Hinduism in India
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Total population | |
---|---|
966.3 million![]() 79.80% of population ![]() | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Uttar Pradesh | 159,312,654 |
Maharashtra | 89,703,056 |
Bihar | 86,078,686 |
Madhya Pradesh | 66,007,121 |
West Bengal | 64,385,546 |
Tamil Nadu | 63,188,168 |
Rajasthan | 60,657,103 |
Religions | |
Hinduism (majority) Tribal people identified as Hindus (minority) | |
Scriptures | |
Bhagavad Gita, Vedas and others | |
Languages | |
Sanskrit (sacred) Indian languages (according to the region) |
Hinduism is the largest religion in India.[2][3] According to the 2011 Census of India, 966.3 Million people identify as Hindu,[1] representing 79.8% of the country's population. India contains 94% of the global Hindu population.[4] The Indian subcontinent is the birthplace of four of the world's major religions: namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—collectively known as Indian religions that believe Moksha is the most supreme state of the Ātman (soul).[5] The vast majority of Indian Hindus belong to Shaivite and Vaishnavite denominations.[6] India is one of the three countries in the world (Nepal and Mauritius being the other two) where Hinduism is the dominant religion.
History of Hinduism[edit]
The Vedic culture developed in India in 1500 BCE and 500 BCE.[7] After this period, the Vedic religion merged with local traditions and the renouncer traditions, resulting in the emergence of Hinduism,[8] which has had a profound impact on India's history, culture and philosophy. The name India itself is derived from Sanskrit Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the Indus River.[9] Another popular alternative name of India is Hindustān, meaning the "land of Hindus".[10] India saw the rule of both Hindu and Muslim rulers from c. 1200 CE to 1750 CE.[11] The fall of Vijayanagar Empire to Muslim sultans had marked the end of Hindu dominance in the Deccan. Hinduism once again rose to political prestige, under the Maratha Empire.[12][13]

Partition of India[edit]
The 1947 Partition of India gave rise to bloody rioting and indiscriminate inter-communal killing of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs across the Indian subcontinent. As a result, around 7.2 million Hindus and Sikhs moved to India and 7.5 million Muslims moved to Pakistan permanently, leading to demographic change of both the nations to a certain extent.[14]
I find no parallel in history for a body of converts and their descendants claiming to be a nation apart from the parent stock.
— Mahatma Gandhi, opposing the division of India on the basis of religion in 1944.[15]
Demographics[edit]
Template:Table of religions in India
Hindu population by States and Territories[edit]
Region | Hindus | Total | % Hindus |
---|---|---|---|
India | 966,257,353 | 1,210,854,977 | 79.80% |
Himachal Pradesh | 6,532,765 | 6,864,602 | 95.17% |
Dadra and Nagar Haveli | 322,857 | 343,709 | 93.93% |
Odisha | 39,300,341 | 41,974,218 | 93.63% |
Chhattisgarh | 23,819,789 | 25,545,198 | 93.25% |
Madhya Pradesh | 66,007,121 | 72,626,809 | 90.89% |
Daman and Diu | 220,150 | 243,247 | 90.50% |
Gujarat | 53,533,988 | 60,439,692 | 88.57% |
Rajasthan | 60,657,103 | 68,548,437 | 88.49% |
Andhra Pradesh | 74,824,149 | 84,580,777 | 88.46% |
Tamil Nadu | 63,188,168 | 72,147,030 | 87.58% |
Haryana | 22,171,128 | 25,351,462 | 87.46% |
Puducherry | 1,089,409 | 1,247,953 | 87.30% |
Karnataka | 51,317,472 | 61,095,297 | 84.00% |
Tripura | 3,063,903 | 3,673,917 | 83.40% |
Uttarakhand | 8,368,636 | 10,086,292 | 82.97% |
Bihar | 86,078,686 | 104,099,452 | 82.69% |
Delhi | 13,712,100 | 16,787,941 | 81.68% |
Chandigarh | 852,574 | 1,055,450 | 80.78% |
Maharashtra | 89,703,056 | 112,374,333 | 79.83% |
Uttar Pradesh | 159,312,654 | 199,812,341 | 79.73% |
West Bengal | 64,385,546 | 91,276,115 | 70.54% |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 264,296 | 380,581 | 69.45% |
Jharkhand | 22,376,051 | 32,988,134 | 67.83% |
Goa | 963,877 | 1,458,545 | 66.08% |
Assam | 19,180,759 | 31,205,576 | 61.47% |
Sikkim | 352,662 | 610,577 | 57.76% |
Kerala | 18,282,492 | 33,406,061 | 54.73% |
Manipur | 1,181,876 | 2,855,794 | 41.39% |
Punjab | 10,678,138 | 27,743,338 | 38.49% |
Arunachal Pradesh | 401,876 | 1,383,727 | 29.04% |
Jammu and Kashmir | 3,566,674 | 12,541,302 | 28.44% |
Meghalaya | 342,078 | 2,966,889 | 11.53% |
Nagaland | 173,054 | 1,978,502 | 8.75% |
Lakshadweep | 1,788 | 64,473 | 2.77% |
Mizoram | 30,136 | 1,097,206 | 2.75% |
Hindu majority State/Union Territory in India[edit]
List of most Hindu majority states with more than 80% of population of Hindus.[16]
- Himachal Pradesh – (95.17%)
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli – (93.93%)
- Orissa – (93.63%)
- Chhattisgarh – (93.25%)
- Madhya Pradesh – (90.89%)
- Daman and Diu – (90.50%)
- Gujarat – (88.57%)
- Rajasthan – (88.49%)
- Andhra Pradesh – (88.46%)
- Tamil Nadu – (87.58%)
- Haryana – (87.46%)
- Puducherry – (87.30%)
- Karnataka – (84.00%)
- Tripura – (83.40%)
- Uttarakhand – (82.97%)
- Bihar – (82.69%)
- Delhi – (81.68%)
- Chandigarh – (80.78%)
Apart from this, there are 10 States/Union Territory of Hindu majorities. With Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal having more than 70 percent of population.[16]
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1951 | 303,675,084 | — |
1961 | 366,541,417 | +20.7% |
1971 | 453,492,481 | +23.7% |
1981 | 562,379,847 | +24.0% |
1991 | 690,091,965 | +22.7% |
2001 | 827,722,142 | +19.9% |
2011 | 966,257,353 | +16.7% |
Source: census of India |
The Hindu population has increased more than three times from 303,675,084 in 1951 to 966,257,353 in 2011, but the Hindu percentage share of total population has declined from 84.1% in 1951 to 79.8% in 2011.[17][18] When India achieved independence in 1947, Hindus formed 85% of the total population and pre-Partition British India had 73% of Hindus and 24% of Muslims.
Among the community, it is estimated that Forward castes comprise 26 per cent, Other Backward Classes comprise 43%, Scheduled Castes (Dalits) comprises 22% and Scheduled Tribes (Adivasis) comprise 9%.[19]
Hindu minority State/Union Territory in India[edit]
Of the 28 states in India, Hindus form majority in 22 states except for Punjab (Sikh majority), Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram (Christian majority). In Manipur, Hinduism is a plurality religion, where Hinduism is practised by 41.39% and Christianity is followed by 41.29%.[16] Out of the eight Union territories, Hindus form majority in five.[16][20]
Hindus are minority in six states and three union territories of India namely—[21][22]
- Mizoram – (2.75%),
- Lakshadweep – (2.77%),
- Nagaland – (8.74%),
- Meghalaya – (11.52%),
- Ladakh – (12.11%),
- Jammu and Kashmir – (28.8%),
- Arunachal Pradesh – (29.04%),
- Punjab – (38.49%) and
- Manipur – (41.39%)
Out of the eight states of northeast India, Tripura, Sikkim, and Assam are Hindu majority while four are Hindu minority, and one as a plurality.[23]
States with declining Hindu population in India[edit]
West Bengal[edit]
Two districts in West Bengal, Malda and North Dinajpur, had a Hindu majority in 2001 census which, by the time of the 2011 census, had become a Hindu minority or plurality.[24] The percentage of Hindu population in the state has decreased from 78.45% in 1951 to 70.54% in 2011. Another district, Murshidabad, is a Muslim majority district where the Muslim population steadily increased from 55.24% in 1951 to 66.27% in 2011.[25]
Uttar Pradesh[edit]
The proportion of Hindus in the Saharanpur district was 59.49% in 2001. This had declined to 56.74% by 2011 – a drop of 2.75%. At the same time the Muslim population increased from 39.11% in 2001 to 41.95% in 2011.[26]
Assam[edit]
A study on population composition of Assam reveals that the Hindu population in Assam has declined from 70.78% in 1951 to 61.47% in 2011. Whereas in 1891, the Muslim population in Assam was only about 5%, by the 2001 census it had risen to above 30% and by 2011 to above 34% of the total Assam population.[27] According to the 2001 census, there were six Muslim-majority districts in Assam, increasing to nine by the time of the 2011 census.[28]
Kerala[edit]
The population of Hindus in Kerala has more than doubled from 8,344,351 in 1951 to 18,282,492 in 2011 census, but the share of Hindu population has dropeed from 68.5% in 1901 to 54.7% in 2011.[29]
Census
Year |
Hindus | Decadal Growth rate (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
1901 | 4,378,305 | 68.5% | N/A |
1911 | 4,762,393 | 66.8% | +8.77 |
1921 | 5,052,039 | 64.9% | +6.08 |
1931 | 6,021,982 | 63.4% | +19.20 |
1941 | 6,699,600 | 61.8% | +11.25 |
1951 | 8,344,351 | 61.6% | +24.55 |
1961 | 10,282,568 | 60.9% | +23.23 |
1971 | 12,683,277 | 59.4% | +23.35 |
1981 | 14,801,347 | 58.2% | +16.70 |
1991 | 16,668,587 | 57.3% | +12.62 |
2001 | 17,920,105 | 56.3% | +7.51 |
2011 | 18,282,492 | 54.7% | +2.02 |
Manipur[edit]
A decrease in the 1991–2001 period is observed in Manipur, from 57% to 52% population share, where there has been a resurgence of the indigenous Sanamahi religion. The Hindu Population share in Manipur decreased also in 2001–2011 from 52% to 41.4%. The religious conversion of Hindus to Christianity and migration of Christians from Nagaland are considered as the reason for this decrease in Hindu population.[31]
Law & politics[edit]
Some right wing Hindu organisations have demanded that India should be declared a "Hindu state".[32] As of 28th July 2020, there were pleas going on Supreme Court of India to remove the words secular and socialist from the Preamble to the Constitution of India.[33]
See also[edit]
Reference[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "India's religions by numbers". The Hindu. 26 August 2015. Archived from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2021 – via www.thehindu.com.
- ↑ "The Major Religions In India". WorldAtlas. 20 September 2020. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ↑ "Indian Culture – Religion". Cultural Atlas. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ↑ "By 2050, India to have world's largest populations of Hindus and Muslims". Pew Research Center. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ↑ Olivelle, Patrick. "Moksha | Indian religion". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ↑ "Major Branches of Religions". www.adherents.com. Archived from the original on 19 August 1999. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ↑ N. Siegel, Paul (1986). The meek and the militant: religion and power across the world. Zed Books, 1987. ISBN 9780862323493.
- ↑ Hoiberg, Dale. Students' Britannica India. Popular Prakashan, 2000. ISBN 9780852297605.
- ↑ "India", Oxford English Dictionary, second edition, 2100a.d. Oxford University Press.
- ↑ "Hindustan definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
- ↑ Neusner, Jacob (7 October 2009). World Religions in America, Fourth Edition. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 189. ISBN 9781611640472. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ↑ Tinker, Hugh (1966). South Asia: A Short History. University of Hawaii Press. p. 18. ISBN 9780824812874. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ↑ Ganesha on the Dashboard Archived 15 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine p. 176, V. Raghunathan, M. A. Eswaran, Penguin
- ↑ Talbot, Ian; Singh, Gurharpal (23 July 2009). The Partition of India. Cambridge University Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-521-85661-4. Archived from the original on 13 December 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ↑ Prof. Prasoon (1 January 2010). My Letters.... M.K.Gandhi. Pustak Mahal. p. 120. ISBN 978-81-223-1109-9. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 "C-1 Population By Religious Community". Census of India. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ↑ "Key findings about the religious composition of India".
- ↑ "Census: Hindu share dips below 80%, Muslim share grows but slower". 24 January 2015.
- ↑ Sachar, Rajinder (2006). "Sachar Committee Report (2004–2005)" (PDF). Government of India. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2008.
- ↑ ""Religion Must Be Viewed Pan-India": Top Court On Hindus-As-Minorities Plea". City: Thiruvananthapuram. The Times of India. TNN. 2 August 2017. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ↑ "SC quashes plea on minority status for Hindus in 8 states". Hindustan Times. 18 December 2019. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ↑ "'Minority' plea on Hindus in 9 states". www.telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ↑ Gheewala, C. L. (1942). "Was the Hindu State Pluralistic?". The Indian Journal of Political Science. 3 (3): 237–248. ISSN 0019-5510. JSTOR 42742673. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ↑ "Bengal beats India in Muslim growth rate". Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- ↑ "Report taking shape amid infiltration buzz". www.telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ↑ "Assembly elections: Minorities on majority route in Uttar Pradesh". Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- ↑ "Citizenship Amendment Act: BJP chasing ghosts in Assam; Census data shows number of Hindu immigrants may have been exaggerated – India News , Firstpost". Firstpost. 18 December 2019. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ↑ Jain, Bharti (26 August 2015). "Muslim majority districts in Assam up | India News – Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Kerala population Demographics" (PDF). Bitscan. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Raghunath, Arjun (16 March 2016). "Kerala: Muslims will be double the number of Christians by 2051". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ↑ "Christian population on the rise in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur". City: New Delhi. Hindustan Times. TNN. 9 March 2017. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
- ↑ "Declare India a 'Hindu Rashtra': Hindu convention resolution". Hindustan Times. 17 June 2017. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ↑ "Plea in SC seeks to remove words 'socialist', 'secular' from Constitution's preamble-India News , Firstpost". Firstpost. 29 July 2020. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
External links[edit]
- "Hinduism – Origins, Facts & Beliefs". History topics.
- "History of Hinduism in India". Khan Academy.