Religion in Maharashtra is characterised by the diversity of religious beliefs and practices.
According to the 2011 census,Hinduism was the principal religion in the state at 79.83% of the total population, whileMuslims constituted 11.54% of the total population.Maharashtra has India's largest Buddhist and Jain populations.Buddhism accounted for 5.81% in Maharashtra's total population, with 6.53 million followers, which is 77% of allBuddhists in India.Jains,Christians andSikhs constituted 1.25%, 0.96%, 0.2% of the population respectively.[2] Maharashtra also is home to theParsi (Zoroastrian) community and has a community of Jews known asBene Israel.
| Religion | 1951 | 1961 | 2001[3] | 2011[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 28,642,304 | 32,530,901 | 77,859,385 | 89,703,057 |
| Islam | 2,436,357 | 3,034,332 | 10,270,485 | 12,971,152 |
| Buddhism | 2,487 | 2,789,501 | 5,838,710 | 6,531,200 |
| Jainism | 337,578 | 485,672 | 1,301,843 | 1,400,349 |
| Christianity | 433,290 | 560,594 | 1,058,313 | 1,080,073 |
| Sikhism | 41,434 | 57,617 | 215,337 | 223,247 |
| Other | 109,114 | 95,101 | 236,841 | 178,965 |
| Not stated | n/a | n/a | n/a | 286,290 |
| Total | 32,002,564 | 39,553,718 | 96,878,627 | 112,374,333 |
* In 1956 most Dalits converted from Hinduism to Buddhism in Maharashtra
| Religion | 1951 | 1961 | 2001[3] | 2011[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 89.50 | 82.24 | 80.37 | 79.83 |
| Islam | 7.61 | 7.67 | 10.60 | 11.54 |
| Buddhism | 0.01 | 7.05 | 6.03 | 5.81 |
| Jainism | 1.06 | 1.23 | 1.34 | 1.25 |
| Christianity | 1.35 | 1.42 | 1.09 | 0.96 |
| Sikhism | 0.13 | 0.15 | 0.22 | 0.20 |
| Other | 0.34 | 0.24 | 0.24 | 0.17 |
| Not stated | n/a | n/a | 0.11 | 0.25 |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Hindus form 79.83% of the state's total population as per 2011 census and Hinduism plays an important role in the lives of the Maharashtrian people in their day-to-day life.Ganesha, incarnations ofVishnu such asVitthala,Rama,Krishna andDattatreya, as well asHanuman,Shiva andParvati are popular with Hindus of Maharashtra. Shiva is worshipped mainly in the form oflingam, with a metal mask covering it at some temples.[5] TheWarkari tradition holds a strong grip on the local Hindus of Maharashtra.[6]: 140–170 The publicGanesha festival started byBal Gangadhar Tilak in the late 19th century is very popular. Marathi Hindus also revere Bhakti saints associated with varkari sects such asDnyaneshwar,Savata Mali,Tukaram,Namdev,Janabaii andChokhamela. Many religious figures from 19th and 20th century are revered.They includeSwami Samarth,Gajanan Maharaj,Sai baba of Shirdi,Tukdoji Maharaj,Gondavalekar Maharaj, andGadge Maharaj.[7]
Maharashtra has significant Hindu populations with origins in other states and regions of India, which adds to the diversity of temples and traditions in the state. The state has numerous recently built temples by groups such as theSwaminarayan sect,ISKCON, and South Indian communities.
The main life ceremonies in Hindu culture include those related to birth, weddings, initiation ceremonies, as well as death rituals. Other ceremonies for different occasions in Hindu life includeVastushanti and "Satyanarayan" which is performed before a family formally establishes residence in a new house.Satyanarayana Puja is a ceremony performed before commencing any new endeavour or for no particular reason. Invoking the name of the family'sgotra and thekuladevata are important aspects of these ceremonies for many communities.
Like most other Hindu communities, the Marathi people have a household shrine called adevaghar with idols, symbols, and pictures of various deities for daily worship. Ritual reading of religious texts known aspothi is also popular in some communities.
In some traditional families, food is first offered to the preferred deity in the household shrine, asnaivedya, before being consumed by family members and guests. Meals or snacks are not taken before this religious offering. In present times, the naivedya is offered by families only on days of special religious significance.
Many Marathi people trace their paternal ancestors to one of the seven or eight sages, thesaptarshi. They classify themselves as gotras, named after the ancestorrishi. Intra-marriage within gotras (Sagotra Vivaha) was uncommon until recently, being discouraged as it was likened to incest.
Most Marathi families have their own family patron or protective deity or theKuladevata.[6]: 1–27 This deity is common to a lineage or a clan of several families who are connected to each other through a common ancestor.[8] TheKhandoba of Jejuri is an example of a Kuladaivat of some families; he is a common Kuladaivat to several castes ranging from Brahmins toDalits.[9] The practice of worshiping local or territorial deities as Kuladaivats began in the period of theYadava dynasty.[10] Other family deities of the people of Maharashtra areBhavani ofTuljapur,Mahalaxmi ofKolhapur, Mahalaxmi ofAmravati,Renuka ofMahur,Parashurama in Konkan,Saptashringi on Saptashringa hill at Vani in Nasik district, andBalaji.
At birth, a child is initiated into the family ritually. The child's naming ceremony may happen many weeks or even months later, and it is called thebarsa. During the naming ceremony, the child'spaternal aunt has the honor of naming the infant. When the child is 11 months old, they get their first hair-cut.[11][full citation needed] This is also an important ritual and is calledJawal. In the Maratha community, the maternal uncle is given the honour of the first snip during the ceremony.[12]
In Brahman, CKP and Gaud Saraswat Brahman communities when a male child reaches his eighth birthday, he undergoes the initiation thread ceremony variously known as MunjaVratabandha, orUpanayanam.[13] 96 kuli marathas generally conduct theUpanayanam ceremony before marriage.
Marathi Hindu people are historicallyendogamous within their caste but exogamous with their clan (gotra).[11][full citation needed]Cross-cousin alliances are allowed by most Marathi Hindu communities.[12]Hindu marriages, take place by negotiation.Studies show that most Indians' traditional views on caste, religion, and family background have remained unchanged when it came to marriage, that is, people marry within their own castes,[14] and matrimonial advertisements in newspapers are still classified by caste and sub-caste.[15]
Elements of a traditional Marathi Hindu wedding ceremony includeseemant poojan on the wedding eve. Thedharmic wedding includes theantarpat ceremony followed by the vedic ceremony which involves the bridegroom and the bride walking around the sacred fire seven times to complete the marriage. Modern urban wedding ceremonies conclude with an evening reception. A Marathi Hindu woman becomes part of her husband's family after marriage and adopts the gotra as well as the traditions of her husband's family. After weddings and after thread ceremonies, many Maratha and Deshastha Brahmin families arrange a traditional religious singing performance by a Gondali group.[16] Women from Hindu community are given a neckless calledmangalasutra during the wedding ceremony by the groom. This is worn as a symbol of marriage by women throughout their married life.[17][18]
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Marathi Hindu people dispose their dead bycremation.[19][full citation needed] The ashes are gathered in an earthen pitcher and immersed in a river on the third day after death. This is a 13-day ritual with thepinda being offered to the dead soul on the 11th and aŚrāddha ceremony followed by a funeral feast on the 13th. Cremation is performed according to vedic rites, usually within a day of the individual's death.Śrāddha becomes an annual ritual in which all forefathers of the family who have passed on are remembered.
HinduMarathi people celebrate several festivals during the year. These includeGudi Padwa,Rama Navami,Hanuman Jayanti,Narali Pournima, Mangala Gaur,Navaratri,Janmashtami,Ganeshotsav,Kojagiri,Diwali,Khandoba Festival (Champa Shashthi),Makar Sankranti,Shivaratri,Holi,Raksha Bandhan andShiv Jayanti. Most villages in Maharashtra also have a Jatra or Urus in honor of the village deity. Most of these festivals are also celebrated by Hindu communities in the state who have origins in other regions of India.
Maharashtra has shrines dedicated to saints and holy men all over the state that are revered by both Hindus and Muslims. The Naunaths of Hindus have counterparts among Muslims too. The shrine of Kanifnath is visited by both Hindus and Muslims. In modern times,Sai Baba of Shirdi has embodied this syncretic tradition.[20]
Islam is the second largest religion in the state, with 12,967,840 adherents comprising 11.54% of the population, per estimates.[citation needed]The Muslim population in the state is heterogeneous.The majority of Muslims are mostlySunni Muslims.[citation needed]andShia Muslims There are also regional differences with the Konkani muslim community having a distinct character because of their history. For millennia, the Konkan coast has had mercantile relations with major ports on theRed Sea andPersian Gulf.Konkani Muslims can trace their ancestry to Arab traders who visited the konkan coast in the medieval era[21]Konkani Muslims follow also theShafi'i school ofSunni Islamic law. This is in contrast to the rest of North India and Deccan regions whose Sunni Muslims adhere to theHanafi school.[22][23]
The population in the state is highly urbanised, and spread across different regions. The urban character of the community in Maharashtra can be seen from the fact thatMumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra, is approximately 18.8% Muslim per the Census.[24] Mumbai, the capital city of the state, has approximately over 3 million Muslims, and the Muslim population of Mumbai is the city with a large Muslim population among any city outside Muslim-majority countries. The Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai which is situated on an island is a famous islamic shrine in Maharashtra. Similarly, Nagpur, the second capital of Maharashtra, has population that is 11% Muslim.Marathwada region which formerly was part of Nizam ruledHyderabad state has much higher muslim population than other parts of the state. In the Marathwada city ofAurangabad, Muslims form 30.79%[25] of the population, while in the northern city ofMalegaon, Muslims are 79% of the population. The headquarters of Gujarati speakingBohra shia Muslims community is located in Mumbai.[26]
Eid-ul-Fitr (Ramzan Eid) andEid-ul-Azha (Bakari Eid) are the two most important Muslim festivals in the state. Visiting the tombs (Dargah) of Sufi saints is an important part of cultural and religious life of Muslims in Maharashtra. The annual death anniversary of the saints is celebrated with fairs (Urs) that attracts thousands of visitors.[27]
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Buddhism is the third largest religion in the state. Buddhism accounts 5.81% in Maharashtra's total population. 6,531,200 people are followers of Buddhism in Maharashtra as per 2011 census. Maharashtra account for 77.36% of all Buddhists in India.[28]Marathi Buddhists are followers ofNavayana Buddhism of theDalit Buddhist movement, a 20th-centuryBuddhist revival movement in India that received its most substantial impetus fromBabasaheb Ambedkar born in HinduMahar family who called for the conversion ofDalits to Buddhism in order to liberate themselves from thecaste-based society that have beenharshly treated them in the hierarchy.[29]Dhammachakra Pravartan Din or Dhamma Wheel's Promulgation Day is also widely celebrated by the local Buddhist community for the Buddhist conversion ofB. R. Ambedkar and his approximately 600,000 followers on 14 October 1956 atDeekshabhoomi, Nagpur.[30]
Jains are a major group in Maharashtra. Jain community census for 2011 in Maharashtra area was 1,400,349 (1.25%). They are mostly concentrated in the urban cities in Western Maharashtra.
The vast majority of Jains in Maharashtra originate from theMarwad andMewad regions ofRajasthan and from the state ofGujarat.[31] There are also indigenous Marathi Jain communities such asSaitwal,Chaturtha, Panchama & Kumbhoja found in Maharashtra.[32] Rulers of Maharashtra from the 1st millennium CE such asRashtrakuta and theChalukya were followers of Jain religion. Along with Hindu and Buddhist caves, there are a number of Jain caves at the ancient cave complex ofEllora.
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Christians account for 1,080,073 or 0.96% of Maharashtra's population. Most of the Christians are Catholics and Protestants. There are also Goan, Mangalorean, Keralite and Tamilian Christians in the urban pockets of Mumbai and Pune.There are two ethnic Christian communities in Maharashtra:
There is a sizeableSikh population in Maharashtra, with the 2011 census indicating 223,247 or 0.20% adherents.[37] Major cities in the state such asMumbai,Pune,Nagpur,Nashik andAurangabad have significant Sikh populations.Nanded, the second largest city in the Marathwada region (after Aurangabad), is an important holy place for the Sikh faith and is famous for theHazur Sahib Gurudwara. Hazūr Sāhib ("presence of the master"), also spelled Hazoor Sahib, is one of the fivetakhts (seats of temporal authority) in Sikhism. Located on the banks of the River Godavari, it is where the 10th Guru, Gobind Singh died. The Gurudwara within the complex is known Sach-Khand, "Realm of Truth".At a stone-throw distance from the Hazoor Sahib Gurudwara, there lies the Langar Sahib Gurudwara which is very famous for its grand Langar. In all the city has 13 major Gurudwaras with historic significance. There is a significant Sikh population in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik and Aurangabad.
There are twoZoroastrian communities in Maharashtra.
TheBene Israel ("Sons of Israel") are a community of Marathi Jews originally from villages in theKonkan region. who migrated in the late 17th century to the nearby cities, primarily Mumbai, but also to Pune, and Ahmedabad.[40] Prior to these waves of emigrations and to this day, the Bene Israel formed the largest sector of the subcontinent's Jewish population. The native language of the Bene Israel isMarathi.[41] Most Bene Israel have nowemigrated to Israel, Canada and other Commonwealth countries. Before the Indian Independence this community numbered at least 80,000.[42] They are given minority status byGovernment of Maharashtra.[43]
Maharashtra has numerous places of worship that are more than a few centuries old.
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