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World Geography
Religion in India:
How Religion Influences Culture
Religious Diversity…
As we have learned, India is an incredibly diverse country. The nation has
18 official languages and hundreds more unofficial languages. It is also religiously
diverse. Most historians agree that India is the birthplace of four of the world’s
major religions: Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Hinduism. Jainism is a religion
that promotes pacifism and non-violence towards all living things. Jains practice
strict vegetarianism and do not kill the plants that they consume (they only eat
the leaves and fruit from the plants). About 80% of Indians practice Hinduism,
Sikh in India
roughly 13% practice Islam, 2% practice Christianity, and 1.5% practice Sikhism,
0.77% practice Buddhism and 0.5% practice Jainism.
While India strives to promote religious tolerance, there has
been a history of religious conflict in the country. The most well
known conflict has taken place between India’s Hindu and Muslim
populations. While the Hindu-Muslim conflict dates back as far as
710 BCE, the roots of the current conflict can be traced back to 1947
(CE). When India won its independence from Great Britain in 1947,
the Hindus and Muslim fought for control of the country. The
fighting soon turned violent resulting in
lots of bloodshed. The conflict resulted
in the Partition of India in which the
country was divided into three smaller countries. The western portion
of India, where a majority of Muslims lived, was turned into Pakistan
(an independent country) and the Muslim majority in the east formed
Bangladesh (another independent country). In northern India there is a
place called Kashmir that Muslims and Hindus still fight over today.
Both Pakistan and India claim ownership of Kashmir and the two
countries have come close to going to war over the disputed territory.
Focus on Hinduism…
A vast majority of Indians practice Hinduism. Hinduism is considered one of the world’s
oldest religions; it is so ancient that no one is certain who the founder of Hinduism is. Hinduism is
unique in that it allows its followers to practice the religion however they chose. Each Hindu practices
the religion in the way that feels right to them. Unlike the religions that we have
studied this year, there is no single holy book that all Hindus look to for spiritual
guidance. However, various scriptures do exist within the religion. The most well
known is called the Bhagavad Gita. Indians refer to the religion as Sanatana Dharma,
which means the faith with no beginning and no end. In order to truly understand
the culture of India, it is important to have a basic understanding of Hinduism.
Hinduism is not only a religion, but also a way of life for most Hindus.
Hinduism is a polytheistic religion. Polytheistic religions are ones in which
many different gods are worshipped. Some of the gods that Hindus worship include:
Brahma, the God of Creation, Vishnu, the God of Preservation, and Shiva, the God
of Destruction. Although Hindus believe that all of these gods are part of one
Supreme God, they consider each lesser god. All things in nature are considered to
be sacred to many Hindus. One of the holiest
animals in Hinduism is the cow. The cow is
worshiped by many Hindus as the “Divine Mother”
and eating beef is considered to be very taboo. In
some parts of India, it is against the law to kill or
injure a cow. The cow is a source of life giving milk and thought to be
a symbol of fertility. It is not unusual to see cows roaming the busy
streets of India. Cows are sometimes blamed for long traffic jams!
Two of the most important concepts in Hinduism are reincarnation
and karma. Reincarnation means rebirth. To the Hindu, life is an endless
cycle of events which begins where it ends. Death is merely a stage in that
chain (death is not considered to be an “end”). Many Hindus believe that
when one dies, his or her soul is transferred from one body into the next.
Hindus believe that after death, a person may reappear in his/her next life as a
plant, insect, animal or human being. If a person lived a healthy, good and
productive life, it is believed that he/she will be reborn into a better life. If a
person lived a selfish, lazy, unproductive life, it is believed that he/she will be
reborn into a worse life.
Karma is another fundamental belief in Hinduism. Karma literally
means action. Most Hindus believe that if you put good energy out into the
world (through good words/positive actions), that good energy will come back to benefit you. But if
you put bad energy out into the world (through evil, selfish deeds/words), bad energy and
misfortune will come back to hurt you. Karma and reincarnation offer an explanation for the
inequality that exists in the world. If a person is born into poverty, it is believed that their misfortune
is the result of bad deeds in a previous life. Belief in karma and reincarnation help to ease the pain of
poverty that is experienced by so many people in India. It also encourages and motivates people to
treat each other kindly (in hopes of having a better life the next time around).
Name:
Date:
Core:
World Geography
Religion in India:
Reflection Questions…
Directions: Use the Religion in India: How Religion Influences Culture handout to answer the
following questions.
Fact Check…
1. Name the religion practiced by most people in India. ____________________________
2. Name the region in northern India that has been a source of conflict between Muslims and
Hindus. _______________________________________
3. Why is Hinduism considered to be a polytheistic religion? _____________________________
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4. What is “rreincarnation”? _________________________________________________________
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Critical Thinking…
5. Look at the cartoon below of the man pushing over the blocks. Explain how this image
illustrates the Hindu concept of “karma”.
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6. Do you think that religion has shaped the culture of India? Use SPECIFIC evidence from the
text to support your response.
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Organized and
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