"Social science writing competition"

Personal information:-

Name: Anchal
Age: 17
Contact: 9267957873
Category: Essay
Subject: History
Title : DHARMAKSHETRA:The magnificent history of different religions in
India.
Word count: 2,477 Words
Brief bio: I am a first year student of the department of elementary
education in Miranda house.
Declaration of originality: I hereby declare that I didn't support any kind of
plagiarism. I might have taken some ideas and inspiration from other
sources but this essay is all original.

Topic: DHARMAKSHETRA: The magnificent history of different

religions in India.

How is it possible to study the history of different religions all together happening
in India within a day.It is hard though, isn't it ? There is so much happening in this
country in different periods of time . But,Let me help you in making this work
more easier and make a crux for you all from a vast and boundless corpus.
Dharmakshetra…… Why is it though? It can be sort of anything .for eg. 'History of
different religions' etc.etc. But Why so traditional 'Dharmakshetra'.As we all know
that India is a country of diverse cultures and religions. Today there are about 1.41
million people living together with diverse cultures and different religions in the
same piece of land mass. Thus, we can say that India is a kshetra(area) of different
dharmas (religions). India is a DHARMAKSHETRA. But nobody ever thinks about
why we are so diverse? From where these different religions came and why they
settled in India? Why did the people follow these religions and who were the
founders of these religions? To get answers to all these questions, we must look up
our magnificent itihasa of our glorious country Bharatvarsha or what we call
today India.
Introduction
Throughout India's history, Religion has been an important part of our culture.
Today, there are over 10 major religions and about 100 different religious cults
active in our country . The Indian subcontinent is the birthplace of four of the
world's major religions :-Hinduism ,Buddhism ,Jainism and Sikhism which are
collectively known as Native Indian religions or Dharmic Religions .But what
before that? Does their any other religion,followed by the earliest people of our
subcontinent.Somewhat Yes,If we go back in prehistoric times when there was no
writing, We can see that earliest religion followed by the people of Indian
subcontinent including Indus valley was not Hinduism but we what we call as a
type of local animism that didn't have missionaries or any temple like figure. The
documented history of Indian religion begins with the Vedic religions. This period
lasted from roughly 1752 to 500 BCE The shramanic period between 800 and 200
BCE marks a turning point between the Vedic Hinduism and Puranic Hinduism. In
the 6th century the Shramanic movement matured into Jainism and Buddhism.
The puranic period and early Medieval give rise to new configurations of
Hinduism :- Bhakti,shaivism,Shaktism, Vaishnavism,Smarta. The early Islamic
period gave rise to new movements . Sikhism was founded in the 15th century on
teachings of Guru Nanak Dev. During the British period, a new re- interpretation
and synthesis of Hinduism arose which aided the Indian independence movement.

Prehistoric religion
We derive prehistoric religion from scattered Mesolithic Rock paintings depicting
dances and customs. Other South Asian stone age sites such as the rock Shelters in
Central Madhya Pradesh and kupgal petroglyphs of eastern Karnataka contain
Rock art portraying religious rites and customs.

Indus valley civilization

The period of Indus valley civilization lasted from about 3300 to 1400 BCE. They
may worship Mother goddess symbolizing fertility .Many fire altars have been also
found in excavations indicating their rituals.The Pashupati seal also discovered at
Mohenjo Daro identified as Hindu God protoshiva. Indus valley people also
worship nature as depicted in their seals.

Hinduism

Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world also known as Sanatana
Dharma whose roots tracing back to prehistoric times, over 5,000 years ago.
Believers of Hinduism worship a single divine entity with different forms.

Vedic Hinduism
The documented history of Indian religion begins with the' historical vedic
religion', the religious practices of the early Indo-Aryans which were collected and
later redacted into the Samhitas (also Vedas). Four canonical collections of hymns
all mantras composed in Archaic Sanskrit. These texts are the central Shruti text of
Hinduism. The period of the composition, redaction and commentary of these
texts is also known as the Vedic period which lasted from roughly 1750 to 500 BCE.
The oldest surviving text of Hinduism is the Rigveda . The mode of worship is
doing Yajnas. The main gods in this time period were Indra,Agni and Soma. The
society was divided into four varnas :- Brahmana, kshatriya,Vaishya and
Shudra.The famous Gayatri mantra is also written in Rigveda.
Puranic Hinduism
During the Epic and Puranic periods,the earliest versions of the epic poems, in
their current form including Ramayana and Mahabharata were written roughly
from 500 to 200 BCE ,although these were orally transmitted through families for
centuries prior to this period. After 200 BCE several schools of thought were
formally codified in Indian philosophy or also known as Vedanta including'
Samkhya,Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika,Purvamimansa and Uttaramimansa.' After
that, puranas were written in Sanskrit which was easier than archaic Sanskrit and
accessible to women and shudras unlike Vedas . Puranas are total 18 in numbers in
which Matsya purana is the oldest in all other puranas. In this period,there is a
slight shift in main gods.Now,the main deities were 'Shiva,Vishnu and Shakti' . The
power of Brahmins was decreasing with the growth of Shramanic tradition and
Bhakti Movement.

Bhakti movement
The bhakti movement(c.6th century) began with the worship of God regardless of
one status — whether priestly or lay people men or women higher or lower caste.
The movement were mainly centered on the forms of Vishnu and Shiva .There were
however popular devotees of this era of Durga . The best known proponents of this
movement were the Alvars ( Vishnu devotees) and the Nayanars(Shiva
devotees)from Southern India. Female saint including akkamadevi','andal'
'Lalleshwari 'and 'Molla'.
During the 14th to 17th centuries, when north India was under Muslim rule, the
bhakti movements swept through central and northern India. It was initiated by a
loosely associated group of teachers or saints.('Dnyaneshwar,Chaitanya
mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya, Mirabai ,Kabir, Tulsidas ,Ravidas ,Namdev, Eknath,
Ramdas ,Tukaram') and other mystics were some of the saints in the north and the
south.Mirabai is the most popular female saint in india.
VIRASHAIVA TRADITION:- The 12th century witnessed the emergence of a new
movement in Karnataka, led by a brahmana named Basavanna who was a minister
in the court of Kalachuri ruler .His followers were known as Virshaivas (heroes of
Shiva) or Lingayats(wearer of the Linga).They worship Shiva in his manifestation
as a 'Linga'.
TANTRISM:- Tantrism originated in the early centuries CE and developed into a
fully articulated tradition by the end of Gupta period.Often associated with the
goddess were forms of worship that were identified as 'TANTRIC'.

The Rise of Shramanic tradition(7th to 5th BCE).

'Jainism and Buddhism' belong to these Shramanic traditions. These religions rose
into prominence in 700 to 500 BCE in the Magadha kingdom and were responsible
for the related concepts of Samsara and Moksha. The Shramana movements
challenge the orthodoxy of Vedas. Mahavir (proponent of jainism) and Buddha
(founder of Buddhism) were the most prominent icons of this movement.

Buddhism
The history of Buddhism can be traced back to the 5th century BCE. Buddhism
arose in ancient India ,in and around the ancient Kingdom of Magadh and is based
on the teachings of the renunciate Siddhartha Gautama, a kshatriya prince
turned ascetic.He was also known as 'shakya muni'. Buddhism emphasizes
enlightenment (nibbana or Nirvana) and liberation from the rounds of rebirth. The
objective is pursued through two schools Theravada, the way the elders practiced
in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Southeast Asia etc. and Mahayana, the greater way
practiced in Tibet, China,Japan etc. The history of Buddhism is also characterized
by the development of numerous movements ,schisms and philosophical schools.
The Buddha taught orally— through discussion and debate. After his death his
teachings were compiled by his disciples at a council of "elders''or senior monks at
Vesali (Pali for Vaishali in present Bihar). These compilations were known as
Tipitaka literally three baskets—
Vinaya Pitaka:-Rules and regulations for those who joined the Sangha or monastic
order.
Sutta Pitaka:-Buddha's teachings
Abhidhammapitaka:-This deals with philosophical matters.
As Buddhism traveled to new regions such as Srilanka,other texts such as the
Dipavamsa( literally the chronicle of the island) and Mahavamsa (the great
chronicle) were written containing regional histories of Buddhism. The practice of
Buddhism lost influence in India around the seventh century CE after the collapse
of the Gupta Empire. By the end of the 12th century, Buddhism had largely
disappeared from India with the exception of the Himalayan region and isolated
remnants in parts of South India. However since the 19th century modern revivals
of Buddhism have included( The Mahabodhi society, The vipassana movement and
the Dalit Buddhist to movements spearheaded by the B.R.Ambedkar.

Jainism
The first Tirthankar or teacher of Jainism was 'Rishabh Dev'. Jainism was
established by a lineage of 24 enlightened beings or Tirthankars (those who guide
men and women across the river of existence). culminating with Parsvanath and
Mahavira also known as Vardhamana. The most important idea in Jainism is that
the entire world is 'animated' , even stones. Non-injury to living beings, especially
humans, animals is central to Jain philosophy. The cycle of birth and rebirth is
shaped through karma. and 'Asceticism and penance are required to free oneself
from the cycle of karma .The 24th Tirthankar of Jainism'' Mahavir" stressed five
vows including 'ahimsa' (non-violence), 'satya '(truthfulness), 'asteya'(non-stealing
)and 'Aparigrah' (non attachment).

Sikhism
Guru nanak dev ji was the founder of sikhism known as Sikh dharm. The "Guru
Granth Sahib ''was first compiled by the fifth Sikh'Guru Arjun Dev 'from the
writings of the first five sikh gurus and other saints who preached the concept of
universal brotherhood including those of the Hindu and Muslim faith. Before the
death of Guru Gobind Singh ,"The Guru granth Sahib '' was declared the eternal
Guru recognizes all humans as equal before (Waheguru )regardless of color, caste,
or lineage. Sikhism strongly rejects the belief of fasting, superstitions, ideal
worship and circumcision. The sikhs believe in one eternal God and follow the
teachings of the '10 gurus', the five kakars of sikhism—kesh,kangha,Kara,kachera
and kirpan, the Hukams of Guru Gobind Singh, Sikh Rehat Maryada and Nitnem.
Guru Gobind Singh also led the foundation of Khalsa panth (Army of the Pure).
Under him the community was consolidated as a social, religious and military
form.

Introduction of Abrahamic religions

Judaism
Jews first arrived as traders from JUDEA in the city of Kochi,Kerala in 562
BCE.Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in recorded history.
More Jews came as exiles from Israel in the year 70 CE,after the destruction of the
second temple. While some Indian Jews have stated that there ancestors arrived
during the time of the biblical "Kingdom of judah", others claim descent from the
10 lost Tribes of the pre-judaic israelites who arrived in India earlier .Still some
other Indian jews contend that the descend from the Israelite Tribe of Manasseh
and their referred to as the Bnei Menashe.

Christianity
Christianity was introduced to India by Thomas the Apostle (a direct disciple of
Jesus Christ )who visited Muziris in Kerala in 52 CE and converted natives at large,
who are known as" St .Thomas Christians" also known as Nasrani today. India's
oldest Church the world oldest existing Church structure and built by Thomas the
apostle called Thiruvithamcode Arapally or Thomaiyar Kovil as named by then
Chera King 'Udayancheral' is located Thiruvithamcode in Kanyakumari district of
Tamilnadu, India. It is now declared as "international St. Thomas pilgrim
center."Christianity in India has different denominations like Syrian orthodox,
Catholicism,protestantism,Oriental orthodox and others . Christianity in India was
expanded in the 16th century by Catholic Portuguese expeditions and Protestant
missionaries in the 18 th and 19th centuries.
Islam
Islam is a monotheistic religion centered on the belief in one God and following
the example of MUHAMMAD. Though Islam came to India in the early 7th century
with the advent of Arab traders in Malabar coast,Kerala.The Cherenam juma
mosque is the first mosque in India located in Methala,
Kodungallur Taluk, Thrissur district of Kerala. Sources indicate that the castes
among Muslims developed as the result of the concept of KAFA'A.Those who are
referred to as Ashrafs (Sharifs) are presumed to have a superior status derived
from their Foreign Arab ancestry, while the Ajlafs are assumed to be converts from
Hinduism and have a lower status. Islam's spread in India mostly took place under
the Delhi sultanate and the Mughal empire, greatly aided by the mystic Sufi
tradition.

Other religions
As of the census of 2001, Parsis (followers of Zoroastrianism in India) represent
approximately 0.006% of the total population of India.Parsis number around 61,000
in India.There are several tribal religions in India,such as Donyi polo.
Santhal is also one of the many tribal religions followed by the santhal people.
The Baha'is came to India from Iran in 1850 and gained some converts from Muslim
populations in India.

Religions in present
The Preamble to the Constitution of India states that India is a secular state, and
the Constitution of India has declared the right to freedom of religion to be a
fundamental right. According to the 2011 census 79.8% of the population of India
practices Hinduism ,14.2% adheres to Islam, 2.3% adheres to Christianity, 1.7%
adheres to Sikhism,0.7 adheres to Buddhism and 0.4% are there to
jainism.Zoroastrianism, Sanamahism and Judaism also have an ancient history in
India each has several thousands of Indian adherents.

Conclusion
In the modern day republic of India the Indian Constitution supports and
encourages religious harmony in India. Every citizen has a right to choose and
practice any religion. There are examples of Muslims and Sikhs building temples.
In India different religious traditions live harmoniously. The whole concept of
religious harmony is the most valuable treasure of India. This kind of knowledge
guide to the right path and paves the way for a happy and peaceful community
and the world

And in last I will conclude my essay with these beautiful lines–

 "If we live in our oneness- heart,We will feel the essence of all
religions which is the love of God.
Forgiveness, Compassion, tolerance, brotherhood and the feeling of
oneness,
Are the signs of a true religion"
~ SRI CHINMOY.