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Islam & Christianity in India




🕉️ Chapter 08 · Topic 05 · Religions of India

Islam & Christianity in India

Islam — arrival, Sufi orders, syncretic traditions; Christianity — St. Thomas tradition, Syrian Christians, Goa churches — complete UPSC & PSC notes.

☪️ Islam in India

  • Islam arrived in India through Arab traders on the Malabar Coast (Kerala) as early as the 7th century CE — even before the Arab conquest of Sindh (712 CE)
  • Arab conquest of Sindh by Muhammad bin Qasim (712 CE) — first Muslim political presence in India
  • Major expansion: Mahmud of Ghazni (raids, 1000–1027 CE), Muhammad Ghori (conquest, 1192 CE), Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526 CE), Mughal Empire (1526–1857 CE)
  • Islam in India developed a distinct syncretic character — blending with local traditions
  • Two main sects: Sunni (majority) and Shia (minority)

🌹 Sufi Orders in India

Order (Silsila)Founder in IndiaCentreKey Features
ChishtiKhwaja Moinuddin ChishtiAjmer (Rajasthan)Most popular in India; music (qawwali); open to all; Nizamuddin Auliya (Delhi); Salim Chishti (Fatehpur Sikri)
SuhrawardiBahauddin ZakariyaMultan (Pakistan)Accepted state patronage; more orthodox; less popular than Chishti
QadiriShah NimatullahPunjab/SindhFounded by Abdul Qadir Gilani (Baghdad); Dara Shikoh was a follower
NaqshbandiKhwaja Baqi BillahDelhiMost orthodox; opposed music; Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi (Mujaddid Alf Sani) — opposed Akbar’s Din-i-Ilahi
⭐ Sufi Contribution to Indian Culture: Sufis played a crucial role in spreading Islam in India through love, devotion, and service rather than force. They composed devotional poetry in local languages (Hindi, Punjabi, Sindhi, Bengali). Sufi shrines (dargahs) became centres of syncretic worship — visited by Hindus and Muslims alike. Qawwali (devotional music) is a Sufi contribution. Famous dargahs: Ajmer Sharif (Moinuddin Chishti), Nizamuddin Dargah (Delhi), Haji Ali (Mumbai).

✝️ Christianity in India

  • St. Thomas tradition — according to tradition, the Apostle Thomas (Doubting Thomas) came to India in 52 CE and established the first Christian community in Kerala; martyred near Chennai (St. Thomas Mount)
  • Syrian Christians (Nasrani) — the ancient Christian community of Kerala; claim descent from St. Thomas’s converts; also called Thomas Christians or Malabar Christians
  • Portuguese arrival — Vasco da Gama reached Calicut (1498); Portuguese established Goa as their headquarters; Catholic Christianity spread in Goa and coastal areas
  • Goa Inquisition (1560–1812) — forced conversion and persecution of non-Christians in Goa under Portuguese rule
  • Churches and Convents of Goa — UNESCO World Heritage Site (1986); includes Basilica of Bom Jesus (contains relics of St. Francis Xavier), Se Cathedral, Church of St. Francis of Assisi
📌 Basilica of Bom Jesus (Goa): Built in 1605 CE; UNESCO World Heritage Site. Contains the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier (1506–1552), the Jesuit missionary who spread Christianity in Asia. His body is preserved in a silver casket and displayed to the public every 10 years (Exposition of St. Francis Xavier). The Basilica is one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture in India. “Bom Jesus” means “Good Jesus” in Portuguese.

✅ Revision Checklist — Islam & Christianity

✅ Islam arrived in Kerala = Arab traders = 7th century CE
✅ Arab conquest of Sindh = Muhammad bin Qasim = 712 CE
✅ Chishti order = Moinuddin Chishti = Ajmer = most popular in India = qawwali
✅ Nizamuddin Auliya = Chishti = Delhi; Salim Chishti = Fatehpur Sikri
✅ Naqshbandi = most orthodox = Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi = opposed Din-i-Ilahi
✅ St. Thomas = came to India 52 CE = Kerala = martyred near Chennai
✅ Syrian Christians = Nasrani = ancient Kerala Christians = Thomas Christians
✅ Vasco da Gama = reached Calicut = 1498
✅ Churches of Goa = UNESCO 1986 = Basilica of Bom Jesus + Se Cathedral
✅ Basilica of Bom Jesus = St. Francis Xavier’s relics = Baroque architecture
✅ Exposition of St. Francis Xavier = every 10 years
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