Followers of Sarna Dharma want India to give their nature-worshipping religion official status. They say formal recognition would help stem the existential threats to their faith, which is practiced by millions of Indigenous tribespeople in the country.
“Our Gods are everywhere. We see more in nature than others,” said Maranda, as he led the men back to their homes.
Salkhan Murmu, a former lawmaker and community activist who also adheres to Sarna Dharma, is at the center of the protests pushing for government recognition of his religion. His sit-in demonstrations in several Indian states have drawn crowds of thousands.At a recent protest in Ranchi, the capital of eastern Jharkhand state, men and women sat cross-legged on a highway blocking traffic as Murmu spoke from a nearby stage.
The 2011 national census shows Sarna Dharma adherents in India outnumber Jains, who are officially the country’s sixth largest faith group. Hindus are No. 1, making up nearly 80% of the 1.4 billion people in India.More than half — a number close to 4.9 million — of those who selected the “Others” religion option in the 2011 national census further identified as Sarna Dharma adherents. Comparably, India’s Jain population is slightly more than 4.5 million people.
Sarna Dharma has no temples and scriptures. Its adherents don’t believe in heaven or hell and don’t have images of gods and goddesses. Unlike Hinduism, there is no caste system nor rebirth belief.
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