The study of religions concerns enduring question about religions, human society, and the meaning individuals and communities make in life. The study of different religions also facilitates interaction with people of other religions and their cultural, historical, intellectual, and social phenomena. This also provides a basic understanding of major religious traditions of the world, their-ethico-social and mystical approach to religion but more so a deep understanding of their fundamental principles and philosophical concerns such as ethical foundation, metaphysics and the nature and form of salvation. I also feel that studying such material is bound to give one richer and more sophisticated understanding of human beliefs and practices regarding sacred, numinous, spiritual and divine. Another reason why one should undertake study of different religions is the analysis of influential cultural definition of individual and social identity as it will contribute significantly and distinctively to our knowledge of human nature, global cultures, diversity and ethical standards and practices. This subject has assumed greater importance in the contemporary world as we are living in a pluralistic society which contains people belonging to diverse groups of religious cultures and traditions. Pluralistic societies now exist around the world which contain many different religious groups. There is constant mutual interaction between these groups in one and the same society. For maintaining civic peace, tranquility and harmony, it has become imperative for those religious groups to tolerate each other and build relationships. Pluralism is more than mere tolerance of differences – it requires knowledge of them. Tolerance is no doubt important but it does little to remove our ignorance of one another. In order to overcome preconceived notions, constituents of the society have to be educated to know the basics of those religions. This involves understanding people with different religious beliefs and knowing the fundamentals of their religions. In the contemporary world it is impossible for any one religion to exist in splendid isolation and ignore the others. In spite of science, technology and modernity dominated scenario religious freedom remains one of the most cherished and treasured liberaties of mankind. P/2 # 2 # Considering the significance and importance of this subject even many of the universities around the world have started Centres for the study of Comparative Religions. In these Centres specialized courses of study are provided to impart education and knowledge on different religions in order to combat the challenges posed by religious pluralism. Keeping this in view, I have briefly attempted to present in this monograph basic and fundamental aspects of all the major practising religions of the world so that we should be able to find common grounds of understanding for peaceful co-existence for the betterment of the society in which we live. The monograph, for easy comprehension of readers, has been set out in four sections as follows – 1. Section I – Study of Different Religions: In this part are dealt: Religion its meaning – Importance of comparative study of religion –Different aspects and dimensions of religion. 2. Section II – Major Religions of the World: In this part are dealt major religions of the world and their fundamentals as I understand – Judaism – Christianity – Islam – Zoroastrianism – Hinduism – Jainism – Buddhism – Sikhism – Taoism – Confucianism – Shintoism. 3. Section III – Unity and Universality of Religions: In this part are dealt different prayers of religions and also subjects such as – Unity in Diversity – Unity of Religions and Metaphysics – Similarities in Religions – Essential Unity of all Religions. 4. Section IV – Essays on Religion : In this part are dealt subjects, such as, Religion and Science – Religion and Modernity – Secularism – Philosophy of Religion – Do we Need Religion – Inter-religious Dialogue. The approach taken in this book is one to understand the basic and fundamental principles shorn of their superfluous forms and formalities, rites and rituals, of all the major practicing religions of the world and to underscore points of commonalities in them regarding truth, spirituality, ethics and morals. I am of the firm conviction that the same essence and energy run through all the religions.

Indo-Iranian cultural relations are a continuous historical process starting from the gray dawn of the common united life of the ancestors of these twoi great Asian civilizations as part and parcel of the original Indo-European stock. The process has unfolded itself in history through alternate phases of harmony and conflict and has percolated down to our times. The ancestors of Iranian and Indian Aryans of history are believed to have lived in a common habitat in Central Asia as an undivided ethnic group from the fourth millenium to that of the third millenium B.C. They shared a common life-experience and were inextricably linked-up on the cultural level in spite of their numerous internal differences and conflicts. From this common habitat the inhabitants migrated in two branches towards the west and the cast between circa 4000 and 3000 B.C. Those who moved towards the east entered Iran and India where they were to develop their distinctive civilizations througout the succeeding ages. The undivided Indo-Iranians aer believed to have lived for abot a millenium (circa 4000-3000 B.C.) In this period they lived a common life and developed a specific Indo-Iranian civilization, culture and religion which we can partially reconstruct by a comparative study of the Veda and the Zend Avesta. There are amazing similarities in their language, culture and religion which strike us as little short of identity. From time immemorial the Orient has been the cradle of civilization; that amongst all other Oriental countries Iran and India stand first and foremost in their contribution to world culture and that these two nations were the torch bearers of knowledge, the forerunners of a fine civilization at a time when the civilized countries of the modern world were still plunged in dim obscurity of ignorance countries of modern world were still plunged in dim obscurity of ignorance. Linguistic affirnities, national kinship and distinctive racial characteristics constitute the inseparable bonds of friendship and fellowship that have brought the two nations together from the earliest times throughout the course of history. These two countries have been tied together by strong and lasting bonds, and, both in ancient times and during the medieval era, their cultures have profited mutually by a continual exchange of knowledge and ideas. These lasting ties prompted Jawaharal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, to write in his famous book "Discovery of India". Dr Anu Dhawan

India has always been a region of multiple cultures and ethnicities comprising a multifaceted, colorful and genuinely diverse civilization of innumerable peoples, beliefs and languages. The political domination of Muslim dynasties from Central Asia from the Ghaznavid conquests onwards led to "Persian" being grafted into the Indian subcontinent as the official language of governance and high culture. As classical Persian culture fell into abeyance during the Middle Ages and the Islamic West disintegrated into chaos, India fostered a Persian cultural renaissance of unparalleled literary achievement by émigrés to India as well as by Indians themselves. However, from the beginning of the seventeenth century. "Urdu" began to form around the lower echelons of society as a common tongue to enable communication between the myriad ethnicities of the Mughal Empire, ultimately restricting Persian to a refined language of culture and courtly life in the Mughal court and becoming a vibrant and dynamic language in its own right thus becoming the first literary language with a substantial original contribution from Indians since ancient Sanskrit. Presented in this book are proses, minstrelsy and parnassus straight from the kings emperors, saints, prisoners and outlaws of the Mughal court and jurisdiction, as well as the beau monde and aristocracy of the Mughal India.

Indian spirituality, from solemn sages to irreverent rebels. A plethora of religions, cultures, languages and peoples have over the ages nurtured a plurality of ideas, beliefs, influences and practices thriving in India. In India's Greatest Minds, Mukunda Rao takes readers on an exhilarating, exhaustive journey through the lives and teachings of India's most illustrious spiritual masters, thinker-activists and philosophers, making their wisdom accessible to all. Beginning from 700 BCE to the present day, moving across the length and breadth of the subcontinent, and covering every significant school of thought, Rao provides a comprehensive view of the trajectory of Indian thought as it developed over centuries, enriching minds and shaping modern discourse. Whether tackling profound questions on the meaning of life or plunging into the restless urgency of social reform, this book showcases an intellectual and cultural heritage that is uniquely Indian. From Kapila, Patanjali, Buddha and Mahavira to Andal, Kabir, Guru Nanak, Bulleh Shah and Chaitanya, and from Shishunala Sharifa, Ramakrishna and Vemana to Birsa Munda, Tagore, Gandhi and Ambedkar - the profiles of luminaries in this invaluable compendium will inspire and elevate its readers. Rich in both essence and detail, this treasury celebrates the individuals who rebelled against existing conventions and transcended every divide in their quest for enlightenment, transforming themselves and the world along the way.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE 'Remarkable ... this brilliant book stands as an important monument to an almost forgotten world' William Dalrymple, Spectator A sweeping, magisterial new history of India from the middle ages to the arrival of the British The Indian subcontinent might seem a self-contained world. Protected by vast mountains and seas, it has created its own religions, philosophies and social systems. And yet this ancient land experienced prolonged and intense interaction with the peoples and cultures of East and Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa and, especially, Central Asia and the Iranian plateau between the eleventh and eighteenth centuries. Richard M. Eaton's wonderful new book tells this extraordinary story with relish and originality. His major theme is the rise of 'Persianate' culture - a many-faceted transregional world informed by a canon of texts that circulated through ever-widening networks across much of Asia. Introduced to India in the eleventh century by dynasties based in eastern Afghanistan, this culture would become thoroughly indigenized by the time of the great Mughals in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. This long-term process of cultural interaction and assimilation is reflected in India's language, literature, cuisine, attire, religion, styles of rulership and warfare, science, art, music, architecture, and more. The book brilliantly elaborates the complex encounter between India's Sanskrit culture - which continued to flourish and grow throughout this period - and Persian culture, which helped shape the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughal Empire and a host of regional states, and made India what it is today.