Total population | |
---|---|
c. 1.20 billion (61.1% of the total South Asian population) [lower-alpha 1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
India | 1,148,930,682 (2022) [1] [lower-alpha 2] [8] [9] [10] [11] |
Nepal | 24,931,944 (2022) [2] [lower-alpha 3] [12] |
Bangladesh | 13,130,109 (2022) [13] [3] [14] [15] |
Pakistan | 5,198,570 (2022) [4] [lower-alpha 4] [17] [18] |
Sri Lanka | 2,921,627 (2022) [5] [lower-alpha 5] [19] [20] |
Bhutan | 191,778 (2022) [6] [lower-alpha 6] |
Afghanistan | 50 (2021) [21] |
Religions | |
Hinduism Tribal religions (including Sarnaism, Nanakpanthi, Kalasha and others) (minority) | |
Scriptures | |
Bhagavad Gita and Vedas also see other Hindu texts | |
Languages | |
Predominant spoken language Hindi Recognized regional languages Sacred language Sanskrit (Sacred) and Old Tamil [22] |
Hinduism is the largest religion in South Asia with about 1.2 billion Hindus, forming just under two-thirds of South Asia's population. [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2] [lower-alpha 3] [lower-alpha 4] [lower-alpha 5] [lower-alpha 6] [23] South Asia has the largest population of Hindus in the world, with about 99% of all global Hindus being from South Asia. [24] Hinduism is the dominant religion in India and Nepal and is the second-largest religion in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan. [25]
Indo-Aryan migrations brought the Indo-Aryans to South Asia, [26] where they compiled and composed the Vedic corpus during the Vedic period (ca. 1500-500 BCE) across present-day Northern India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. [27] The subsequent period, between 800 BCE and 250 BCE, was "a turning point between the Vedic religion and Hindu religions", and a formative period for Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. The Epic and Early Puranic period, from c. 250 BCE and 500 CE, saw the onset of the Hindu synthesis, followed by the classical "Golden Age" of India (c. 350 - 650 CE), which coincides with the Gupta Empire. [28]
Following the conquest of Islamic rulers in the Indian subcontinent and spread of Islam in South Asia, an era featuring persecution of Hindus began and continued until the end of Mughal Empire. [upper-alpha 1] The Vijayanagara and Maratha Empire significantly protected and revived Hinduism in the Indian subcontinent, while the Jaffna Kingdom and Gorkha dynasty have significantly protected Hinduism in Sri Lanka and Nepal respectively. [28]
The Vedic period, named after the Vedic religion of the Indo-Aryans, lasted from c. 1900 BCE-500 BCE. The Indo-Aryans were pastoralists who migrated into north-western India after the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization. Linguistic and archaeological data show a cultural change in the subcontinent after 1500 BCE, with the linguistic and religious data clearly showing links with Indo-European languages and religion. By about 1500 BCE, the Vedic culture and agrarian lifestyle were established in the northwest and northern Gangetic plain of South Asia. Rudimentary state-forms appeared, of which the Kuru-Pañcāla union was the most influential. The first recorded state-level society in South Asia existed around 1000 BCE. In this period, states Samuel emerged the Brahmana and Aranyaka layers of Vedic texts, which merged into the earliest Upanishads. These texts began to ask the meaning of a ritual, adding increasing levels of philosophical and metaphysical speculation, or "Hindu synthesis".
In recent years, there has been a rising movement of Hindu nationalism and feeling of Hindutva or Hindu identity among the Hindus of India. [30] This has been observed especially after the formation of the BJP government in India in 2014. [31] In India, several Hindu nationalist political parties exist, out of which the BJP is the biggest among them. [32] Alongside the BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has also been accused of being a chief organisation in the Hindu nationalist cause. [33] [34]
The rise of Hindu nationalism and Hindutva is seen as a threat to the secular laws of India. [35] It was also seen that the with rise of the Hindu nationalism, there has been an increase in persecutions of religious minorities, mainly Muslims and Christians. [36] [37] The government of Narendra Modi has also been blamed for the increase in violence. [38] Other hardline Hindutva groups, such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) [39] and the Bajrang Dal [40] (which are designated as paramilitary groups by many nations such as Australia, [41] Canada and United States [42] ) have also contributed a major role to the enhancement of Hindu nationalism and are also blamed for increasing Islamophobia in India and attacks on Christians. [43] [44]
Similarly, Nepal has also experienced the same rise in Hindu nationalism, mainly after 2015 after demonstrators protested for the re-declaration of Hinduism as the state religion of Nepal along with the restoration of the monarchy in the country. Nepal has seen an increase in violence against Christians. [45]
Most Hindu organisations in South Asia are based in India and Nepal, although there are other organizations based elsewhere in South Asia.
Hinduism is the majority religion in South Asia, and most of the world's Hindus are home to the region. [46] 5 of the 10 nations with the biggest Hindu populations are in South Asia, namely India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. India is home to more than 1.2 billion Hindus, 94% of the world's global Hindu population. [47] [48]
Hinduism is the majority religion in Nepal and India, with 81.34% and 79.8% of the countries' respective populations practicing Hinduism. [upper-alpha 2] Hinduism is the second largest religious group in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bhutan and there is a very minute Hindu minority in Afghanistan. [21] There are also no Hindus in the Maldives, as per its constitution. [upper-alpha 3]
In recent years, Hindu populations have decreased in non-Hindu majority countries in South Asia, especially Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This is due to a number of reasons, such as persecution, forced conversion and low-fertility rates. [50] [51] Civil war in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka have also caused Hindus to flee these countries. [52] [53]
Hinduism is an Indian religion or dharma, a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. The word Hindu is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, it has also been described as sanātana dharma, a modern usage, based on the belief that its origins lie beyond human history, as revealed in the Hindu texts. Another endonym for Hinduism is Vaidika dharma.
Hindus are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for people living in the Indian subcontinent.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the history of South Asia:
Hindutva is a political ideology encompassing the cultural justification of Hindu nationalism and the belief in establishing Hindu hegemony within India. The political ideology was formulated by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1922. It is used by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other organisations, collectively called the Sangh Parivar.
Hindus have experienced both historical and ongoing religious persecution and systematic violence, in the form of forced conversions, documented massacres, genocides, demolition and desecration of temples, as well as the destruction of educational centres.
The history of Hinduism covers a wide variety of related religious traditions native to the Indian subcontinent. It overlaps or coincides with the development of religion in the Indian subcontinent since the Iron Age, with some of its traditions tracing back to prehistoric religions such as those of the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilisation. Hinduism has thus been called the "oldest religion" in the world. Scholars regard Hinduism as a synthesis of various Indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots and no single founder. This Hindu synthesis emerged after the Vedic period, between c. 500 and 200 BCE and c. 300 CE, in or after the period of the Second Urbanisation, and during the early classical period of Hinduism. It flourished in the medieval period, with the decline of Buddhism in India.
Hinduism is one of Sri Lanka's oldest religions, with temples dating back over 2,000 years. As of 2011, Hindus made up 12.6% of the Sri Lankan population. They are almost exclusively Tamils, except for small immigrant communities from India and Pakistan.
Hinduism in Afghanistan is practiced by a tiny minority of Afghans, about 30-40 individuals as of 2021, who live mostly in the cities of Kabul and Jalalabad. Afghan Hindus are ethnically Pashtun, Hindkowan (Hindki), Punjabi, or Sindhi and primarily speak Dari, Pashto, Hindko, Punjabi, Sindhi, and Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu).
Hinduism is the largest religion in India. According to the 2011 Census of India, 966.3 million people identify as Hindu, representing 79.8% of the country's population. India contains 94% of the global Hindu population. The Indian subcontinent is the birthplace of four of the world's major religions: namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—collectively known as Indian religions that believe Moksha is the most supreme state of the Ātman (soul). The vast majority of Indian Hindus belong to Shaivite and Vaishnavite denominations. India is one of the three countries in the world where Hinduism is the dominant religion.
Anti-Hindu sentiment, sometimes also referred to as Hinduphobia, is a negative perception, sentiment or actions against the practitioners or religion of Hinduism. It exists in many contexts in many countries, often due to historical conflict. There is also scholarly debate on what constitutes Hinduphobia in the Western World.
Asia is the largest and most populous continent and the birthplace of many religions including Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism and Zoroastrianism. All major religious traditions are practiced in the region and new forms are constantly emerging. Asia is noted for its diversity of culture.
Hinduism is a minority religion in France that is followed by more than 121,312 people in France, which is nearly 0.2% of the nation's population. Most of the Hindus in France are mainly from Indian diaspora, though there are many Hindus from Nepal, Afghanistan, Mauritius and other nations.
Hinduism in South India refers to the Hindu culture of the people of South India. Hinduism in South India is characterized by Dravidian customs and traditions, hence it is also called Dravidian Hinduism. The Dravidians made great contributions to the development of Hinduism. South India was the birthplace of many Hindu saints and reformers. The Brahmins of ancient Dakshinapatha were classified as Pancha-Dravida. The Hindus in South India are followers of various Hindu branches such as Vaishnavism,Shaivism, Shaktism, Brahmanism and others. Hinduism was the state religion of most of the South Indian kingdoms. During the Ancient and Middle Ages were built in South India one of the greatest Hindu temples. South Indian kings such as the Cholas spread Hinduism overseas to parts of Southeast Asia. The activities of South India across the Palk Strait led to survival of Hinduism in Sri Lanka. The Tamil. Some Hindu festivals are celebrated mostly or exclusively in South India and Sri Lanka. In South India are also numerous Hindu pilgrimage site that is visited annually by thousands of devotees.
In 2010, South Asia had the world's largest population of Hindus, about 510 million Muslims, over 27 million Sikhs, 35 million Christians and over 25 million Buddhists. Hindus make up about 68 percent or about 900 million and Muslims at 31 percent or 510 million of the overall South Asia population, while Buddhists, Jains, Zoroastrians, Sikhs, and Christians constitute most of the rest. The Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, and Christians are concentrated in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, while the Muslims are concentrated in Afghanistan (99%), Bangladesh (90%), Pakistan (96%) and Maldives (100%).
The ancestral population of modern Asian people has its origins in the two primary prehistoric settlement centres – greater Southwest Asia and from the Mongolian plateau towards Northern China.
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethnic-cultural terms. As commonly conceptualized, the modern states of South Asia include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. South Asia borders East Asia to the northeast, Central Asia to the northwest, West Asia to the west and Southeast Asia to the east. Topographically, it is dominated by the Indian subcontinent and is bounded by the Indian Ocean in the south, and the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Pamir Mountains in the north.
Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expression of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent. "Hindu nationalism" is a simplistic translation of हिन्दू राष्ट्रवाद. It is better described as "Hindu polity".
Hinduism is a major religion and one of the most-followed religions in Asia. In 2020, the total number of Hindus in Asia is more than 1.2 billion, more than 26.2% of Asia's total population. About 99.2% of the world's Hindus live in Asia, with India having 94% of the global Hindu population. Other Asian nations with a notable Hindu population include Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates.
South Asian culture, also known as Desi culture, is a mixture of several cultures in and around the Indian subcontinent. Ancient South Asian culture was primarily based in Hinduism, which itself formed as a mixture of Vedic religion and indigenous traditions, and later Buddhist influences. From the medieval era onwards, influences from the Muslim world and then Europe also became prevalent.
Tamil Hindus are the Tamil-speaking people who follow Hinduism.