Jainism, Buddhism and Hindu Although India is usually generalized into one large country, the actual demographics of the country are incredibly diverse. The country itself is home to 22 official languages ​​and many thriving religious communities such as Hinduism, Jainism, Islam and many more. However, many of the religions practiced in India are connected to each other in some way, usually stemming from their Vedic roots. This is not always the case, with the example of Islam, which was brought to India over time by the dispersion of peoples from the Middle East. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To begin, by looking at India from a medieval context, before the migration of Islam to the Indian subcontinent, one can analyze the relationship between Hindus and Jains. Over time teachers took Vedic practices and modified them to create new religious approaches to Hinduism, thus creating religions such as Jainism or Hinduism. (Davis, 13) Both of these religions were founded in the Magadha region by those of the warrior class who gave up seeking enlightenment. (Davis, 14) To some extent, during this time period, Jain scholars and monks allowed for some integration with Hindu society. There is evidence of competition between Jains and Brahmins, which is a recurring motif in many West Indian narratives, but despite this the two groups coexisted peacefully and prospered. There are many discrepancies between the two, with Hindus not accepting the Jain text and vice versa. Buddhism and Jainism were essentially formed from the rejection of Vedic Hindu texts. One of the major discrepancies between the two is the belief in Vedic sacrifices, where Jains believe that it is Hindus who have to resort to violence, is not acceptable in following the path to enlightenment. That said, overall, Jains and Hindus have coexisted in India for about 2,500 years without much violence. This could also be because the Jain population pales in comparison to the Hindu population in the subcontinent, so their presence was noted, but they were never seen as a threat to Hinduism. When thinking about Jain-Hindu relations, it is important to note that Hindus have not always lived in religious harmony among other religious groups in the region. Hinduism is often seen as a peaceful religion, however throughout history this has not always been the case. Before partition in 1947, Middle Eastern armies invaded the Indian subcontinent with Islamic warrior elites establishing their authority in new parts of India where there would inevitably be conflict. (Davis, 33) Initially, relations between the two communities coexisted, with Muslim leaders developing a more lenient attitude towards Hindu subjects. Brahmans were essentially seen as the equivalent of Christian monks, and the Turkic and Mughal rulers even granted land donations and granted tax exemptions for some Hindu, Jain, and Zoroastrian religious foundations. (Davis, 33) However, after the British left India in 1947, the continent split into the nations of Muslim Pakistan and Hindu-majority India in a violent partition that cost the lives of approximately one million people. These events that happened after the partition led to the formation of Hindu and Islamic militants in India today, which has led to India witnessing intermittent violence triggered by underlying tensions between sections of the Hindu and Muslim communities. According to secularists, centuries of coexistence have led to the fusion of Hindu and Islam in the Indian cultural heritage which cannot be separated without.