|
Religion is an integral part of our lives. It is important in regulating human behavior. Whatever laws and practices we follow in our day to day lives are the result of the teachings of religion. Religion also teaches us to respect our elders and be affectionate towards younger people. Thus, every society needs religion. Indian religion is very diverse and the most dominant religion is Hinduism. Approximately 80% of the Indian population comprises of Hindus. Many god and goddesses are worshipped by Hindus. A majority of population are the followers of Islam also known as Muslims. World's second largest population of Muslims resides in India. They are sub divided into Shias and Sunnis. Sikhs tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh developed the Sikh community. Sikhism was originally started in Punjab but has now spread throughout the country. Christians mainly include Catholics and Protestants and worship in churches. Other Indian Religion are Jainism, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism. With such vast religions, there are plenty of temples in India. Let’s take a look on Indian temples serving different religions. Hindu Temples: The important Hindu temples are Akshardham in Delhi, Birla Mandir in Delhi, Jagannath temple in Puri, Meenakshi temple in Madurai etc. Mosques: The most prominent ones are Chote Hazrat ki Dargah in Hyderabad, Hazrat Nizammudin Dargah in New Delhi, Kamar Ali Darvesh Dargah in Pune and Mecca Masjid of Andhra Pradesh. Churches: Velakanni Church in Bay of Bengal, Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa and Malayattoor church in Kerala are the important churches in India. Sikh Temples: Bangla Sahib in Delhi, Golden temple in Amritsar, Damdama Sahib in Bhatinda are the holy Sikh temples. Dilwara Temple in Rajasthan, Khajuraho Jain temple in Madhya Pradesh and Digambar Jain Lal Mandir in Delhi are the main temples of Jains and Sarnath Temple of Varanasi & Tawang monastery in Arunachal Pradesh are important places of Buddhists. A journey to a sacred place is known as pilgrimage. Every year millions of people go to pilgrimage places to worship their god and goddess. Different religions have different pilgrimage places to visit. Hindu pilgrimage places in India are Mata Vaishno Devi yatra, Amaranth yatra, and holy dip in Ganga River, Char Dham (Puri, Rameshwaram, Dwarka and Badrinath). Muslim’s most revered pilgrimage places are Ajmer Sharif, Haji Ali Dargah and Hazratbal. Hemkund Sahib, Paonta Sahib and Patna Sahib are the places of pilgrimage for Sikhs whereas Bodh Gaya, Vaishali and Sarnath are the pilgrimage places for Buddhism followers. Indian rituals have been followed by people since ages and have now became an important part of our lives. Different religions have different rituals and traditions. In Hindu religion, Brahmin priests perform puja and Yajnas on auspicious occasions to get the blessings of god and goddesses. Namkaran ceremony is held when a baby is born and puja is performed while chanting shlokas. Marriages are also arranged after matching the horoscopes. If a person in Hindu family dies, funeral process is carried out for the Mukti of dead person. Muslims worship Allah and whenever a baby is born in their family, palm juice is smeared in baby’s mouth. The wedding ritual is known as Nikaah and is based on two sentences in the presence of two witnesses. If a person dies, he/she is wrapped in white cloth and taken to burial ground. In Christians, whenever a child is born he is taken to the church for baptism ritual. Weddings are held inside a church by a priest and exchange rings. In the event of death, the dead body is placed in a coffin and buried in the ground. In Sikh community, prayers are chanted after a baby is born. Wedding ceremony is called Anant Karaj which is held in a Gurudwara. When a person of Sikh community dies, they cremate him/her before sunset.
Related Articles -
Indian rituals, pilgrimage places in India, temples in India, Indian temples, Indian Religion, Indian religions,
|
