Religious harmony in India

Religious harmony in India is a concept that indicates that there is love, affection in between different religions in India. The Indian constitution supports and encourages religious harmony.[1] In India, every citizen has a right to choose and practice any religion.[2] There are examples of Muslims and Sikhs building temples.[3] In India, different religious traditions live harmoniously. Seers of religions call for religious harmony in India.[4] For popular film stars in India like Salman Khan, festivals of Hindus and Muslims are equal.[5] According to Dalai Lama, India is a model for religious harmony. He mentions that "In the last 2000-3000 years, different religious traditions, including Jainism, flourished here."[6]

Historical Tradition

The ancient Indian scripture Rigveda endeavors plurality of religious thought with its mention "ekaM sadvipraa bahudhaa vadanti " (Sanskrit: एकं सद्विप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति)– meaning wise people explain the same truth in different manners.[7]

Ashoka (304–232 BC), in his 12th edict stated:[8]

"The beloved of the gods, king Piyadasi, honors both ascetics and the householders of all religions, and he honors them with gifts and honors of various kinds. . Whoever praises his own religion, due to excessive devotion, and condemns others with the thought "Let me glorify my own religion," only harms his own religion. Therefore contact between religions is good. One should listen to and respect the doctrines professed by others. The beloved of the gods, king Piyadasi, desires that all should be well-learned in the good doctrines of other religions. "

Kharavela (193 BC – after 170 BC) was the third and greatest emperor of the Mahameghavahana dynasty of Kaḷinga (present-day Odisha). The main source of information about Khārabeḷa is his famous seventeen line rock-cut Hātigumphā inscription in a cave in the Udayagiri hills near Bhubaneswar, Odisha.The inscription states that the Emperor Kharavela had a liberal religious spirit. Kharavela describes himself as:[9]

“ सव पासंड पूजको सवदेवायतन संकार कारको ” (Prakrit language, Devanagari script) Translation: The worshiper of all religious orders, the restorer of shrines of all gods.

The Grahapati Kokkala inscription dated to 1000-1001 AD equates[10] in Verse 3 equates Shiva with Parama Brahma, Buddha, Vaman and Jina.

Dharmasthala Temple
Main article: Dharmasthala Temple

Dharmasthala Temple is a great example of religious harmony in India, as the priests of the temple are Shivalli Brahmins, who are Vaishnava, and the administration is run by a Jain Bunt family.[11]

Efforts

The late 19th century and early 20th century Indian guru and yogi Sai Baba of Shirdi preached religious harmony through his teaching. To practise and promote it he combined the celebration of the Hindu festival of Rama Navami with a Muslim Urs.[12][13] Lokmanya Tilak organised the programmes like Ganesh Chaturthi and Shivjayanti to preach religious harmony among the people. Muslims used to play the dhol during the visarjan of the Ganesha idol that marks the culmination of Ganesh Chaturthi. The Lalbaugcha Raja of Mumbai, an annually set up Ganesha idol, is also worshipped by Muslims.[14][15] In 2019, a Hindu family in West Bengal chose to worship a Muslim girl as a part of Kumari Puja, a ritual performed during the Hindu festival of Durga Puja.[16]

Political, Military and Business leaders

Even though India is predominantly Hindu, its leaders have often included Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Zoroastrians etc.

  • Presidents of India: Dr. Zakir Hussain, Mohammad Hidayatullah, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam were Muslim and Giani Zail Singh was a Sikh.
  • Army Chief: Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw was a Zoroastrian, Sunith Francis Rodrigues was a Christian, Joginder Jaswant Singh and Bikram Singh were Sikhs.
  • The list of India's 100 richest people[17] (as of 2019) includes Dilip Shanghvi, a Jain, Azim Premji, a Muslim, and Pallonji Mistri, a Zoroastrian.

Further reading
  • Jain, Sandhya (2010). Evangelical intrusions: [Tripura, a case study]. New Delhi: Rupa & Co.
  • Elst, K. (2002). Who is a Hindu?: Hindu revivalist views of Animism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and other offshoots of Hinduism.
  • Goel, S.G. 2016. History of Hindu-Christian encounters, AD 304 to 1996.
  • Panikkar, K. M. (1959). Asia and Western dominance. London: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 9781597406017
  • Rajiv Malhotra (2011), Being Different: An Indian Challenge to Western Universalism (Publisher: HarperCollins India; ISBN 978-9-350-29190-0)
  • Swarup, Ram (1984). Buddhism vis-a-vis Hinduism.
  • Swarup, R. (1995). Hindu view of Christianity and Islam.
  • Shourie, Arun. (2006). Missionaries in India: Continuities, changes, dilemmas. New Delhi: Rupa.ISBN 9788172232702
  • Madhya Pradesh (India)., & Niyogi, M. B. (1956). Vindicated by time: The Niyogi Committee report on Christian missionary activities. Nagpur: Government Printing, Madhya Pradesh.
  • Narain, Harsh (1997). Myths of composite culture and equality of religions. New Delhi: Voice of India.

See also

References
  1. Article 51(A) e. Constitution of India. Retrieved 27 June 2017. 51A. Fundamental duties It shall be the duty of every citizen of India (a) to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the national Flag and the National Anthem;... (e) to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women; (f) to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture;
  2. "Indian Culture". Mapsofindia.com. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  3. William, Raju (12 July 2003). "Muslim couple, Sikhs build temple for Hindus". Ludhiana: Times of India. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  4. "Seer calls for religious harmony". Times of India. 23 April 2002. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  5. Ahmed, Afsana; Sharma, Smrity (14 November 2004). "'Diwali and Eid are equally special'". Times of India. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  6. "India is a model for religious harmony: Dalai Lama". NDTV.com. 25 November 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  7. Rigveda 1.64.46
  8. Edicts of Ashoka, Trans. Ven. Dhammika, https://www.livius.org/sh-si/shahbazgarhi/shahbazgarhi2.html
  9. Agrawal, Sadananda (2000): Śrī Khāravela, Sri Digambar Jain Samaj, Cuttack, Orissa
  10. Khajuraho, Kanhiayalal Agrawal, The MacMillan Company of India, 1980, p. 141-146
  11. Dharmasthala Temple
  12. Pal, Amitabh (2011). Islam Means Peace: Understanding the Muslim Principle of Nonviolence Today. ABC-CLIO. p. 71. ISBN 0313382913. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  13. Desai, Sonavi (2003). Spiritual Masters: Sai Baba. Indus Source. p. 52. ISBN 8187967641. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  14. Rajendra, Ranjani (15 September 2008). "Lalbaugcha Raja breaks religious barriers". Times of India. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  15. Desai, Shweta (15 September 2008). "At Agripada, a lasting Ganpati tradition continues in sensitive times". Indian Express. Mumbai. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  16. Bose, Sanjukta (6 October 2019). "Kolkata family set to worship Muslim girl for Kumari Puja". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  17. "India's 100 Richest People". Forbes. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
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