Religion has a great impact on the personal lives of most Indians and influence public life on a daily basis. Indian religions have deep historical roots that are recollected by contemporary Indians. The ancient culture of South Asia, going back at least 4,500 years, has come down to India primarily in the form of religious texts. Indians, on a day-to-day basis, engage in ritual actions that are motivated by religious systems that owe much to the past but are continuously evolving. Religion, then, is one of the most important facets of Indian history and contemporary life. 

Over 80 percent of Indians are Hindu, but there are significant minorities. Muslims number about 110 million and there are over 20 million Christians, 18 million Sikhs, 6 million Buddhists and a number of other religious groups. The Indian religious and social life is driven by the caste system. While the same has undergone substantial charges since Independence, especially in towns and cities, but most people in India are still clearly identified as a member of a particular caste group. Indian religion is characterized by use of symbols and icons for worship. The chanting of hymns and celebration of the festivals with lot of fanfare is worth a tourist's view for a completely delightful experience. 

Hinduism:

It has always been easier to define Hinduism by what it is not than by what it is. The name, Hindu was given by foreigners to the people of the subcontinent who did not profess the other major faiths, such as Muslims or Christians. The beliefs and practices of modern Hinduism began to take shape in the centuries on either side of the birth of Christ. But while some aspects of modern Hinduism can be traced back more than 2,000 years before that, other features are recent. 

Islamism:

Islam is a highly visible presence in India today. Even after partition in 1947 over 40 million Muslims remained in India and today there are just over 105 million. Islamic contact with India was first made around 636 AD and then by the navies of the Arab Mohammad al Qasim in 710-712 AD. These conquerors of Sindh made very few coverts, although they did have to develop a legal recognition for the status of non-Muslims in a Muslim-ruled state. From the creation of the Delhi Sultanate in 1206, by Turkish rather than Arab power, Islam became a permanent living religion in India. 

Christianity:

There are about 23 million Christians in India. Christianity ranks third in terms of religious affiliation after Hinduism and Islam. There are Christian congregations in all the major towns of India. The great majority of the Protestant Christians in India are now members of the Church of South India, formed from the major Protestant denominations in 1947, or the Church of North India, which followed suit in 1970. Together they account for approximately half the total number of Christians. Roman Catholics make up the majority of the rest.  

Buddhism:

India is the birth-place of Buddhism. Today it is practiced only on the margins of the subcontinent. Although there are approximately 5 million Buddhists in India, most are very recent converts. India has sites of great significance for Buddhists around the world. Some say that the Buddha himself spoke of the four places his followers should visit.  

Jainism:

Like Buddhism, Jainism started as a reform movement of the Brahmanic religious beliefs of the sixth century BC. Its founder was a widely revered saint and ascetic, Vardhamma, who is today known as Mahavir. Mahavir was born in the same border region of India and Nepal as the Buddha, just 50 kilometres north of modern Patna, probably in 599 BC. Thus he was about 35 years older than the Buddha. His family, also royal, was followers of an ascetic saint, Parsvanatha, who according to Jain tradition had lived 200 years previously. 

Sikhism:

Guru Nanak, the founder of the religion was born just west of Lahore (now in modern Pakistan) and grew up in what is now the Pakistani town of Sultanpur. His followers, the Sikhs, (derived from the Sanskrit word for 'disciples') form perhaps one of India's most recognizable groups. Beards and turbans give them a very distinctive presence and although they represent less than two percent of the population they are both politically and economically significant. The Sikhism, was propagated through the ten gurus and the code of conduct laid down by them.