Nationalities of India
| Languages | |
|---|---|
| Languages of India, including: | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly: Hinduism Jainism (historical) Minorities:
| |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Indian diaspora |
Indians are the people who are the nationals or citizens of India, the second most populous nation containing 17.50% of the world's population. "Indian" refers to nationality, but not ethnicity or language. The Indian nationality consists of many regional ethno-linguistic groups, reflecting the rich and complex history of India. India hosts all major ethnic groups found in the Indian Subcontinent. The diaspora populations with Indian ancestry, as a result of emigration, are somewhat widespread most notably in other parts of Asia and North America.
Indian have a long history as old as China or Greece!
Indian have a long history as old as China or Greece!
India has many major and minor ethnic groups but lets visit 3 major ones:
1.Biggest Hindu based ethnic groups:
India is a unique country with great diversity in ethnicities, race, religion, language, culture, cuisine and in every other aspect of the human society. Indian civilization is one of the oldest in the world and primarily consists of the Into-Aryans of North India and the Dravidians of South India, the latter being the original inhabitants of the country, with links to the people of the Indus Valley Civilization while the former migrated to the country at about 1800 BCE. As India has such a diverse cultural demographic, it makes sense that the country is also incredibly linguistically diverse.
Indo-Aryans
The Indo-Aryan people are part of the various Indo-European ethnolinguistic groups who speak one of the many Indo-Aryan languages. It is estimated that the Indo-Aryans first migrated to the Indian Subcontinent of South Asia around 1800 BCE. Indo-Aryans make up the majority of the Indian population and are mostly located in north and central India.
The Indo-Aryans are the most diverse group of people in India, being made up of Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kashmiri, Konkani, Marathi and Punjabi. The Indo-Aryans dominated all of India, outside of South India where most Indians are of Dravidian origin. Many of India's great dynasties and empires came from the Indo-Aryan peoples of India, like the Maurya Empire (322-185 BC), the Gupta Empire (320-558), the Karkota Empire (625-885), the Pala Empire (700-1100), the Maratha Empire (1674-1818), and the Mughal Empire (1526-1857), just to name the major ones. Each of the Indo-Aryan ethnic groups has their own language or languages.
Dravidians
The Dravidian people are any native speakers of the Dravidian languages in the Indian Subcontinent of South Asia. Almost all the Dravidians of India live in the south of India. The five major ethnic groups of Dravidian people in India are Kannadiga, Malayali, Tulu, Tamil, and Telugu.
The ancient Indus Valley civilization in India was believed to have been of Dravidian origin in northern India, but then the Dravidian people were pushed south when the Indo-Aryans came in and the Kuru Kingdom in northern Indian arose. Later south India was dominated by the three Dravidian kingdoms of the Cheras, Cholas, and the Pandyas. These three kingdoms have been shown to sponsor the growth of literature, music, the arts and to have done extensive trading. The three kingdoms also supported and were tolerant of Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism, which is part of the reason why the Dravidian people have a diverse religious following. The Chera kingdom fell to the Rashtrakuta Dynasty over time, and then eventually the Vijayanagara Empire dominated all of south India. Eventually, after a few centuries in power, the Vijayanagara Empire collapsed in 1646 due to rebellions and pressure from the Muslim north. South India then split up into smaller states that were then slowly taken over by colonists from Europe. The major languages spoken by the Dravidian people are Brahui, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu.
Mongoloid and Other Minority Groups
The Brachycephalic peoples were the first to arrive in India, having traveled all the way from Africa. In modern mainland India, only small groups of the Brachycephalic peoples, like the Irulas, Kodars, Paniyans, and Kurumbas, live in small areas in southern India in hill tribes. They are mostly found in the Indian territories of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The next group of people to arrive in India were the were the Austrics, who were the group that paved the way for the modern foundation for Indian civilization. They were the first in India to have cultivated vegetables and rice, as well as made sugar. There are very few Austrics found in India now, but their languages still live on in Eastern and Central India. The Mongoloids are found in the various states in the northeastern part of India, as well as in the northern areas in the states of Ladakh, parts of West Bengal, and Sikkim. The last minority group in India are the Western Brachycephals who mostly live in the western part of India is areas like Kashmir, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
Biggest Ethnic Groups In India
| Rank | Ethnic Group | Share of Indian Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indo-Aryan | 72% |
| 2 | Dravidian | 25% |
| 3 | Mongoloid and Other Minority Groups | 3% |
2.Christians:
 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 27,819,588 (2011)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Majority in Nagaland at 90%, Mizoram at 88% and Meghalaya at 83.3%. Plural majority in Manipur at 41.3% and Arunachal Pradesh at 30.3%. Significant populations in Goa at 25%, Kerala at 18.4%, Tamil Nadu at 6.2%, Jharkhand at 4.3%, Odisha at 2.76%, Andhra Pradesh at 1.38%. | |
| Languages | |
| Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Konkani, Kannada, English, Hindi and various Indian languages | |
| Religion | |
| Half majority Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic (Syro Malabar, Latin Rite, Malankara Rite) Near majority Saint Thomas Christians(Chaldean Syrian, Orthodox, Jacobite, and Marthoma etc. (East Syriac Rite / West Syriac Rite)) Minority to various denominations of Protestants and Restoration/Nontrinitarianslike Baptists, Church of South India, Evangelical Church of India, Believers Eastern Church, Lutheran Churches, Pentecostals, Apostolics and Latter Day Saints (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Community of Christ) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Nasranis, Knanaya, East Indians, Khasis, Mizos, Kukis, Nagas, Anglo-Indians, Goan Catholics, Mangalorean Catholics, Garo people, Pnar people |
Christianity is India's third most followed religion according to the census of 2011, with approximately 28 million followers, constituting 2.3 percent of India's population.It is traditionally believed that Christianity was introduced to India by Thomas the Apostle, who supposedly landed in Kerala in 52 AD. There is a general scholarly consensus that Christianity was definitely established in India by the 6th century AD. including some communities who used Syriac liturgies, and it is possible that the religion's existence extends as far back as the purported time of St.Thomas's arrival.
Christians are found all across India and in all walks of life, with major populations in parts of South India and the south shore, the Konkan Coast, and Northeast India. Indian Christians have contributed significantly to and are well represented in various spheres of national life. They include former and current chief ministers, governors and chief election commissioners. Indian Christians have the highest ratio of women to men among the various religious communities in India.Christians are the second most educated religious group in India after Jain.
In the 16th century, the proselytisation of Asia was linked to the Portuguese colonial policy.
The missionaries of the different orders (Franciscans, Dominicans, Jesuits, Augustinians, etc.) flocked out with the conquerors, and began at once to build churches along the coastal districts where the Portuguese power made itself felt.
The history of Portuguese missionaries in India starts with the neo-apostles who reached Kappad near Kozhikode on 20 May 1498 along with the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama who was seeking to form anti-Islamic alliances with pre-existing Christian nations.The lucrative spice trade was further temptation for the Portuguese crown.[When he and the Portuguese missionaries arrived they found Christians in the country in Malabar known as St. Thomas Christians who belonged to the then-largest Christian church within India.The Christians were friendly to Portuguese missionaries at first; there was an exchange of gifts between them, and these groups were delighted at their common faith.
3.Muslims:
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| approx. 189 million (2017 estimate)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Throughout India Majority in Jammu and Kashmir and Lakshadweep. Large concentration in Assam, West Bengal and Kerala. Large populations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra. | |
| Languages | |
| Urdu/Hindi languages, Bengali, Dakhini, Kashmiri, and some other regional languages of India | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni, Ahmadiyya, Shia, Bohra, Nizari |
Islam is the second largest religion in India, with 14.2% of the country's population or roughly 172 million people identifying as adherents of Islam (2011 census) as an ethnoreligious group.Islam first came to the western coast of India when Arab traders as early as the 7th century CE came to coastal Malabar and Konkan-Gujarat. Cheraman Juma Mosque in Kerala is thought to be the first mosque in India, built in 629 CE by Malik Deenar. Following an expedition by the governor of Bahrain to Bharuch in the 7th century CE, immigrant Arab and Persian trading communities from South Arabia and the Persian Gulfbegan settling in coastal Gujarat Ismaili Shia Islam was introduced to Gujarat in the second half of the 11th century, when Fatimid Imam Al-Mustansir Billah sent missionaries to Gujarat in 467 AH/1073 CE.[14][15] Islam arrived in North India in the 12th century via the Turkic invasions and has since become a part of India's religious and cultural heritageOver the centuries, there has been significant integration of .Hindu and Muslim cultures across India and Muslims have played a notable role in economics, politics and culture of India.
Trade relations have existed between Arabia and the Indian subcontinent since ancient times. Even in the pre-Islamic era, Arab traders used to visit the Konkan-Gujaratcoast and Malabar region, which linked them with the ports of Southeast Asia. Newly Islamised Arabs were Islam's first contact with India. Historians Elliot and Dowson say in their book The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians, that the first ship bearing Muslim travellers was seen on the Indian coast as early as 630 CE. H.G. Rawlinson in his book Ancient and Medieval History of India[21] claims that the first Arab Muslims settled on the Indian coast in the last part of the 7th century CE. (Zainuddin Makhdoom II "Tuhafat Ul Mujahideen" is also a reliable work.) This fact is corroborated by J. Sturrock in his Madras District Manuals[and by Haridas Bhattacharya in Cultural Heritage of India Vol. IV .It was with the advent of Islam that the Arabs became a prominent cultural force in the world. Arab merchants and traders became the carriers of the new religion and they propagated it wherever they went.
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