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Just
as there is diversity in the
land and people of India, so
also there is diversity in
customs and
traditions. The very variation
in geography reinforces this
diversity. For example, the
desert land of Rajasthan with
its harsh landscape and many
wars has bred a tradition of
sacrifice and courage while the
green fertile plains stretching
far from the banks of mighty
rivers nurtured scholarship and
the arts.
Although various invasions
also added to the diversity of
Indian culture, many ancient and
unique factors have remained
recognizable throughout its
history. The oldest known
civilization in the area is the
Indus valley civilization, which
thrived until about 1500 BC it
was overcome by Aryan invaders.
The Vedic traditions,
incorporated into the Vedas –
the spiritual texts of these
ancient people, survive till
date in present day India.
In the 6th century BC, a
wealthy merchant class began to
question the orthodox beliefs
prevailing at the time, leading
to the compilation of the
Upanishads, texts, which are now
an integral part of Hinduism. In
the north-eastern part of the
country where the Aryan
influence was weak, the
religious systems of Jainism and
Buddhism were founded around 500
BC. Other religions, with their
own peculiar traditions and
customs, came to the country
through the people who fled
persecution in their own
countries and found shelter in
India or through the numerous
invaders,
most of whom plundered and left
but some of whom stayed back.
Till date, cultural distinctions
remain between the people of
different parts of India. These
differences exist even amongst
people practicing the same
religion and, besides, religions
have sub-traditions too.
However, the one overwhelming
feature of Indian history has
been the manner in which new
immigrants
were made welcome while still
being allowed to practice their
own beliefs. Even the conquerors
were assimilated into the larger
whole. This tradition of
hospitality and tolerance is
common to all the peoples of
India and this is what makes it
a truly secular state.
Some of the major groups in
modern day India following
largely the same customs and
traditions are the following.
Vedic
Tradition
The Vedic tradition, which
still influences the Indian way
of life can be traced back to
the Aryans who came to the
subcontinent around 1500 BC.
Speaking an archaic form of
Sanskrit, they had evolved a
highly ritualistic form of
worship with innumerable
deities, a rich mythology and an
elaborate fire sacrifice. Their
more significant contributions
were the Vedas, spiritual texts,
which were originally
transmitted orally.
The
Vedic background of India's
religious traditions is a source
of lively scholarly discussion.
Neither the dating of the
earliest practices nor the
ethnic character of the earliest
practitioners is certain.
However, the prestige and
influence of Vedic tradition is
generally agreed. In fact, the
Vedas seem to have molded the
attitude which has led to the
assimilation of many other
cultures over the almost 4000
years since they were written.
The Rig Veda says: “No one is
superior or inferior. All are
brothers. All should strive for
the interest of all and should
progress collectively.”
Although
the Varna or class system is a
part of the Vedic tradition, it
is not classification of men by
birth but based on the
principles of division of labour
strictly relying on the aptitude
and functional specialization of
a person. Above all, human life
is defined in terms of human
dignity and ultimate individual
development depends solely on
the enrichment of humanity as a
whole.
Hinduism
Hinduism, followed by the
majority of Indians, is a
complex religion with no central
institution, and a mass of
information and many classical
languages. More than a religion,
it is a way of life. It can be
fairly said that Hinduism is the
most ancient living tradition in
the world. Not only does it
combine variations of the Vedic
tradition but some of its motifs
are identical to those found in
the ruins of the Indus Valley
civilization. The sacred motifs
of this mysterious civilization
like the bull, the serpent and
the swastika are still part of
Hindu worship while the four
Vedas of the Aryans, the Rig,
Athrava, Sama and Yajur, dating
back to 1500 BC and consisting
of hymns and rituals, lay down
the fundamental teachings of
Hinduism. The laws of Manu
compiled in the Manusmriti in
500 BC lay down human duties and
social obligations by caste and
class. Thus are both the
spiritual and temporal aspects
of the lives of Hindus governed
by these texts written thousands
of years back. A unique feature
of Hinduism is that it has tried
to assimilate every belief it
has come in contact with.
Buddhism
Buddhism was established in
northern India around 500 BC on
the basis of the teachings of
the prince Gautama Siddhartha
who gave up his royal rights to
meditate on the meaning of life.
Given the title 'Buddha' or
enlightened one when he
succeeded in his quest, he
propounded the theory that life
is suffering and the only way to
rise above this suffering is to
give up all desire. This is the
essence of Buddhism in addition
to the eight-fold path, which
should be followed to achieve
Nirvana, a state of no
suffering. The eight-fold path,
which is to
believe right, desire right,
think right, live right, make
the right efforts, think the
right thoughts, behave right and
to do the right meditation, is
to be followed by both the
monastic and non-monastic
followers of Buddhism. Buddhism
also believes in non-violence
and vegetarianism. Although a
major religion in India when it
was first established, today
less than 1% of Indians follow
Buddhism.
Jainism
Jainism was established
around 500 BC by Vardhamana, who
belonged to the warrior caste
like Buddha and was given the
title of Mahavira or ‘great
hero’. Mahavira was also
called ‘Jina’ meaning ‘the
big winner’ and from this name
was derived the name of the
religion.
The basic tenet of Jainism is
non-violence to the extent that
its followers forswear even
professions like agriculture
since it might cause them to
inadvertently kill, say, an
insect. Dedicated Jains cover
their mouths with a cloth to
avoid even swallowing microbes.
Mahavira believed that
everything, including stones,
has life and ate so little that
he was in a perpetual state of
near starvation. He also walked
around naked to signify his
complete renouncement of the
world, a tradition still
followed by a sect of Jains.
Originally
strictly ascetic, Jains today
are largely non-monastic and
very successful in professions
like banking and business. Like
Buddhism, although Jainism was a
dominant religion in India in
the ancient times, today there
are only about 200,000 Jains in
India and about four million
worldwide.
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism
was founded more than 3000 years
in ancient Persia (now Iran)
based on the teachings of
Zoroaster. Deeply affected by
the struggle between good and
evil when the peaceful society
in which he lived was being torn
apart by war-like tribes,
Zoroaster taught of the one God,
Ahura Mazda, who created the
world and everything in it, and
Angra Mainyu, the evil spirit
who will eventually be defeated
by the forces of good. Although
Zoroastrians believe in six
lesser Gods, at the heart of
their worship is the sacred
fire, the symbol of
righteousness and truth believed
to be the energetic faculty of
Ahura Mazda. The teachings of
Zoroaster, which were for
centuries considered too sacred
to be written down and passed on
by word of mouth, form the
Avesta.
In
the last millennium BC,
Zoroastrianism was at the peak
of its influence as a major
religion of the Persian Empire
until it was overcome by the
rise of Islam. Its tradition and
customs have been preserved
mainly through immigrants to
India known as Parsis (from the
word Persian). There are only
are about 100,000 Zoroastrians
in the world today, most of whom
live in western India although
they are spread worldwide.
Although
the Parsis in India have adopted
the language and the dress of
the Gujaratis, they are fiercely
protective of their identity.
Intermarriage is frowned upon
and the basic customs of the
religion, like wearing at all
times a Sudreh, a white
undershirt which symbolizes
purity, and a kusti, a sacred
woolen belt which literally
binds them to their religion and
community, are followed
religiously.
Sikhism
Sikhism
is a tradition, which dates back
to the 15th century.
It developed from the teachings
of Guru Nanak, who was deeply
moved by the ignorance and
bigotry that surrounded him, and
his nine successors, the last of
whom, Guru Gobind Singh, gave a
unique identity to his
followers. The gurus, or
teachers, taught tolerance and
non-violence. They spoke of the
one God who belonged to all
religions and tried to demolish
the superstitions that prevailed
at the time.
Over
the centuries, the followers of
the gurus came to be persecuted
by the Muslims until the ninth
guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was
beheaded while his followers
were brutally tortured to death.
The tenth guru, Guru Gobind
Singh then founded a military
order, the Khalsa, in order to
counter the brutality.
Guru
Gobind Singh also directed his
followers that after him the
Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy
Scripture, which contains the
teachings of not only the gurus
but also of teachers from most
other religions, would guide the
Sikhs.
Devout
Sikhs wear the five symbols of
the faith as commanded by Guru
Gobind Singh besides regularly
reading the Granth Sahib and
incorporating its teachings in
their lives. Known as the five
K’s, these are Kesh (uncut
hair) symbolizing obedience to
God's will, Kangha (wooden comb)
symbolizing cleanliness, Kachh
(shorts, worn under other
clothes) symbolizing goodness,
Kara (steel bracelet, worn on
the right wrist) symbolizing
eternity and Kirpan (sword)
symbolizing strength. The most
recognizable feature of the
about fourteen million Sikhs
worldwide, most of whom still
live in or near the Punjab state
of northern India, is the turban
that is bound around their
unshorn hair.
Judaism
According
to legend, Jews first settled in
India during the time of King
Solomon when there was trade
between Israel and the Malabar
Coast. Most contemporary
scholars agree that the Jews
most probably came to India
sometime during the early Middle
Ages. The connection is
definitely ancient – the Bible
talks of trade with India while
Talmudic and midrashic
literature also mention spices,
perfumes, plants, animals,
textiles, gems and crockery,
which either bear names of
Indian origin or are indigenous
to the country.
India
has a legacy of three distinct
Jewish groups: the Bene Israel,
the Cochin Jews and the White
Jews from Europe, each of which
practices important elements of
Judaism, including practices of
Jewish dietary laws,
circumcision and observation of
Sabbath as a day of rest, and
has active synagogues. The
Sephardic rites predominate
among Indian Jews. The Bene
Israel or ‘Sons of Israel’
live primarily in western India
and have adopted Marathi as
their language. The Cochin Jews
live along the Malabar Coast and
speak Malayalam while the White
Jews came to India from European
countries like Holland and
Spain.
Indian
Jewish communities do not
generally have a rabbi of their
own and are rarely visited by
one. Any synagogue elder is
eligible to lead prayers, and
the men take turns. The Jews
have adopted and modified many
of their host country's customs.
Colorful oil lamps hang from
synagogue ceilings in keeping
with Hindu tradition; all
synagogues are entered barefoot
and hardala flowers are sniffed
and then tucked into a pocket to
signify Shabbat's end. Although
Jews are outside India's caste
system, they have developed a
strict code of their own, which
for centuries dictated that the
three communities and their
subgroups could not live
together, socialize or
intermarry. The divisions
between Jews began to break down
after 1948, when large-scale
emigration forced everyone
together. The majority of Jewish
marriages are still arranged and
married couples and their
children live with the husband's
parents.
India's
Jewish population has declined
dramatically starting in the
1940s with heavy immigration to
Israel, England and the United
States. This is where most
Indian Jews live today.
Islam
Islam first came into India as a
result of invasions in the year
715 AD but it made major inroads
into the country between 1020
and 1194 after which Islamic
rulers dominated north India
and, a century later, also the
Deccan in the central part of
the country. It continued to be
the dominant power till the
formal end of the Mughal Empire
in 1857.
The
word ‘Islam’ comes from the
Arabic for ‘submission’.
Muslims are people who submit to
the will of Allah, the one true
God. The holy book of the
Muslims, believed to have been
compiled by Prophet Mohammed
after a series of revelations
from Allah, is called the ‘Quran’,
which means recitation. The
Quran tells Muslims how to
worship, how to treat other
people, what to eat and wear,
and how to live a good life.
In
the 700 years that Islam has
existed in India as a military
power, there was been tremendous
interaction between Hindus and
Muslims. Naturally then the
customs and traditions of Indian
Muslims have been influenced
over these centuries by those
prevailing, as for instance, the
practice of worshipping at the
tombs of saints.
Christianity
The
Indian Christian community is
divided into three main sects -
the Syrian Christians, the Roman
Catholics and the Protestants.
It
is believed that Christianity
first came to India only a few
decades after the passing of
Christ. Some scholars believe
that the apostle St Thomas
introduced Christianity to India
around the 1st century to the
south of India – the
descendants of the first
converts are the Syrian
Christians of Kerala and Tamil
Nadu. It is definite that
Christianity was introduced to
India between the 1st and 3rd
centuries. Thus, Christianity
seems to have come into India
long before it had reached many
European countries like Britain
and Germany.
Catholicism
came to India via Goa through
the Portuguese colonists after
the 15th century. The Roman
Catholic Portuguese were still
under the influence of the
crusades and the inquisition
when they reached Indian shores
and converted with zeal so that
there is a large Roman Catholic
community in the area.
The
Protestants in India form a
minority in the community and
are largely those who were
converted by missionaries during
the British rule. The
missionaries were especially
successful in the north-eastern
hills where they converted even
headhunting tribes into a
peace-loving community
coexisting with the other tribes.
Since
almost all Indian Christians are
converts from Hinduism, they
display many traces of their
pre-conversion culture. For
example, the names are common,
as are some of the rituals
connected with festive days,
marriage and death.
Tribal
customs and traditions
Tribes
in India are called
‘Adivasis’ or ‘Girijan’.
There are many tribes quite
distinct from each other spread
literally all over the country.
They live in all the
north-eastern states, the
forests of the Deccan Plateau
spread across various states –
from Maharashtra in the West to
Orissa and West Bengal in the
East, from Bihar in the North to
Andhra Pradesh in the South –
and in the mountain ranges of
the Western and Eastern Ghats
(from Gujarat to Kerala and
Tamil Nadu. The newly formed
States of Jharkhand and
Chattisgarh are predominantly
populated by Adivasis.
The
most distinctive aspect of the
Adivasis is their
community-centered way of life.
Community living and
inter-dependence are the essence
of all their activities, be it
in their occupation (hunting /
gathering, non-mechanized
traditional agriculture) or in
their social customs (like
marriages, resolution of
disputes or celebration of
festivals). Tribal villages are
a rich source of many
traditional cultural
expressions, like songs,
stories, music, dances and
rituals. One thing common to all
the tribes is their exquisite
handicraft – from the woven
shawls of the hill tribes of the
north-east to the
mirror-encrusted embroidery of
Andhra Pradesh.
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