A similar share of Muslims (20%) say they never go to a mosque for namaz, but this is almost entirely driven by Muslim women fully 41% of whom report never visiting a mosque, compared with just 1% of Muslim men. In preparation for the trip, Aji fasted for 41 days. Among Indians overall, however, gender, age and education have little connection to how often people report attending their house of worship. Nearly two-thirds of Hindus say they have received purification by taking a dip in a holy body of water, such as the Ganges River (65%). But substantial minorities of Christians (31%) and Muslims (20%) report that they do celebrate Diwali. The states of Southern India (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Telangana) show the biggest downward trend in the perceived importance of religion over respondents lifetimes: 76% of Indians who live in the South say religion was very important to their family growing up, compared with 69% who say religion is personally very important to them now. Three-quarters of Indian Muslims (77%) say that a person cannot be Muslim if they eat pork, which is even higher than the share who say a person cannot be Muslim if they do not believe in God (60%) or never attend mosque (61%). The program, however, faced resistance from Indian and non-Indian Christians who were critical of its pluralist . The name synagogue, which is from the Greek for a place of assembly, is often . Most Hindus feel close to multiple gods, but Shiva, Hanuman and Ganesha are most popular. For instance, overwhelming shares across Indias religious communities say they are very proud to be Indian, and most agree that Indian culture is superior to others. And among Jains, whose religion teaches that no harm should be done to any life form, just 7% of adults have witnessed or participated in animal sacrifices. Most of Christianity calls its places of worship churches; many religions use temple, a word derived in English from the Latin word for time, because of the importance to the Romans of the proper time of sacrifices. Sikhs in India also incorporate other religious traditions into their practice. Majorities in most religious groups responded that they do, including the vast majority of Hindus (87%) and Jains (85%). Belief Systems Along the Silk Road | Asia Society The religious beliefs of people along the Silk Road at the beginning of the 1st century BCE were very different from what they would later become. The survey asked all Indian Hindus who say they believe in God which god they feel closest to showing them 15 images of gods on a card as possible options and the vast majority of Hindus selected more than one god or indicated that they have many personal gods (84%).7This is true not only among Hindus who say they believe in many gods (90%) or in one God with many manifestations (87%), but also among those who say there is only one God (82%). By Ariana Monique Salazar Christian devotees wearing face masks offer prayers at St. Mary's Basilica in Bengaluru on Dec. 24, 2020. On balance, more Indians see diversity as a benefit than view it as a liability for their country: Roughly half (53%) of Indian adults say Indias religious diversity benefits the country, while about a quarter (24%) see diversity as harmful, with similar figures among both Hindus and Muslims. But 24% of Indians do not take a clear position either way they say diversity neither benefits nor harms the country, or they decline to answer the question. Most Hindus and Jains also pray daily (59% and 73%, respectively) and say they perform puja daily (57% and 81%), either at home or at a temple.6. People offer them flowers, clothing, or food based on what their religion or beliefs demand as acts of devotion. On balance, older adults (ages 35 and older) are a little more likely than younger adults to say they sing devotionally. Within all six religious groups, eight-in-ten or more also say that helping the poor and needy is a crucial part of their religious identity. Previous Pew Research Center surveys show much less importance given to religion in several other regions of the world, including Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Israel, Latin America and the United States. Triple talaq seems to have the most support among Muslims in the Southern and Northeastern regions of India, where half or more of Muslims say it should be legal (58% and 50%, respectively), although 12% of Muslims in the South and 16% in the Northeast do not take a position on the issue either way. The Board of Revenue . The questions used in this analysis can be found here. In addition, most Muslims across the country (65%), along with an identical share of Hindus (65%), see communal violence as a very big national problem. Still, 37% of Indian Muslims say they support triple talaq, with Muslim men (42%) more likely than Muslim women (32%) to take this position. Stanley Samartha, the dialogue program's first director, was a South Indian theologian who saw Christian and Hindu thought compatible in many aspects. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. Like Hindus, Muslims have dietary restrictions that resonate as powerful markers of identity. The shape of the dome varies from region to region and the steeple is often in the form of the trident of Shiva. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax A higher share of Dalits in the South and Northeast than elsewhere in the country say they, personally, have faced discrimination in the last 12 months because of their caste: 30% of Dalits in the South say this, as do 38% in the Northeast. For example, 87% of Jains go to a temple at least monthly, including 70% who visit the temple at least once a week. Roughly half of Indian adults (48%) say they watch religious programs or serials at least weekly. In general, college-educated Indians, younger adults (ages 18 to 34) and those who live in urban areas are slightly more inclined than other Indians to watch religious programs weekly. But personal experiences with discrimination among Muslims vary quite a bit regionally. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. South Indians are less inclined than those in other regions to sing devotionally. By contrast, only 19% of South Indians meditate at least weekly. Outside traditional forms of home altars, temple worship, and festivals, there are many ways in which Hinduism has influenced American culture. Feelings of closeness for Lord Ram are especially strong in the Central region (27%), which includes what Hindus claim is his ancient birthplace, Ayodhya. Beliefs about God in India | Pew Research Center Even among Buddhists, who have the lowest rate of monthly temple attendance (44%), three-quarters of adults say they give money to temples. But generally, people in Indias major religious communities tend to see themselves as very different from others. These home-based religious practices are widely followed among both Hindus and members of smaller religious communities. By several standard measures, Indians are highly religious. The survey also asked Indians whether they dance or sing devotionally. This is one in a series of Pew Research Center reports on India based on a survey of 29,999 Indian adults conducted Nov. 17, 2019, to March 23, 2020, as well as demographic data from the Indian Census and other government sources. By comparison, fewer Buddhists and Christians say it is very important to stop such marriages although for majorities of both groups, stopping people from marrying outside their caste is at least somewhat important. How are Hindu temples different from churches? In particular, three-quarters of Muslims in India (74%) support having access to the existing system of Islamic courts, which handle family disputes (such as inheritance or divorce cases), in addition to the secular court system. Even though Hindu BJP voters who link national identity with religion and language are more inclined to support a religiously segregated India, they also aremorelikely than other Hindu voters to express positive opinions about Indias religious diversity. Older Muslims, that is, those over the age of 34, are somewhat more likely than younger Muslims to have participated in or witnessed this ritual (61% vs. 55%). These are among the key findings of a Pew Research Center survey conducted face-to-face nationally among 29,999 Indian adults. Members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are slightly more likely than others to perceive widespread discrimination against their two groups. For example, 49% of lower-caste Christians watch religious programming weekly, while about half as many General Category Christians report doing this (25%). About four-in-ten Muslims (38%) say they pray all five namaz daily; this figure is similar across different age groups, education levels and castes. While people in some countries may aspire to create a melting pot of different religious identities, many Indians seem to prefer a country more like a patchwork fabric, with clear lines between groups. The attitude of the Muslim rulers toward Hinduism varied. But even among Sikhs and Jains, who each form a sliver of the national population, a large majority say their friends come mainly or entirely from their small religious community. Generally, across the country, there is little difference in personal religious observance between urban and rural residents or between those who are college educated versus those who are not. Today, about three-quarters of Sikh men and women in India say they keep their hair long (76%), and two-thirds say it is very important to them that children in their families also keep their hair long (67%). Many Indians, across a range of religious groups, say it is very important to stop people in their community from marrying into other religious groups. Moreover, there is no required state religion, but rather a state of religious freedom. Even though three-in-ten people in the South say there is widespread caste discrimination in India, the region also has a history of anti-caste movements. And religion is prominent in the lives of Indians regardless of their socioeconomic status. Hindu temples Hindu temples are known by many different names, varying on region and language, including Alayam, [2] Mandir, Mandira, Ambalam, Gudi, Kavu, Koil, Kovil, Dul, Raul, Devasthana, Devalaya, Devayatan, Devakula, Devagiriha, Degul, Deva Mandiraya, and Devalayam. Among Hindus, for instance, any conversion out of the group is matched by conversion into the group: 0.7% of respondents say they were raised Hindu but now identify as something else, and although Hindu texts and traditions do not agree on any formal process for conversion into the religion, roughly the same share (0.8%) say they werenot raised Hindu but now identify as Hindu.5Most of these new followers of Hinduism are married to Hindus. At the same time, Hindus are not alone in linking beef consumption with religious identity: 82% of Sikhs and 85% of Jains surveyed say that a person who eats beef cannot be a member of their religious groups, either. Buddhists in India nearly universally identify themselves in these categories, including 89% who are Dalits (sometimes referred to by the pejorative term untouchables). Although the name Hinduism is relatively new, having been coined by British writers in the first decades of the 19th century, it refers to a rich cumulative tradition of texts and practices, some of which date to the 2nd millennium bce or possibly . (Muslims and Christians did not receive this question.). These shared values are accompanied by a number of beliefs that cross religious lines. But on the whole, Indians who say religion is very important in their lives are not more likely than other Indians to do yoga. Most Indians from other castes say they would be willing to have someone belonging to a Scheduled Caste as a neighbor (72%). Read our research on: LGBTQ Attitudes & Experiences| Artificial Intelligence | Affirmative Action. And adults ages 35 and older are slightly more likely to offer daily prayers or namaz than are younger adults (62% vs. 57%). 8 key findings about Christians in India | Pew Research Center Beliefs about God By Neha Sahgal, Jonathan Evans, Ariana Monique Salazar, Kelsey Jo Starr and Manolo Corichi Nearly all Indians believe in God, with most saying they are absolutely certain in this belief.