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The major religions of India are Hinduism (majority religion), Islam (largest minority religion), Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and the Baha'i Faith.1 Hinduism
Hinduism, known to Hindus as Sanatana Dharma, believed to be the oldest of major religions, originated in northern India. Early Aryan, or Vedic, culture was the early Hinduism whose interaction with non-Aryan cultures resulted in what is known as Classical Hinduism. Much of ancient, classical and modern Indian culture has been greatly shaped by Hindu thought. The artwork of the Hindu Gupta period is famed and the acknowledged classic epics of India, the Mahabharata and RamayanaThe Ramayana ( Sanskrit: vehicle of Rama) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki (c. This epic of 24,000 verses tells of a Raghuvamsa prince, Rama of Ayodhya, whose wife Sita is abducted by the rakshasa, or demon, Ravana. The Ramayana had an impo, are both sacred Hindu texts and served as India's main inspirational foundation for a great deal of literary, artistic and musical creations in subsequent millennia. The most popular form of Indian medicine, AyurvedaAyurveda ( Sanskrit: ayu''life; veda''knowledge of) or ayurvedic medicine is a more than 6,000 year old comprehensive system of medicine based on a holistic approach rooted in Vedic culture. Its conspicuous use of the word veda, or knowledge, reveals its, was developed by Vedic seers and JyotishJyotish or Vedic astrology, is the chief form of astrology currently practiced in India. Part of a larger culture of Hinduism, it is derived from the same source as Western astrology (although what source that is India or Babylon is disputed), and the two, Hindu astrology, is the most popular form of astrology in India today. YogaYoga meaning union or yoking in Sanskrit, is the primary focus of Hinduism's diverse religious activities. Yoga is a science of the body, the mind, the consciousness and the soul. Yoga is a teaching of wisdom and knowledge which has been transmitted to ma, an internationally-famed system of meditation, is one of six systems of Hindu thought.
The two major traditions of Indian classical music, Hindustani and CarnaticPurandara Dasa—the Great Father pitamaha of Carnatic music Muthuswami Dikshitar, Thyagaraja and Syama Sastri—the trinity of Carnatic music Carnatic music or Karnatak music (Sanskrit is the classical music of South India, as opposed to the classical music, are both founded primarily on the tradition of sound philosophy and liturgical strains of the Sama Veda (though the former was also heavily influenced by Islamic Persian musicians and thinkers). Hindus left behind a great legacy of kingdoms and monuments, some of the most inspiring including temples covering the entire face of the Indian subcontinent. However modern-day Hinduism has been very vibrant with internationally-known Hindu leaders shaping religious thought and inspiring many throughout the last two centuries, among them Shri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Shri Aurobindo, Shri Ramana Maharshi, and B.K. Iyengar . The most popular national festivals and holidays of modern-day India are Hindu, among them Diwali and Holi. As of 2001, there were about 820 million Hindus in India.
One of the most popular but also controversial modern gurus in India is Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi.
