India is a land of diversity, even in religion. All the religions in India exist simultaneously and peacefully. Religion is an integral part of Indian customs and traditions. The oldest Indian religion to develop was Hinduism. Later on other religions developed. Apart from Hinduism, India is also the birthplace of another great religion, Buddhism. Also, Zoroastrianism and Jainism owe their birth to India itself. Sikhism is another very recognizable religion that began here. People following the religions that originated in other countries such as Islam, Christianity, Bahaism and Judaism also form a part of the Indian population.

At present, the dominant faith in India is Hinduism. The 2001 Census revealed the following facts about the percentage of various religions in India:

Hinduism
About 80.5% of the population of India practice Hinduism. It is one of the ancient religions in the world.

Islam
After Hindus, Muslims hold the second dominant position in India. The proportion of Muslims in this country is 13.4% Muslims (over 100 million)

Christianity
Out of the total population of India, Christians constitute almost 2.3% (over 20 million).

Sikhism
About 1.9% (18 million) of India’s population consists of Sikhs.

Other Indian Religions
Rest of the population (less than 2%) includes Buddhists (6 million), Jains, Parsis (Zoroastrians), Jews and Bahais.