India is a vast country where cultures intersect, each region has its own style and way of life, and different ideologies meet and blend, leading each person to find their own beliefs. The vast land and dense population mean that everyone has their own spiritual needs, and religions emerge as a result.
Life in India, like many other places in ancient times, faced many difficulties such as natural disasters and diseases, and the cycle of reincarnation kept pulling people into suffering. The people began to seek ways to escape suffering, each choosing their own path to find peace. Thus, religions were born. Hinduism teaches how to live in harmony with everything around. Buddhism guides people towards complete liberation from suffering. Jainism emphasizes the protection of all living beings to keep one's mind pure.
In general, each religion has its own method to help people find happiness, and many ancient Indian kings actively promoted religions. For example, King Ashoka was a strong supporter of Buddhism. He not only helped spread this religion throughout India but also sent its teachings to other countries. Many other kings also supported various religions, allowing new teachings to flourish and develop. So, what are the largest religions originating from India?
Hinduism
First, we must mention Hinduism, which differs from many other religions that have clear founders like Buddhism or Christianity. Hinduism developed naturally from the beliefs and philosophies of ancient Indians. Hinduism is not just a religion but also the foundation of Indian culture, philosophy, and society. Emerging around 1500 BC, Hinduism developed from ancient texts rich in philosophy about the universe, humanity, and divinity. Unlike other religions with strict doctrines, Hinduism resembles a large tree with many branches, each branch having its own way of worship and beliefs. This religion does not have a specific founder but is a cross-pollination of many thoughts over time.
Hinduism is unique in that it has countless deities; some say this religion has tens of millions of gods or even 33 million, but in reality, there are major deities that everyone knows. These include Brahma, the creator who made the universe and everything in it. Among them is Vishnu, the protector who is always present to safeguard humanity, often appearing in forms such as Rama and Krishna, and Shiva, the Destroyer. He is not a harmful figure but one who brings everything back to peace, ending old lives to make way for the new. Followers of Hinduism can choose to worship any deity they feel closest to; in India, you will see temples and statues of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, as well as smaller deities appearing everywhere from homes to streets.
Hinduism is also the birthplace of the caste system, a social classification system that divides people into main groups, the highest being the intellectuals, priests, and teachers known as Brahmins. Next is the warrior class, kings, and those who protect the country. The third is the merchant class, involved in trade and economy, and finally, the labor class, who perform manual work. Additionally, there is an outcast group not classified into the four above, called Dalits, meaning "untouchables," often doing jobs considered lowly by society. This caste system not only affects daily life but also influences the way Indians think. Although it has been reformed today, it still leaves a deep mark on Indian culture and society. Speaking of religions that originated in India, Buddhism must certainly be mentioned.
Buddhism
Buddhism emerged around the sixth century BC. The story begins with a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, who lived in a lavish palace in the border region between present-day Nepal and India. Despite living in luxury, he was always troubled by the sufferings of life, such as illness, aging, and death. These questions haunted him, and in search of answers, he renounced everything, left the palace, and went into the forest to live as a monk. After many years of ascetic practice without finding the truth, he decided to meditate under a Bodhi tree. After 49 days of meditation, he attained enlightenment and became the Buddha.
From here, Buddhism was born and began its journey of spreading from India to the rest of the world. Buddhism formed with a central doctrine about the Four Noble Truths, known as the Four Truths, and the Eightfold Path to lead people out of suffering and achieve Nirvana, a state free from reincarnation. Buddhism flourished in India in its early days and was strongly supported by King Ashoka in the third century BC, helping it spread throughout Asia. India was an ideal place for Buddhism to develop due to its liberal thoughts and respect for personal philosophy. Buddhism not only spread widely but also became a significant ideology influencing many cultures in Asia.
It continued to develop and eventually split into two main branches: the Theravada school, primarily developing in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. This branch retains many original teachings from the time of the Buddha. The Mahayana school flourished in India, Japan, Vietnam, and parts of Korea, and this branch is flexible in its teachings, incorporating many Bodhisattvas to guide sentient beings. Each branch has a different approach, but all aim to help people escape suffering and achieve Nirvana. Although Buddhism originated in India, the number of Buddhists in India today is quite small, only about 1% of the population. Most Indians today follow Hinduism; however, India remains a sacred destination for Buddhist followers worldwide, especially for Buddhist holy sites such as Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha attained enlightenment, and Sarnath, where the Buddha delivered his first sermon.
Jainism
The third major religion that began in India is Jainism. Around the same time as Buddhism, Jainism emerged, founded by Mahavir. He believed that all living beings have souls and are precious, thus must be protected. Jainism particularly emphasizes ahimsa, a principle of non-violence that prohibits harming any living being, and Jainism goes beyond vegetarianism to adhere to stricter principles such as not wearing leather and wearing masks to avoid inhaling small creatures. Jainism has a very famous principle of not harming any living being. For Jains, killing an insect is also a bad action that affects their soul.
Therefore, they adhere to three main practices: one is to be strictly vegetarian, avoiding meat and fish, and even limiting certain vegetables that may harm living beings; two is to wear masks to avoid accidentally inhaling small creatures; and three is to sweep the ground before walking to avoid stepping on any small beings. This philosophy makes Jainism one of the most environmentally friendly religions. In the eyes of Jains, all living beings have value and must be protected. If you think Buddhist monks live simply, Jain monks live even more austerely. They are willing to renounce all possessions, including clothing, wearing only a small cloth. Many monks even go barefoot without shoes and only eat when someone else brings food to them; these ascetic monks believe that renouncing all possessions, including basic comforts, will purify their souls and lead to liberation. Finally, speaking of the major religions originating from India, we have Sikhism.
Sikhism
Sikhism is the most recently established religion among those mentioned, emerging around the 15th century in the context of increasing religious conflict between Hinduism and Islam. Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, sought to find harmony and eliminate hatred between these two religions. Sikhism is based on principles of compassion, equality, and community service without discrimination, and it has a strong community system, unlike Hinduism. Sikhism emphasizes absolute equality among people; according to the teachings of this religion, no one is superior or inferior to another; all are equally valuable regardless of gender, social status, or religion.
Therefore, Sikhs have a tradition of building free kitchens at temples to serve everyone. In Sikh temples, worshippers sit together on the ground to eat without class distinction. This reflects a wonderful spirit of solidarity; the emergence of Sikhism demonstrates the spirit of tolerance and inclusiveness of India. Today, Sikhism has about 25 to 30 million followers worldwide, primarily concentrated in the Punjab state of India, but there are also many Sikh communities in Canada, the UK, the US, and Australia. They are distinguished by their characteristic turbans and generous spirit, often actively participating in charitable activities and community protection.