Which is the oldest religion of the world? This is a question that creates curiosity in everyone’s mind. Whether he is a person of any religion or he does not believe in any religion, still he is interested in knowing the history of religion. The history of modern human on this earth is found around 5000 years. However, the age of human existence has been told differently in many places. Which starts from 2 lakh years and goes to more than 1 million years. During this time many religions must have come into existence and then must have ended with time. Presently there are more than 4000 religions in existence all over the earth. The beginning of all religions has its own history which was adopted by the people according to the needs of that time. We will talk about some of the most followed religions at present and also know which is the oldest religion in the world?
Details of Oldest Religion in the World
Below you can see the world’s most famous religion and its foundation year. It becomes clear from this detail that Hinduism is the oldest religion. Sikhism is the newest religion here. However, Sikhism religion is also derived from Hindu religion. Although Jainism and Buddhism also emerged from Hinduism. If we exclude Christianity from this list, then almost all religions have originated in Asia only. Many scholars also call Hinduism the center of religion. Let us discuss in detail about the era of religion.
|
Religion |
Founding Time Period |
|
Not Available or 2000+ BC |
|
|
Christianity |
1st Century of 1 AD |
|
Islam |
610 AD OR 7th Centuary |
|
Buddhism |
500 BC |
|
Sikhism |
500 BC |
|
Judaism |
Approx 1800 BC |
|
Jainism |
7th – 5th BCE |
Hinduism | An Oldest Religion in the World
Hinduism is the oldest religion of the world accepted by all. Historians tell its initial time from around 1500 to 2000 BC. But the followers of Hinduism consider it beyond time. One of the main reasons for this is that there is no founding father of this religion as happened in other religions. There is a concept of Trinity in Hinduism.
|
Religion |
Hinduism |
|
Founding Father |
Not Available |
|
Foundation Period |
Not Available or Estimated around 1500 – 2000 BC |
|
No of Followers |
More than 1 Billion |
|
Top God |
Tridev and Tridevi |
|
Origin |
India |
There is a concept of Trinity in Hinduism. Here Brahma Vishnu Mahesh is the Supreme Male God and Mahasaraswati, Mahalakshmi, and Mahaparvati are the Supreme Female Gods. Apart from these there are many other gods. Avatar is a very special event in Hinduism. Here God comes through incarnation to establish Dharma and destroy sin. Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Lord Parshuram, Hanuman etc. are incarnated deities. He was born on earth to protect religion. There are many most revered religious places of Hinduism. Every god is associated with a particular place. Ayodhya, Vrindavan, Kashi, Mata Vaishno Devi, Kedarnath, Haridwar, Padbhanabha Swami, Rameshwar etc. are many holy sites. Followers of this religion are all over the world but mainly live in India.
The oldest or core religious texts of Hinduism are the Vedas (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda). Apart from this, Upanishad Aranyaka and Brahmin texts emerge from these. Apart from this, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita which is one of the most read books today.
Judaism | 2nd Most Oldest Religion
Judaism can be considered the second oldest religion in the world. This is an Abrahamic religion. This religion believes in monotheism. We can consider Judaism as the oldest religion in the form of monotheistic religion. Hinduism does not believe in monotheism. At present, people who believe in this religion mostly live in Israel. Although their population is currently very small, which can be around 12 – 13 million. Among their most sacred books are Tanakh, Talmud and Midrash. Jerusalem comes in their holiest place which is currently in Palestine. Later, Islam and Christianity emerge from Judaism.
Jainism | 3rd Most Oldest Religion
Jainism can be considered as the third oldest religion in the world. Jainism originated around 500 – 700 BC. It originated in Magadha in the present-day Indian state of Bihar. This religion was founded by Bhagwan Rishabh Dev. Although both Buddhism and Jainism are considered contemporary. In many places, there is a dispute among the scholars that which religion would have emerged first? There were a total of 24 Tirthankaras in Jainism, out of which Lord Mahavira was the last Tirthankara. There are two sects of this religion – Digambara and Svetambara. His most holy books have Samaysar and Tatvarth Sutras and his prayer place is called Jinalaya. They have many holy places, out of which Shri Sammed Shikharji is considered the most sacred because here 20 out of 24 Tirthankaras of Jainism attained salvation or nirvana. Apart from this, Ayodhya, Varanasi and Kailash mountain is also one of their religious sites.
Buddhism | 4th Oldest Religion in the World
Buddhism is the 4th oldest religion in the world. This religion was started around 500 BC. Its founder was Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha was born in Nepal, attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in the present day Indian state of Bihar and gave his first sermon at Sarnath which is today in Uttar Pradesh (India). Buddhism and Jainism both originated from Hinduism, but there is a lot of difference between the beliefs of both. While Jainism rejects all the traditions and beliefs of Hinduism, Jainism adopts many traditions and beliefs of Hinduism. At present, the followers of Buddhism are all over the world but live mainly in the province of Asia, in which countries like India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, South Korea, Japan, China come. Their total population is currently more than 500 million. There are three major sects of Buddhism, of which Mahayana, Vrajayana and Theravada are. Tripitaka is one of their most important texts, which all sects believe in. Its original writing was in Pali language. Its main pilgrimage centers are Boudhgaya, Sarnath and Lumbani (the birth place of Lord Buddha).
Christianity | 5th Oldest Religion in the World
Christianity is considered to be the 5th oldest religion in the world. This religion also believes in monotheism. That’s why it is also called Abrahamic religion. This religion was started in the 1st century. At present, according to the English calendar, he was born on 1 – 1 – 1. Its origin is linked to Jodaisin. The founder of this religion was God Jesus Christ. Whom people considered the son of God. He was born in Bethlehem which currently falls in the country of Palestine. At present, you will find people who believe in this religion all over the world, but this religion is mainly practiced in Africa, America and Europe. At present, the number of followers of this religion is the highest in the world, which is around 2.3 billion. About 30% of the total population of the world belongs to this religion. The most sacred book of this religion is the Bible. Jerusalem comes in their main Holy Palace. At present the Christian shrine is controlled from the Vatican City (a country in Europe).
Religion | Christianity |
Founding Father | Jesus Christ |
Foundation Period | 1/1/1 as per English Calander |
No of Followers | More than 2.3 Billion |
Holy Book | Bible |
Origin | Jerusalam |
Islam | 6th Oldest Religion
Islam is the 6th oldest religion in the world. This religion also comes under Abrahamic religion because it also believes in one God. They call their God as Allah. This religion was started in 7th Cantuari. The founder of this religion was Muhammad Hazrat who was born in Mecca. The followers of this religion are found all over the world today, but in the Middle East region of Asia (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Syria) and the countries of Asia itself Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Malaysia (Muslim countries formed in the expansion of Islam). There are over 1.6 billion followers of Islam, it the second most populous religion in the world. The most sacred book of this religion is Quran, apart from this people also believe in Hadith. The most sacred places of this religion include Mecca and Medina which fall in Saudi Arabia. Their house of worship is called a mosque. The two sects of this religion are Shia and Sunni.
Religion | Islam |
Founding Father | Hajrat Muhammad |
Foundation Period | 610 AD or 7th Century |
No of Followers | More than 1.6 Billion |
Holy Book | Quran & Hadis |
Origin | Saudi Arabia |
Sikhism | Most Newest Religion
Sikhism is currently one of the newest religion in the world. This religion is famous all over the world for its special cultural value. The biggest feature of this religion is that this religion believes in the Guru tradition. The founder of this religion was Guru Nanak Dev Ji. There were a total of 10 gurus in this religion, in whom Guru Gobind Singh was the last guru. This religion was established in the 15th century. On 13th April 1699, his last Guru Gobind Singh implemented the religious belief on the day of Baisakhi. Most of the followers of this religion live in the state of Punjab in India. Presently the population of this religion is more than 15 million. Their most sacred religious book is Guru Granth Sahib. The knowledge of great saints from India has been collected in this religious book. Apart from the Gurus of Sikhism, the knowledge of great saints like Saint Kabir, Guru Ravidas (Raidas) has also been given a place in Guru Granth Sahib. The Golden Temple Gurudwara of Amritsar is considered to be one of the holiest pilgrimage sites of this religion. Apart from this, he has 5 Akal Takhts which are in different states of India.
Know Your Hinduism – hinduism4u.com – Best Article!
Know Your Hinduism – hinduism4u.com
–
Hello guys! Nice Article! Please Read!
Nice Article! Know Your Hinduism – hinduism4u.com read this
Hello guys! Nice article Know Your Hinduism – hinduism4u.com