Hinduism in India

Hinduism is the largest religion in India.[2][3] According to the 2011 Census of India, 966.3 million people identify as Hindu,[1] representing 79.8% of the country's population. India contains 94% of the global Hindu population.[4][5] The Indian subcontinent is the birthplace of four of the world's major religions: namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—collectively known as Indian religions that believe Moksha is the most supreme state of the Ātman (soul).[6] The vast majority of Indian Hindus belong to Shaivite and Vaishnavite denominations.[7] India is one of the three countries in the world (Nepal and Mauritius being the other two) where Hinduism is the dominant religion.

Hinduism in India
Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh
Total population
966.3 millionIncrease[1] (2011)
79.80% of population Decrease
Regions with significant populations
Uttar Pradesh159,312,654
Maharashtra89,703,056
Bihar86,078,686
Madhya Pradesh66,007,121
West Bengal64,385,546
Tamil Nadu63,188,168
Rajasthan60,657,103
Scriptures
Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, Mahabharata (incl. Bhagavad Gita), Ramayana, and others
Languages
Sanskrit (sacred)
Indian languages (according to the region)

History of Hinduism
Main article: History of Hinduism

The Vedic culture developed in India in 1500 BCE and 500 BCE.[8] After this period, the Vedic religion merged with local traditions and the renouncer traditions, resulting in the emergence of Hinduism,[9] which has had a profound impact on India's history, culture and philosophy. The name India itself is derived from Sanskrit Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the Indus River.[10]

India saw the rule of both Hindu and Muslim rulers from c. 1200 CE to 1750 CE.[11] The fall of Vijayanagara Empire to Muslim sultans had marked the end of Hindu dominance in the Deccan. Hinduism once again rose to political prestige, under the Maratha Empire.[12][13]

Partition of India
Main article: Partition of India

The 1947 Partition of India gave rise to bloody rioting and indiscriminate inter-communal killing of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs across the Indian subcontinent, specially in Punjab region. As a result, an estimated 7.2 million Hindus and Sikhs moved to India and 7.5 million Muslims moved to Pakistan permanently, leading to demographic change of both the nations to a certain extent.[14]

"I find no parallel in history for a body of converts and their descendants claiming to be a nation apart from the parent stock."

— Mahatma Gandhi, opposing the division of India on the basis of religion in 1944.[15]

Hindu population decline in South Asian continent

Hinduism dropped from 72% in British Raj of 1891[16] to 69% in 1921.[17] In 1941 British census, Hindus comprised 69.5% of Undivided India.[18] It further declined to 60% in Undivided India since Muslims would make 40% of Undivided India's population in 2023 if not patritioned.[19]

Demographics

The Hindu population has increased more than three times from 303,675,084 in 1951 to 966,257,353 in 2011, but the Hindu percentage share of total population has declined from 84.1% in 1951 to 79.8% in 2011.[20][21] When India achieved independence in 1947, Hindus formed 84% of the total population and pre-Partition British India had 73% of Hindus.[22]

Historical Hindu Population
YearPop.±%
1951 303,675,084—    
1961 366,541,417+20.7%
1971 453,492,481+23.7%
1981 562,379,847+24.0%
1991 690,091,965+22.7%
2001 827,722,142+19.9%
2011 966,257,353+16.7%
Source: census of India

Hindu population by States and Territories
See also: Hindus by district in India
Percentage of Hindus in each district. Data derived from 2011 census.
Hindu population by state / UT, according to the 2011 census
Region Hindus Total % Hindus
India 966,257,353 1,210,854,977 79.80%
Himachal Pradesh 6,532,765 6,864,602 95.17%
Dadra and Nagar Haveli 322,857 343,709 93.93%
Odisha 39,300,341 41,974,218 93.63%
Chhattisgarh 23,819,789 25,545,198 93.25%
Madhya Pradesh 66,007,121 72,626,809 90.89%
Daman and Diu 220,150 243,247 90.50%
Gujarat 53,533,988 60,439,692 88.57%
Rajasthan 60,657,103 68,548,437 88.49%
Andhra Pradesh 74,824,149 84,580,777 88.46%
Tamil Nadu 63,188,168 72,147,030 87.58%
Haryana 22,171,128 25,351,462 87.46%
Puducherry 1,089,409 1,247,953 87.30%
Karnataka 51,317,472 61,095,297 84.00%
Tripura 3,063,903 3,673,917 83.40%
Uttarakhand 8,368,636 10,086,292 82.97%
Bihar 86,078,686 104,099,452 82.69%
Delhi 13,712,100 16,787,941 81.68%
Chandigarh 852,574 1,055,450 80.78%
Maharashtra 89,703,056 112,374,333 79.83%
Uttar Pradesh 159,312,654 199,812,341 79.73%
West Bengal 64,385,546 91,276,115 70.54%
Andaman and Nicobar Islands 264,296 380,581 69.45%
Jharkhand 22,376,051 32,988,134 67.83%
Goa 963,877 1,458,545 66.08%
Assam 19,180,759 31,205,576 61.47%
Sikkim 352,662 610,577 57.76%
Kerala 18,282,492 33,406,061 54.73%
Manipur 1,181,876 2,855,794 41.39%
Punjab 10,678,138 27,743,338 38.49%
Arunachal Pradesh 401,876 1,383,727 29.04%
Jammu and Kashmir 3,566,674 12,541,302 28.44%
Meghalaya 342,078 2,966,889 11.53%
Nagaland 173,054 1,978,502 8.75%
Lakshadweep 1,788 64,473 2.77%
Mizoram 30,136 1,097,206 2.75%

Law and politics

Although the Constitution of India has declared the nation as a secular state with no state religion, it has been argued several times that the Indian state privileges Hinduism as state sponsored religion constitutionally, legislatively and culturally.[23][24] The original copy of the Indian constitution has an illustration of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana in Part III on Fundamental Rights and Rama has been considered as the true guardian of people's rights.[25] Article 343 (1) of the Indian Constitution also states that, "The official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script".[26] Also, Article 48 of Indian constitution prohibits the slaughter of cows or calves (a sacred animal in Hinduism) and it is a criminal offense in most of the states of India.[27][28]

Most Right Wing Hindu organisations like RSS, Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad have demanded that India should be declared a "Hindu nation" by constitution to safeguard the rights and life of Hindus in this largest democracy.[29][30][31] As of 28 July 2020, there were pleas going on Supreme Court of India to remove the words secular and socialist from the Preamble to the Constitution of India.[32]

See also

References
  1. "India's religions by numbers". The Hindu. 26 August 2015. Archived from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2021 – via www.thehindu.com.
  2. "The Major Religions In India". WorldAtlas. 20 September 2020. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  3. "Indian Culture – Religion". Cultural Atlas. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  4. "Hindus". 18 December 2012.
  5. "By 2050, India to have world's largest populations of Hindus and Muslims". Pew Research Center. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  6. Olivelle, Patrick. "Moksha | Indian religion". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  7. "Major Branches of Religions". www.adherents.com. Archived from the original on 19 August 1999. Retrieved 13 August 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. N. Siegel, Paul (1986). The meek and the militant: religion and power across the world. Zed Books, 1987. ISBN 9780862323493.
  9. Hoiberg, Dale (2000). Students' Britannica India. Popular Prakashan, 2000. ISBN 9780852297605.
  10. "India", Oxford English Dictionary, second edition, 2100a.d. Oxford University Press.
  11. Neusner, Jacob (7 October 2009). World Religions in America, Fourth Edition. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 189. ISBN 9781611640472. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  12. Tinker, Hugh (1966). South Asia: A Short History. University of Hawaii Press. p. 18. ISBN 9780824812874. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  13. Ganesha on the Dashboard Archived 15 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine p. 176, V. Raghunathan, M. A. Eswaran, Penguin
  14. Talbot, Ian; Singh, Gurharpal (23 July 2009). The Partition of India. Cambridge University Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-521-85661-4. Archived from the original on 13 December 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  15. Prof. Prasoon (1 January 2010). My Letters.... M.K.Gandhi. Pustak Mahal. p. 120. ISBN 978-81-223-1109-9. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  16. Commissioner., India. Census (1 January 1893). "General report on the census of India, 1891: Census Reports - 1891". JSTOR saoa.crl.25352825.
  17. "Daily Consular and Trade Reports". Department of Commerce and Labor, Bureau of Manufactures. 1924.
  18. Ispahani, Farahnaz (30 January 2020). "Modi critics decry India mistreating minorities but mustn't whitewash Pakistan's Islamisation". ThePrint.
  19. Service, Statesman News (9 September 2019). "Partition & Hindus". The Statesman.
  20. "Key findings about the religious composition of India".
  21. "Census: Hindu share dips below 80%, Muslim share grows but slower". 24 January 2015.
  22. "Census: Hindu share dips below 80%, Muslim share grows but slower". 24 January 2015.
  23. "Why India is Not a Secular State". 3 February 2022.
  24. "Is there a Hindu bias in India's secular Constitution? A 2005 academic paper suggests as much". 2 February 2020.
  25. "Why painting of Ram in India's Constitution matters". 26 January 2021.
  26. "Article 343(1) in the Constitution of India 1949".
  27. "Cow protection was a sensitive subject in India even when the Constitution was being framed". 7 July 2021.
  28. "Article 48 in the Constitution of India 1949".
  29. "Declare India a 'Hindu Rashtra': Hindu convention resolution". Hindustan Times. 17 June 2017. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  30. "'Hindu Rashtra' draft proposes Varanasi as capital instead of Delhi". 13 August 2022.
  31. "India to become Hindu Rashtra by 2025, hints organiser of All India Hindu conference". 12 June 2022.
  32. "Plea in SC seeks to remove words 'socialist', 'secular' from Constitution's preamble". Firstpost. 29 July 2020. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
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