If you're interested in religion in India...

[Meiri]

This is a good article I found, thank-you Wren'sNest

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/33..._things+.shtml

I hope they keep it available for a while.

[3boys4us]

Good article. I think one of the biggest misinformations is that India is one country. It was many countries put together as one. And what is popular in part of India is not neccessarily practiced in another. India had a long history of religious tolerance/diversity. There are "Black Jews" of southern India (I'm thinking Tamil Nadu maybe Bangalore) who are descendents of Jews fleeing the Inquisition. There was a large Catholic enclave in Goa/Daman/Diu until recently. Also Pondicherry (I remeber that from my Indian schoolbook as a small kid many, many years ago).
The other thing most people aren't aware of is that India has the 3rd or 4th largest Muslim population in the world, over 120,000,000 muslims. The tensions between the Hindus and the Muslims are IMO a by-product of the partition and the British.

[merpk]

I remember reading somewhere that one of the communities of Jews in India dates back to the 2nd Temple period (around the time of Jesus). Can't for the life of me remember where I read it, though.

- Amy

[DaryLLL]

Yes, I get the Globe on Sundays, I read this with interest. Hindu is not a correct term, just made up by those crazy British colonialists. I still want to read the Vedas and the -Ghita tho.

[Meiri]

I haven't done any real research in this area either.

What struck me was the parallel to Africa in which countries were designated with no regard for tribal boundaries. In this case one country was made with no regard for the tribal/cultural distinctions.

[3boys4us]

What struck me was the parallel to Africa in which countries were designated with no regard for tribal boundaries. In this case one country was made with no regard for the tribal/cultural distinctions

Yeah, imperial British India included Pakistan, Burma, Bangladesh and India proper, and Sri Lanka. India under the Mughals was actually a bunch of little countries with a nominal head in Delhi but the British slowly changed the system to gain more control over India. OTH the British did give India the basis for the democratic govt. they have today and the infrastructure something the French and the Spanish never did in their colonies. (Oh most of the jewels in the British crown come from India).