RELIGION OF INDIA

India has long been known as a very spiritual,

religious heavy area of the world. Religion is a
way of life and an integral part of the entire
Indian tradition.

TheIndian subcontinentis the birthplace

of some of the worlds major religions;
namely Hinduism, Buddhism,
Jainism, Ayyavazhi and Sikhism.

Christianity, Zoroastrianism,
Judaism and Islam.
 Hinduism
Sindhu means river, the origin
of Hindu and India.
Oldest living religion in the
world and the third largest.
A worldwide religious tradition
that is based on the Vedas, and
is the direct descendant of the
Vedic religion.
Four Vedas; Rig Veda, Sama
Veda, Yajur Veda, and Atharva
Veda.
Praise God, Gods and
Goddesses.
Gods and Goddesses

Kali - goddess of time and change.

Brahma God of creation and one of

the Trimurti. The other being is
Vishnu and Shiva.

Vishnu - Preserver and protector of

creation in Trimurti. The
embodiment of mercy and
goodness, the self- existent, all
pervading that preserves the
universe and maintains the cosmic
order of Dharma.
 Shiva god of yogis, self controlled and
celibate. The destroyer of the world in
trimurti.

Annapurna Hindu Goddess of food and

cooking.

Ganesha the elephant headed God.

Symbolizes spiritual attitude.
 Matangi - one of theMahavidyas. The
Tantric form of Sarasvati, the goddess of
music and learning.

Balmara symbol of strength, an

obedient son, an ideal brother and
husband, an ideal man and god.

Garuda the kings of the birds and

often acts as a messenger between the
gods and men.
 Maya the literal meaning of the word
maya is illusion. Maya creates the
ignorance of the individual self.

Bhuvaneshwari the Queen (Ishvari) of

the phenomenal world (Bhuvan).

Hanuman the monkey deity renowned

for his courage, power and faithful,
selfless service.
 Ram the 7th incarnation of Vishnu and the
central figure of Ramayana (Ramayan)
epic. Ram took birth to free the earth from
cruelty and sins of the demon King Ranava
(Ravan).

Indra the king of the gods and ruler of

heavens. Indra is the god of thunder and
rain and a great warrior, a symbol of
courage and strength.

Saraswati the hindu goddess of

knowledge, music and all the creative
arts.
 Buddha the 9th incarnation of Vishnu,
following Ram and Krishna.

Shakti the divine force, manifesting

to destroy demonic forces and restore
balance.

Dhanwantari the physician of the

gods, the promulgator of the Ayurveda.
Born as a King of Benares, who
brought medical science to the world.
 Kartikay the son of Shiva and brother
to Ganesha. While Ganesha symbolizes a
spiritual attitude, Kartikay is the scientist
of the gods.

Dhumavati the smoky form of Shakti.

The divine mother at the time of
deluge, when the earth is under water.

Krishna- the 8th incarnation od lord Vishnu

and was born in the Dvarpara Yuga as the
dark one. Lord Krishna is the
embodiment of love and divine joy, that
destroys all pain and sin.
 Sita the incarnation of Lakshmi, the
consort of Lord Vishnu.

Durga the incarnation of Devi and the

mother Goddess, a unified symbol of all
the divine forces.

Kurma the 2nd, tortoise- incarnation of

Lord Vishnu. The Kurma incarnation
represents development of life, when the
ability to breathe the air and walk out of
the water developed.
 Vamana the 5th incarnation of Lord
Vishnu, born as a dwarf into the
household of a Brahmin Priest.

Ganga river goddess. Ganga is the

most sacred river of the Hindu Mythology.

Lakshmi the goddess of light, beauty,

good fortune and wealth.
Buddhism
Buddhism is based on the
teachings of Lord Buddha,
Siddhartha Gautama (563 and 483
BC), a royal prince of Kapilvastu,
India.
After originating in India,
Buddhism spread throughout the
Central Asia, Sri Lanka, Tibet,
Southeast Asia, as well as the East
Asian countries of China, Mongolia,
Korea, Japan and Vietnam.
Buddhism prospered in Asia but
nearly extinct in India.
 Jainism
Jainism dates to the 6th
century B.C.E. in India.
Along with Hinduism,
Buddhism and Sikhism, is
one of the four major
Dharma religions originating
in India.
Jains are extremely well-
represented inspite of the
fact that they form only
0.4% (around 4.2 million) of
India's total population.
Ayyavazhi
A religion originated in
south india in the 19th
century.
It is one of the fastest
growing religions of
Southern India.
It has more than 7000
worship centers
throughout south India,
mostly in Tamil Nadu and
some in the city of
 Sikhism
Founded in India's
northwestern Punjab
region about 400 years
ago.
The most famous Sikh
temple is the Golden
Temple, located in
Amritsar, Punjab.
Christianity
According to tradition,
Christianity arrived in India in
the first century through the
Apostle Thomas.
The third largest religion of
India making up 2 - 2.5% of
the population.
Roman Catholicism reached
India during the period of
European colonization, which
began in 1498 when the
Portuguese explorer
Vasco da Gama arrived on
the
Zoroastrianism
After theIslamic conquest
of Greater Persia,
Zoroastrianism declined in
Persia but continued to
flourish in India as a result
of Indian refuge,
protection and
patronization following
their escape and
subsequent migration.
Its followers are called
Parsis.
 Judaism
The Cochin Jews arrived in
India 2,500 years ago.
Indian Jews are a religious
minority, living among
India's predominantly
Hindu populace.
One of the first religions
to arrive in India and
assimilate with local
traditions through cultural
diffusion.
Islam
Islam first came to the
western coast of India with
Arab traders as early as
7th century AD to coastal
Malabar and the Konkan-
Gujarat.
Cheraman Juma Masjid, the
first mosque of India was
built in 629 (during the life
of Prophet Muhammad) in
Kerala.
Cheraman Perumal
Bhaskara Ravi Varma.
Sources
http://www.crystalinks.com/indiareligion.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBZRTzXARWM
http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesse
s.htm#.V7Wf__nnakq
http://quatr.us/india/religion/buddhism.html
http://www.patheos.com/Library/Jainism
https://www.quora.com/How-did-Islam-come-to-India-and-how-
did-it-spread