Religion in Tamil Nadu
Hinduism is the predominant religion in Tamil Nadu, with significant Christian and Muslim communities. Tamil Nadu has centers of worship for a multitude of faiths. According to 2011 Census of India figures, 87.6% of Tamil Nadu's population are Hindus, 6.12% are Christians, 5.86% are Muslims, 0.12% are Jains, 0.02% are Buddhists and 0.02% are Sikhs.[2]
Religion in Tamil Nadu (2011)[1]
Hinduism
Hinduism is the largest religion of Tamil Nadu. The total number of Hindus in Tamil Nadu as per 2011 Indian census is 63,188,168 which forms 89% of the total population of Tamil Nadu.[2] In Tamil Nadu, the predominant Hindu traditions are Vaishnavism and Shaivism. The major worship forms of Vishnu temples are for Vishnu in his direct form or in the form of his avatars, most famous of whom are Rama, Krishna and Narasimha.[3] Shiva is worshiped with his family Parvathi, Ganesha, and Muruga and rarely alone.
Village deities (grama devata) are worshipped to some degree in almost all villages throughout India, and more commonly in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. They are known as Kaval Deivam (guardian deity) and local village gods. These deities are associated with a primary deity who is generally ascribed as Kuladeivam by various communities and castes over several generations.[4][5]
The 12 Alvars and the 63 Nayanars are regarded as exponents of the bhakti tradition of Hinduism in South India as most of them came from the ancient Tamil region.[6]
Hinduism developed in the temples and mathas of medieval Tamil Nadu with self-conscious rejection of Jain practices.[7]
Christianity
Christianity is the second largest religion in the state. As per the 2011 Indian census, the total number of Christians in Tamil Nadu is 4,418,331, or 6.12% of the total population of Tamil Nadu.[2] Christians are mainly concentrated in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, the largest population being Kanyakumari (46% of the population) followed by Thoothukudi (16.68%) and Tirunelveli (10.59%).[8][9][10]
According to Christian beliefs, St. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, landed in Malabar Coast in 52 CE, and built St. Mary's Church in Thiruvithamcode, Kanyakumari district in 63 AD.[11] During the colonial period, a large number of Italian, British, Dutch and Portuguese Christians came to Tamil Nadu.[12]
The Catholic Church and the Church of South India are the major denominations in the state, with other denominations including the Evangelical Church of India, The Salvation Army, Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the Apostolics, the Pentecostal, the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, and many more.
Islam
Islam is the third largest religion of Tamil Nadu at 4,229,479 followers, or 5.86% of the population according to the 2011 census.[2] An overwhelming majority of Tamil Muslims identify as Sunni. A small Shia minority is present among Tamil Muslims as well. This demographic diversity within the Tamil Muslim population reflects the broader religious landscape that has evolved over time.
Jainism
The total number of Jains in Tamil Nadu as per 2011 Indian census is 89,265, or 0.12% of the total population of Tamil Nadu, including both Tamil Jains and Jains originating from North India that settled in Tamil Nadu.[2] Tamil Jains are predominantly scattered in northern Tamil Nadu, largely in the districts of Kanchipuram, Madurai, Vellore, Thanjavur, Cuddalore, Viluppuram and Tiruvannamalai.
Some scholars believe that Jain philosophy entered South India in the sixth century BCE.The Tamil Jains are ancient natives of Tamil Nadu and belong to the Digambara sect.[13][14] They generally use the title Nainar.[15] The former North Arcot and South Arcot (now Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Cuddalore and Villupuram Districts) districts have a large number of Jain temples, as well as a significant Jain population.[16][17] Many of them retain some Jain customs such as vegetarianism.
Camaṇar wrote much Tamil literature, including the important Sangam literature, such as the Silappatikaram, the Manimekalai, the Nālaṭiyār and the Cīvaka Cintāmaṇi. Three of the five great epics of Tamil literature are written by Jains.[18][19]
Buddhism
Buddhism had great influence in Tamil Nadu before the 12th century CE.[20] The total number of Buddhists in Tamil Nadu as per 2011 Indian census is 11,186, or 0.02% of the total population of Tamil Nadu.[2]
Sikhism
The total number of Sikhs in Tamil Nadu as per 2011 Indian census is 14,601, or 0.02% of the total population of Tamil Nadu.[2] Some Sikhs have migrated mainly to the southern districts of Tamil Nadu for agricultural and business purposes.[21]
Demographics
The following table shows the number and percentage of people belonging to each religion in Tamil Nadu:[2]
| Religion | 2001[22] | 2001 (%)[2] | 2011[23] | 2011 (%)[22] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 54,985,079 | 88.1 | 63,188,168 | 87.9 |
| Christianity | 3,785,060 | 6.06 | 4,418,331 | 6.12 |
| Islam | 3,470,647 | 5.56 | 4,229,479 | 5.86 |
| Jainism | 83,359 | 0.13 | 89,265 | 0.12 |
| Sikhism | 9,545 | 0.01 | 14,601 | 0.02 |
| Buddhism | 5,393 | 0.01 | 11,186 | 0.01 |
| Other | 7,252 | 0.01 | 7,414 | 0.01 |
| Not stated | NA | 0 | 188,586 | 0.26 |
| Total | 62,405,679 | 100 | 72,147,030 | 100 |
References
- "Population by religion community – 2011". Census of India, 2011. The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Archived from the original on 25 August 2015.
- "Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- Matchett 2000, p. 4
- "INDIA: Tamil Nadu: Village gardian gods (kaval, Munisvar)". 15 September 2007. Archived from the original on 15 September 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- "Tamilnadu | Therukoothu Art". archive.is. 11 April 2013. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- Klostermaier 2007, p. 255
- Cort 1998, p. 208
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - DISTRICT CENSUS HANDBOOK – Census of India
- "Tamil Nadu, with 72 million people, records 80% literacy". The Economic Times. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- Sathyendran, Nita (16 May 2013). "The church that St. Thomas built". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- Hays, Jeffrey. "CHRISTIANS IN INDIA | Facts and Details". factsanddetails.com. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- [Volume 40 of People of India, Kumar Suresh Singh, Volume 3 of People of India: Tamil Nadu, Anthropological Survey of India, Affiliated East-West Press for Anthropological Survey of India, 1997, p. 1437]
- Genetic admixture studies on four in situ evolved, two migrant and twenty-one ethnic populations of Tamil Nadu, south India, G. SUHASINI et al, Journal of Genetics, Vol. 90, No. 2, August 2011., p. 191-202
- Reading History with the Tamil Jainas, A Study on Identity, Memory and Marginalisation, R. Umamaheshwari, Springer, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, p.4, 111
- Thurston, Edgar (28 September 2020). Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Volume II of VII. Library of Alexandria. ISBN 9781465582379.
- Reading History with the Tamil Jainas, A Study on Identity, Memory and Marginalisation, R. Umamaheshwari, Springer, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, p. 100
- Ramesh, K. v. Jaina Literature in Tamil.
- Jaina Literature in Tamil, Prof. A. Chakravartis
- "Buddhism in Tamil Nadu". The Hindu. 29 March 2011. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- Akshaya Nath (3 August 2016). "Little Punjab in Tamil Nadu: Bunch of farmers make arid land cultivable in Ramanad". India Today. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- "Total population by religious communities". Censusindia.gov.in. Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- "Indian Census 2011". Census Department, Government of India. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
Sources
- Cort, John (1998). Open boundaries: Jain communities and culture in Indian history. State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-9985-6.
- Klostermaier, K (1994). A Survey of Hinduism (3rd (2007) ed.). State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-7082-2.