In India a major and highly visible aspect of life is religion. Even today, it governs every thought, controls every action and defines the identity of almost all Indians. The majority, about 80 per cent, are Hindu, about 11 per cent are Muslim, 5 per cent Christian and Sikh, Parsees, Buddhist, Jains, and other small communities complete the numbers. Hinduism has flourished down the ages with no one founder and no single sacred text. As a philosophy and a way of life, it absorbed and assimilated with a fluid tolerance, creating a pantheon of deities to choose from. They can be found on almost any street, clad in vermilion at the base of a banyan or peepal tree, or in little corners of homes. Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism which preached nonviolence and equality emerged as a reaction to the increasingly rigid stratification of the society. Islam came to the country with traders from the Arab world, but its interaction with Indian culture gave rise to magnificent architecture, music, painting, costumes and cuisine. While the Christian population gained prominence with the arrival of European missionaries, Zoroastrians and Jews fleeing from persecution found a home here. A microcosm of religions, the religions that took birth here or came with the traders and invaders make up the country’s secular fabric. Explore this fascinating facet of India in our curated experiences that span the length and breadth of the country.​