The Indian subcontinent is home to numerous religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Christianity, etc. Around 1.72 percent of the Indian population followed Sikhism and around 2.3 percent of the Indian population followed Christianity. Christianity is the largest religion followed by the world population and Sikhism is mainly confined to India, Canada, Pakistan, etc. only.
Also Read: Hinduism – Origin and Hindu Movements
Islam – Meaning, Origin and Teachings
Christianity – Origin and It’s Spread in India
Christianity is founded by Jesus Christ in the city of Jerusalem. After that, it slowly spread and became the state religion of the Roman Empire and later Vatican City became the center of Roman Catholic Christianity. With the evolution of time, different sects emerged like Protestants (who follow the teachings of the Bible), Methodism, etc. People who follow Christianity believe in the existence of one God who made the universe.
They believe that God sent a messiah to enlighten people regularly, Jesus Christ was a messenger sent by God. They believe that God is still present in the world in the form of the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit. Christians followed the Holy Trinity; Father (God), Son (Jesus), and Holy Ghost. The Bible is the holy book of Christians that contains a portion of the Old Testament of Jews and writings of the Roman Catholic Church.
Christian follows the practice of Baptism through which people enter into Church services. They also followed the practice of Eucharist through which people break bread and wine with God. In India, Christianity spread into two phases; first in Medieval India with the support of the Indian ruler and second in the 18th century by the Christian missionaries. Some scholars argue that Jesus’s apostle, St. Thomas reached India in c. 52 AD and worked in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and helped people to convert to Christianity.
In the Medieval Age, the Portuguese worked to spread Christianity in India and this also influenced rulers like Akbar and Jahangir. In 1557, St. Francis Xavier made Goa an Archbishopric. In the 18th century, Christian missionaries spread the religion on a large scale by starting the Young’s Men Christian Association (YMCA) and Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA).
Sikhism in India
The origin of Sikhism can be traced back to the life, times, and teachings of Guru Nanak Dev (c. 1469 – 1539), he was a non-conformist with different views. Guru Nanak was a critique of the existing life of the people of Punjab. He regulated community life by bringing congregation worship in Dharamsala. He denounced and condemned the existing social order. He believes that the supreme purpose of human life is salvation and that can only be achieved by right belief, right worship, and right conduct; all taught by Guru.
He did not ask for an ascetic life but asked to live an ideal life by following the practices of Sangat (community gatherings) and Kirtan (common singing of songs for praising God) at Gurudwara. Khattari traders and the merchant class are mostly influenced by Sikhism. Akal Takht by established by Guru Hargobind. With the death of the last and 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh, the system of ‘Personal Guruship’ came to an end and the authority was transferred to Guru Granth and Guru Panth.
Guru Gobind Singh also started through the rite of initiation the ‘Khalsa’ who were markedly different from the non-Khalsa Sikhs who came to be called Sahajdhari Sikhs, they constituted the Nanak-Panthis, the Bhallas, and the Udasis. The baptized Sikhs were called ‘Singh’ and the women were called ‘Kaur’. The Khalsa Sikhs possessed the 5k’s; kachcha, kesh, kangha, kirpan, and Kara.
Thus, Christianity and Sikhism are integral parts of Indian culture and they celebrated their festivals with full joy in India. Â
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