Religion in Rajasthan


Rajasthanis are predominantly Hindu, Muslims and Jains. However, regardless of their religious segments, Muslim, Hindu and Jain Rajasthanis mingle with each other socially.
Most Rajasthani Hindus are vaishnavas, however, Durga and her avatars are equally worshiped throughout Rajasthan. Oswals are predominantly Jains but small section of vaishnava Oswals are also found. Jats are mostly Hindus and Muslims. Meenas of Rajasthan till date strongly follow Vedic culture which usually includes worship of Bhainroon and Krishna as well as Durga. The Rajputs generally worship the Sun, Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Bhavani.
The Gurjars worship the Sun God, God Devnarayan, Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and Goddess Bhavani. Historically, The Gurjars were Sun-worshipers and are described as devoted to the feet of the Sun-god. Marathi Bhakti movement by Mahānubhavis and Varkaripanthis of Maharashtra who mainly followed Vaishnavism had immense influence on the development of Rajasthani Bhakti movement. Meerabai was an important figure during 'Rajasthani Bhakti movement.
Rajasthani Muslims are predominantly Sunnis. They are mainly Khan, Meo, Syed, Mirasi, Mughals, Qaimkhani, Neelgar, Manganiar, Muslim Rangrez, Bohra, Merat, Sheikh, Qureishi, Ansaari, Qazi, Sindhi-Sipahi, Rath and Pathans. With the introduction of Islam, some communities converted to Islam, though pre-Islamic community identity and many pre-Islamic socio-ritual elements have persisted. Rajasthani Muslim communities, after their conversion, continued to follow pre-conversion practices which is not the case in other parts of the country. This exhibits the strong cultural identity of Rajasthani people as opposed to religious identity.
Some other religions are also prevalent such as Buddhism, Christianity, Parsi religion etc. Over time, there has been an increase in the number of followers of Sikh religion. Though Buddhism emerged as a major religion during 321-184 BC in
Mauryan Empire'', it had no influence in Rajasthan for the fact that Mauryan Empire had minimal impact on Rajasthan and its culture. Although, today Jainism is not that prevalent in Rajasthan but historically the Rajasthan and Gujarat areas were strong centres of Jainism in India, and the state is rich in Jain temples, large numbers of which are still maintained by Jain organizations.