ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the traditional educational thought and practices associated with the two larger of these religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, and briefly comments on Jainism and Sikhism before turning to a discussion of formal state-sponsored education in contemporary India. The two smaller religions that are indigenous to India, and which are part of the broad Dharmic religious tradition, are Jainism and Sikhism. In the case of Hinduism, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is currently the dominant political party in India, is a fervently nationalistic Hindu political party. In the case of India, there is a very real question of the relationship between Hinduism, which is the majority religion of the country, and secular Indian nationalism. Sanskrit, a language brought to India by the Aryan invaders of the subcontinent between 1500 bce and 1200 bce, has played and continues to play important role in Hinduism. The Vedas are written in Sanskrit, as are many other important religious writings.
