India Is a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic Which Gives Equal Treatment and Tolerance of All Religions, Which Enshrines the Right to Practice, Preach and Propagate Any Religion and Which Says Right to
QUESTION
India is a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic which gives equal treatment and tolerance of all religions, which enshrines the right to practice, preach and propagate any religion and which says right to freedom of religion is a fundamental right. Why still religious fundamentalism based on ‘Hindutva’ ideology?
HISTORY OF RELIGIOUS TRADITION IN INDIA
In India, religion becomes part and parcel of every common man. Religion forms part of the very culture of India. Large number of its citizens associates themselves with a religion. India has a culture which goes back to the 5000 years back. And if we analyze this tradition we find a lot of diversity which resulted in unity. And this cultural tradition had some kind of religious significance or rather a kind of influence of religion in the lives of Indians. The ‘Harappan’ people of the Indus Valley Civilization, which lasted from 3300–1700 BCE and was centered on the Indus and Ghaggar-Hakra river valleys, may have worshiped an important mother goddess symbolizing fertility. Excavations of Indus Valley Civilization sites show seals with animals and "fire altars", indicating rituals associated with fire. So some kind of worships either because of the fear of nature or truly religious could be found in these traditions. The worship of trees, rock, animals, fire etc had been associated with the cultural tradition of India. So religion is not a new phenomenon which India realized with the advent of this new era.
India is the birth place of four of the world's major religious traditions; namely Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Hinduism is considered as the oldest religion which has its roots tracing back to prehistoric times, or 5000 years. Hinduism's origins include cultural elements of the Indus Valley Civilization, the Vedic religion of the Indo-Aryans, and other Indian civilizations. The oldest surviving text of Hinduism is the Rigveda, produced during the Vedic period and dated to
India is a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic which gives equal treatment and tolerance of all religions, which enshrines the right to practice, preach and propagate any religion and which says right to freedom of religion is a fundamental right. Why still religious fundamentalism based on ‘Hindutva’ ideology?
HISTORY OF RELIGIOUS TRADITION IN INDIA
In India, religion becomes part and parcel of every common man. Religion forms part of the very culture of India. Large number of its citizens associates themselves with a religion. India has a culture which goes back to the 5000 years back. And if we analyze this tradition we find a lot of diversity which resulted in unity. And this cultural tradition had some kind of religious significance or rather a kind of influence of religion in the lives of Indians. The ‘Harappan’ people of the Indus Valley Civilization, which lasted from 3300–1700 BCE and was centered on the Indus and Ghaggar-Hakra river valleys, may have worshiped an important mother goddess symbolizing fertility. Excavations of Indus Valley Civilization sites show seals with animals and "fire altars", indicating rituals associated with fire. So some kind of worships either because of the fear of nature or truly religious could be found in these traditions. The worship of trees, rock, animals, fire etc had been associated with the cultural tradition of India. So religion is not a new phenomenon which India realized with the advent of this new era.
India is the birth place of four of the world's major religious traditions; namely Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Hinduism is considered as the oldest religion which has its roots tracing back to prehistoric times, or 5000 years. Hinduism's origins include cultural elements of the Indus Valley Civilization, the Vedic religion of the Indo-Aryans, and other Indian civilizations. The oldest surviving text of Hinduism is the Rigveda, produced during the Vedic period and dated to
Bibliography: Desrochers, John. The India we Want to Build. Bangalore: Centre for Social Action, 1995. Esteves, Sarto. Freedom to Build, Not Destroy. Delhi: Media House, 2002. Gore, M.S. Unity in Diversity: The Indian Experience in Nation Building. Jaipur: rawat Publications, 2002.