For more than one billion people in South Asia today religion is of crucial significance in all spheres of life, be it politics, media, education, or any of the innumerable other domains of society. That this has been so over the last three millennia is evident from a vast literary tradition. On the one hand, ideas and practices have constantly been transformed and adapted to new situations; on the other hand, there is evidence of a striking continuity. The tension between diversity and unity of religious expressions in India in time and space is certainly one of the major challenges to scholars dealing with the history and culture of the sub-continent.
India is mostly associated with Hinduism and with Buddhism. The latter originated in India but is of little relevance there at present, the former is today the major religion of the country and in itself far from homogenous, many scholars not even regarding it as ‘one’ religion.
However, there are considerable religious ‘minorities’ such as the Sikhs of Punjab, the Jains of Gujarat or the Muslims who number more than one hundred million people scattered throughout the subcontinent. Indigenous tribal and gatherer-hunter societies together make up an equal number. Further, Parsi, Jewish and Christian communities add to the religious diversity of India. Where else do we find Muharram, Sivaratri, Buddha Purnima, the birthday of Guru Nanak (the founder of Sikhism) and Easter all being public holidays?
The Colloquium of Indian Religions intends to be a forum for discussing Indian religions from the perspectives of anthropology, indology and possibly other disciplines as well. The colloquium is meant to provide a meeting point of scholars, students and interested public to discuss matters relating to Indian religions, past and present. In addition to the curriculum of the Faculty, the colloquium will offer students the opportunity to learn about new research in Indian religions and to come into contact with international scholars. But the Colloquium will also serve as a forum to present research of the faculty members to a broader audience.
