Indian mythology has the world's most interesting mythical stories that looks like the imagination. The Hindus believed that the Universe was a single entity and there is a masculine form of God, named Brahma who was the creator of the Universe; Vishnu- the protector, and Shiva- the destroyer. The Vedic Age (period of the Harappan and Mohenjodaro civilizations) is when Hinduism actually began. The Vedic Gods were led by Indra. They got their strength from the drink- Soma, a form of wine. The fundamental concept of hinduism is the transmigration of the soul, (Atma). Sacrifice and performing penance became the chief forms of worship for hindus. for the reward of this penance, a God, usually one from the trinity (it's actually called tridev - Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh or Shiva), would appear and grant a Boon. This could be some form of power for the protection against certain creatures (called Asuras or Danav or Rakshas - Demons), or power to become immortal etc. etc. Just opposite a boon there is one more thing called, curses. When the rishis or Gods become angry with some one they curses them. But in some instances these curses also had antidotes. Wars too were a common part of Indian mythology. Wars between the Asuras (demons) and the Devas (Gods) were very common. According to mythology, Asuras always wanted to conquer the territory of the Devas. There is lots of interesting stories in Indian mythology on this theme. Two of the most amazing Epics in the history of the mythological world were the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The Puranas were also composed at this time. Later came the age of Buddhism and Jainism, from 500 BC to about 100 AD, and they put Hinduism in decline. Buddha's dogma took India by storm. Hinduism, however, survived the storm by renewing itself and the influence of Jainism and Buddhism led to the composition of the Upanishads.

Religion in India is a way of life. Though Hinduism is the dominant religion in India, but there is people of other faiths too. You can listen ancient shlokas of the Hindu prayers, aazaans of the Muslim prayers or gurvani of the Sikhs or chanting of the Buddhist monks. These voices fill the Indian sky simultaneously or together. The main religious communities in India are Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Parsis and Buddhists.

Hinduism is followed by approximately 80% of the population and is one of the oldest religions with its roots extending back to 1000 BC. The religion has gifted a number of Holy books to the world including, the Ramayana, the Bhagwad Gita, the Mahabharata, the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Puranas.

Hinduism believes that a person's life is actually the journey of the soul. According to them you can free the body from the cycle of rebirths (that's called 'Moksha' - salvation). Purity of mind and action ('Karma') in life determine everyone's re-embodiment. Bad 'karma' leads to being born into a lower rebirth. On the other hand, 'Dharma' controls the laws of the social, ethical and the spiritual life. The most interesting fact about the religion is the number of Gods worshipped (approximately there is 36 carore gods). But the three top bosses are- Brahma, the creator of the universe, Vishnu the protector and Shiva the destroyer.

Muslims are the followers of Islam, and they are India's largest religious minority, approximately 10% of Indian population. Prophet Mohammed was the founder of Islam, he was born in 570 AD in Mecca, now in Saudi Arabia. He had his first exposure with Allah, in 610 AD. This and later visions led to the compilation of the Holy book- Koran.

Muslims believe that there is only one God, Allah, and Mohammed is His prophet. All Fridays are observed as the Muslim holy day. The largest mosque in India is Jama Masjid at Delhi. The main aim of every Muslim in the life is to make a pilgrimage to Mecca and become a Haji. Moses and Jesus are both accepted by the Muslims, although they do not consider Jesus the son of God.

Buddhists are a minority in India, but the religion has the great importance in India because of the birthplace of this religion. Actually, Buddhism is not a religion as it is not centred around any particular God. We can say it is a system of philosophy and a code of morality. When prince Siddharta renounced the world and sought enlightenment, then this religion took birth and prince became Gautam Budha.

Buddhists believe that aschieving enlightenment should be the goal for every being. Today there are two major schools of Buddhism. The Hinayana, 'small vehicle', is an individual pursuit and hold the path to nirvana (the ultimate goal of all Buddhists). The other school is called Mahayana, 'large vehicle', it holds the belief that all followers will eventually lead to the salvation (Moksha) of the entire world. Emperor Ashoka was a great follower of Buddhism and he popularized Buddhism throughout India and abroad.

Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism, and born at the beginning of the 16th Century. Guru Nanak was intended to bring together the best of Hindu and Islamic religions. Its basic belief are similar to that of Hinduism, with the modification that the Sikhs are opposed to caste distinctions.

Sikhs worship in the Gurdwaras, baptize their children at a ceremony known as 'pahul'. The Granth Sahib is the Holy Book of the Sikhs, which contains the works of ten Sikh gurus together with Hindu and Muslim writings. It was the tenth guru of the Sikhs who gave them their identity by enjoining upon them the Five Ks. All followers of Sikhism are never to be without the kanga (comb), karha (bangle), kacha (distinctive kind of underwear), carry a kirpan (sword) and kesh (leave their hair uncut). The sikhs are immediately recognizable by their turbans and beards.

All men and women are born equal is part of the belief of sewa (service or inter-aid). Every man, woman and child gives his or her time to help in the Gurudwaras.

Mahavir was a prince who founded the Jain religion. In fact the two, Budhism and Jainism were almost contemporaries. Mahavir was the 24th and the last of the Jain prophets known as the Tirtankaras or 'finders of the path'. There is about 3� million jainism followers around in the world. Like Buddha, Mahavir too rejected the authority of the Brahmin priest and their rituals, and advocated the equality of men. Both principle advocate non-violence and respect for all forms of life; both religions have an established order of monks and nuns. The orthodox among them are seen wearing a white cotton mask covering the nose and mouth across the face, and sweeping the ground before them as they walk for the fear of harming even the smallest insect.

The Jains are divided into two sects, the Shwetambaras and the Digambaras. The latter are more austere of the two and the name literally means 'sky clad'. As a sign of their contempt for material possessions, they do not even wear clothes. They are chiefly monks and prefer to stay within the confines of their monasteries.

Parsis religion was founded in Persia by the prophet Zarathustra in the 6th or 7th Century BC. Zorastrianism is one of the oldest religions in the world. He was born in Mazar-i-Sharif, which is now in Afghanistan. The followers of Zorastrianism are known as Pharsis since they originally fled to India to escape persecution in Persia.

Zorastrianism was one of the first religions to advocate the omnipotent and invisible God. Zend-Avesta, their holy book describes the continual conflict of the good and the evil. Their God Ahura Mazda is the god of light and is symbolized by fire. Man ensures the victory over evil by following the principles of 'humata' or good thoughts, 'hukta' or good words, and 'huvarshta' or good deeds.

Parsis worship in fire temples and wear sarda or sacred shirt and a kasti or sacred thread. A ceremony known as 'Navjyote' is performed when the children first wear the sacred thread. Since Parsis believe in purity of the elements of the earth, they do not cremate or burn the dead. Instead the bodies are left in 'towers of silence' where they are cleaned by the vultures. Unfortunately, there are not many Pharsi communities left in India, and their number is gradually declining.

Christians in India are generally found in the western coast and Kerala. Christianity has existed in Kerala for very long, as tradition has it that the first Indian converts were made by St Thomas, the Apostle himself in 52 AD soon after the Crucifixion. St. Thomas preached the Gospel in many parts of India and is said to have been martyred in Madras (now Chennai) where he was was buried in what is now known as the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Mallapur. Further evidence of Christianity is found in the travelogue- Christian Geography, by Cosmas Indicopleustes, a Syrian monk who traveled in India in the 6th Century. He refers to the Nestorian churches in Malabar, officiated over by Persian priests and supervised by Persian patriarch who occupied a seat in Cochin.

Only a few Nestorians are left today as Indian Christians turned to the patriarch or Antioch for guidance. The Syrian Orthodox creed continues to flourish in Kerala. It has its own Patriarch at Kottayam. The Syrian Christian church is a blend of the Indian traditions and Christian orthodoxy. The devotees remove their shoes at the entrance of the church, and a marriage ceremony is not complete without the groom covering the head of the bride with a red veil and places around her neck the thali (a gold chain with a special pendant, which is symbolically worn by all Hindu women. Caste system too has influenced the religion. The converts have adopted the caste systems as a means of social organization within the church.