Religion plays an important role in the daily life of Indians. Hinduism, in particular, is extremely complex and continuously evolving. With over 330 million Hindu deities to choose from, many of whom are different aspects of the same deity, Hindus practice their religion in many individual ways.

• Hinduism is the largest major religion in India. Approximately 80% of the population practices various forms of Hinduism.
• The Mughals brought Islam with them when they invaded India in the 12th century. Today, Islam is practiced by about 14% of the population.
• 2.4% of the population are Christians (mostly found on the southwest coastal areas and in the northeast)
• 2% are Sikhs (found principally in the Punjab, although many migrated to Delhi after partition)
• 0.7% are Buddhists (found mainly in the Himalayan areas)
• 0.5% are Jains (strongest in Gujarat, but also prominent in Rajasthan)
• An additional 0.4% of the population practice other religions such as Judaism (a small population in Goa), Zoroastrianism (confined mainly to Bombay's Parsi population), and The Baha'i religion.

Click on the symbol for each religion to view photographs and learn more about our visits to India's Temples.

For general information about religion in India, see our links page.