The Vedic culture developed in India in 1500 BCE and 500 BCE.[9] After this period, the Vedic religion merged with local traditions and the renouncer traditions, resulting in the emergence of Hinduism,[10] which has had a profound impact on India's history, culture and philosophy. The name India itself is derived from SanskritSindhu, the historic local appellation for the Indus River.[11]
India saw the rule of both Hindu and Muslim rulers from c. 1200 CE to 1750 CE.[12] The fall of Vijayanagara Empire to Muslim sultans had marked the end of Hindu dominance in the Deccan. Hinduism once again rose to political prestige, under the Maratha Empire.[13][14]
The 1947 Partition of India gave rise to bloody rioting and indiscriminate inter-communal killing of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs across the Indian subcontinent, specially in Punjab region. As a result, an estimated 7.2 million Hindus and Sikhs moved to India and 7.5 million Muslims moved to Pakistan permanently, leading to demographic change of both the nations to a certain extent.[15]
"I find no parallel in history for a body of converts and their descendants claiming to be a nation apart from the parent stock."
— Mahatma Gandhi, opposing the division of India on the basis of religion in 1944.[16]
Hindu population decline in South Asian continent
Hinduism dropped from 72% in British Raj of 1891[17] to 69% in 1921.[18] In 1941 British census, Hindus comprised 69.5% of Undivided India.[19] It further declined to 66% in Undivided India since Muslims would make 31% of Undivided India's population in 2023 if not patritioned.[20]
Demographics
The Hindu population has increased more than three times from 303,675,084 in 1951 to 966,257,353 in 2011, but the Hindu percentage share of total population has declined from 84.1% in 1951 to 79.8% in 2011.[21][22] When India achieved independence in 1947, Hindus formed 84% of the total population and pre-Partition British India had 73% of Hindus.[23]
Although the Constitution of India has declared the nation as a secular state with no state religion, it has been argued several times that the Indian state privileges Hinduism as state sponsored religion constitutionally, legislatively and culturally.[24][25] The original copy of the Indian constitution has an illustration of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana in Part III on Fundamental Rights and Rama has been considered as the true guardian of people's rights.[26] Article 343 (1) of the Indian Constitution also states that, "The official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script".[27] Also, Article 48 of Indian constitution prohibits the slaughter of cows or calves (a sacred animal in Hinduism) and it is a criminal offense in most of the states of India.[28][29]
[1] (2020)
