning a visit around a key Indian festival is often worth the effort and weddings are always well celebrated and attendance is recommended if ever invited. Some of the styles may be seen as gaudy and indeed some weddings are incredibly over the top when compared to western tastes. It pays to be prepared to get involed whether it's getting soaked and painted during Holi, getting closer than usual to fireworks or being fleeced at cards by an old friend for Diwali.
Click on the list of Festivals in India below to see more details:
Buddha Jayanti - Buddha's Birthday - Buddhist/Hindu
Diwali - Festival of Light - Hindu
Dussehra or Dusshera - Lord Ram - Hindu
Guru Nanaks Birthday - Sikh
Holi - Festival of Colour - Hindu
Kumbh Mela - Festival of the Pot -Hindu
Meelad-Id - The prophet Muhammed's birth and death - Muslim
Onam - South Indian celebration of good over evil - Hindu
Rakhi - Sibling closenes - Hindu/Many