“If we cannot build a temple in our own country, at the birthplace of our most popular deity, where can we build it? And if we cannot build even a temple in our own land, in what sense are we free?” -Gyanendra Pandey, Hindus and Others
India is considered a spirtitual wonderland to many of its international tourists. Yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism, which are all sweeping international popular interest, emerged from India and the region. These traditions hold international appeal in our industrialized age that leaves us craving connection to the earth and our bodies. Pune was filled with British, Americans, Australians... learning yoga at the Iyengar yoga school located a few blocks from my school. Rishikesh, a traditional pilgrimmage destination as it wraps around the Ganges river in the foothills (mountains) of the Himalayas has become an incredible tourist destination for international travelers who want to "find themselves."
Despite its bounty of foreign tourists seeking a peaceful oasis, India's religious communities continuously find themselves in conflict. It is disputed when Muslim and Hindu communities became rivals, however the past century has seen countless victims of the conflict between these dominant Indian religions. Referencing India's Partition burns a sore wound especially in the elder generation of Indians who lived through the violence that accompanied the mass movement of Hindus into India's boundaries and Muslims into Pakistan's. The wounds have not had a chance to heal since every once in a while a politician recalls a religiously charged massacre that have occured within the past 15 years. Meanwhile, many Indians refer to the Sikh population, the third largest religion in India, as the forgotten orphans with no homeland of their own.
Brief overview of basic tenets of Islam and Hinduism
How do Hinduism and Islam relate in the post-independence Indian context?
How has India dealt with its religious diversity as a secular nation?