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5 10 15 20 25 30 Hindu gods and goddesses Religion in India Read the information about religion in India. 1  In India religious beliefs and practices have a large impact on the personal lives of most inhabitants and influence daily public life. Religion is not only one of the most important facets of contemporary Indian life; it also shaped India’s history as the ancient culture of South Asia has predominantly been spread by religious texts. Religious thought and symbolism are the underlying foundations of much of the artistic heritage of the Indian subcontinent. A number of world religions originated in India, and others that started elsewhere found fertile ground for growth there. Approximately 79.8% of the Indian population are devotees of Hinduism . From the early 8 th century, Islam spread from the West throughout South Asia, to become the largest minority religion in India. The Muslim population in India is the third largest in the world. Muslims, the country’s largest minority group, now make up 14.2%. Sikhism , which started in Punjab in the 16 th century, has spread throughout India and the world since the mid-19 th century. Sikhs represent 1.7% of India’s population. Buddhism and Jainism , which both had a major influence on Indian art, philosophy and society, remain important minority religions in India today. Despite rising fundamentalism, however, Indian religions have demonstrated for many centuries a considerable degree of tolerance for alternative forms of worship. Since independence, the Indian state has defined itself as a secular state , which means that the government has officially declared itself separate from any religion. All forms of belief are granted equal status before the law. Brahma is one of the three major gods of Hinduism – together with Vishnu and Shiva. He is the god of creation and was born in the lotus flower that grew from Vishnu’s navel. There are not many temples dedicated to Brahma in India, in comparison to places that worship Vishnu and Shiva. Vishnu is the preserver of the universe and protects the earth from destruction. He is usually shown as juvenile, light blue and he has four arms. He can also appear as Rama (the 7 th reincarnation of Vishnu) and Krishna (the 8 th reincarnation of Vishnu). His wife is Lakshmi , the goddess of fortune. Shiva is the destroyer god, but in a positive way, because he removes all evil from the world. He lives in the Himalayas region and the river Ganges descends from him. He has got a blue neck because of the poison he swallowed to save the earth. He is often depicted with three eyes. His wife is the goddess Parvati . Your turn: Giving a presentation Choose one of the five major world religions or a sub-religion and put together a five-minute presentation, which will be presented in class. 2  85 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv