Religious harmony in India

A symbol of religious and social/communal harmony.

Religious harmony in India is a concept that indicates that there is love, affection between different religions throughout the history of the Indian subcontinent. In the modern-day Republic of 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 together.[3] In India, different religious traditions live harmoniously.^[citation needed] 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, such as Jainism, Islam, Sikhism, and others, have flourished here.[6] The whole concept of religious harmony is the most valuable treasure of India." In a lecture organized on the silver jubilee of Seshadripuram Educational Trust, Dalai Lama further said that though religions have various philosophies and spiritual traditions, all of them carry the same message of love. He also emphasized the importance of acknowledging each other as brothers and sisters. As mentioned by Dalai Lama, reviving ancient Indian knowledge helps us to live peacefully and in perfect harmony with other communities. This kind of knowledge guides us to the right path and paves the way for a happy and peaceful community and world.[7]

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.[8] It is a Upanishadic statement from the yore which signifies that "One God Is Worshipped In Different Names." It also literally means "Truth is one, the wise perceive it differently". We might call God in various names but perceive him in multiple ways but he is the only one or the enlightened one.[9]

Ashoka (304–232 BC), in his 12th edict stated:[10]

"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 religion, due to excessive devotion, and condemns others with the thought "Let me glorify my religion," only harms his 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. "

After the Kalinga war, Ashoka adopted the philosophy of Buddhism and devoted himself to the promotion of Dhamma. He was also known as the pioneer of social harmony. For him, dharma was not restricted to religion or religious beliefs. Dhamma was rather a way of life that revolved around moral principles. These principles would provide a moral law to humans and not malign or demean any other religion to establish your religion. In his second inscription, he wrote, "What is Dhamma? Minor misdeeds and more misdeeds. Avoiding evils like fury, cruelty, anger, arrogance, and jealousy and attachment in kindness, generosity, truth, self-control, simplicity, purity of heart, and morality. Observance of ethics, internal and external purity etc."[11]

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 lines rock-cut Hātigumphā inscription in a cave in the Udayagiri hills near Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The inscription states that Emperor Kharavela had a liberal religious spirit. Kharavela describes himself as:[12] “ 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[13] Verse 3 equates Shiva with Parama Brahma, Buddha, Vaman, and Jina.

Dharmasthala Temple

Main article: Dharmasthala Temple

Dharmasthala Temple is an example of religious harmony in India, as the priests of the temple are Madhwa Brahmins, who are Vaishnava, and the administration is run by a Jain Bunt family.[14] The deities of the temple are Hindu god[15] Shiva, who is referred to as Mañjunatha, Hindu goddess Ammanavaru, the Tirthankara Chandraprabha and the protective gods of Jainism, Kalarahu, Kalarkayi, Kumarasvami and Kanyakumari.

Ajmer Sharif Dargah

Main article: Ajmer Sharif Dargah

A dargah is a shrine built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint or dervish. Sufis often visit the shrine for ziyarat, a term associated with religious visits and "pilgrimages". Within Islamic Sufism or in other words, Islamic mysticism, Sufi Saints often shared messages of unity to the divine and promoted love of God, discouraging the discrimination of people solely based on religious denomination. For these historical and cultural reasons, dargahs, such as the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, have been a place for Muslims, Hindus, and people of other faiths since medieval times.[16]

Punnathala

Main article: Punnathala

Punnathala is an example of religious harmony in India, as the Harmony Village in Malappuram district, Kerala. This is a village known for religious harmony, The village is celebrating the Hindus and Muslims coming together to follow tradition and celebrate festivals is known for its tradition of maintaining communal harmony.[17][18]

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.[19][20] 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.^[citation needed] The Lalbaugcha Raja of Mumbai, an annually set up Ganesha idol, is also worshipped by Muslims.[21][22] 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.[23]

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, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, and Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam were Muslim, and Giani Zail Singh was a Sikh.
• Chiefs of Army Staff: General (Later Field Marshal) Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw MC was a Zoroastrian; General Sunith Francis Rodrigues was a Christian; and General Joginder Jaswant Singh PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC, and General Bikram Singh PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC are Sikhs.
• Chiefs of Air Staff: Air Marshal Aspy Merwan Engineer DFC, and Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major PVSM, AVSM, SC, VM, ADC were/are Zoroastrians (Parsis); Air Marshal (later Air Chief Marshal and Marshal of The Indian Air Force) Arjan Singh DFC, Air Chief Marshal Dilbagh Singh PVSM, AVSM, VM, and Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VM, ADC were/are Sikhs; Air Chief Marshal Idris Hasan Latif PVSM was a Muslim; and Air Chief Marshal Denis Anthony La Fontaine PVSM, AVSM, VM was a Christian.
• The list of India's 100 richest people[24] (as of 2019^[update]) includes Dilip Shanghvi, a Jain, Azim Premji, a Muslim, and Pallonji Mistri, a Zoroastrian.

See also

• Composite nationalism
• Hindu–Muslim unity
• Din-i Ilahi
• Ethnic relations in India
• Freedom of religion in India
• Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb
• Phool Walon Ki Sair
• Religious syncretism
• Sarva Dharma Sammelan
• Ajmer Sharif Dargah
• Punnathala Communal Harmony Village

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". The Times of India. Ludhiana. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
4. "Seer calls for religious harmony". The Times of India. 23 April 2002. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
5. Ahmed, Afsana; Sharma, Smrity (14 November 2004). "Diwali and Eid are equally special". The 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. "Religious harmony is India's treasure, says Dalai Lama". The Hindu. 24 December 2017. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
8. Rigveda 1.64.46
9. Network, Newsroom24x7 (17 November 2018). "Ekam sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti". Sanatan Mission. Retrieved 18 October 2021. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
10. Edicts of Ashoka, Trans. Ven. Dhammika, https://www.livius.org/sh-si/shahbazgarhi/shahbazgarhi2.html Archived 18 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
11. "Emperor Ashoka was the pioneer of social harmony". Times of India Blog. 13 April 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
12. Agrawal, Sadananda (2000): Śrī Khāravela, Sri Digambar Jain Samaj, Cuttack, Orissa
13. Khajuraho, Kanhiayalal Agrawal, The MacMillan Company of India, 1980, p. 141-146
14. M. V. Kamath (1988). The Other Face of India. Konark Publishers. p. 40. ISBN 9788122000887. In the Siva temple, the priests are Madhva brahmins—Vaishnavites—but Hegde, the dharmadhikari of all temples, is a Jain.
15. "Shiva In Mythology: Let's Reimagine The Lord". www.outlookindia.com/. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
16. Khan, Motiur Rahman (2010). "Akbar and the Dargah of Ajmer". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 71. Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Delli: 226–235. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 44147489.
17. "Kerala: Malappuram temple joins CAA protest of Mosque committees". The Times of India. 28 December 2019.
18. "Kerala temple throws iftar party for Muslims who extended support for Temple renovation". 2 June 2017.
19. Pal, Amitabh (2011). Islam Means Peace: Understanding the Muslim Principle of Nonviolence Today. ABC-CLIO. p. 71. ISBN 978-0313382918. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
20. Desai, Sonavi (2003). Spiritual Masters: Sai Baba. Indus Source. p. 52. ISBN 8187967641. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
21. Rajendra, Ranjani (15 September 2008). "Lalbaugcha Raja breaks religious barriers". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
22. Desai, Shweta (15 September 2008). "At Agripada, a lasting Ganpati tradition continues in sensitive times". The Indian Express. Mumbai. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
23. Bose, Sanjukta (6 October 2019). "Kolkata family set to worship Muslim girl for Kumari Puja". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
24. "India's 100 Richest People". Forbes. Retrieved 8 October 2019.

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.