Diversity of India

India is possibly the most diverse nation in the world. There is an amazing variety of languages, cultures, ethnic groups, beliefs and lifestyles. India has 17 major regional languages and hundreds of dialects. Hindi is spoken by the largest number of people and a basic English is understood by the masses.

Four major religions are present in India: India has been the cradle of four main religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. You will also find a strong presence of Islam in India, with the third largest community of Muslims in the world. You can also find some Christians in India, since this religion was introduced in the country almost 2000 years ago. Goa, the Portuguese colony is an important Christian place in India.
The Indian constitution recognizes for now, 18 official languages and hundreds of dialects. The Indian constitution uses the term 'mother tongue' instead of language or dialect. The Indian census records over 200 different mother tongues.
Still India stands united and hence a live example of "Diverse Unity".

85% of India's population are said to be Hindu, but this figure doesn't reflect the variety of the practices of this religion. The Hindu religion has no single book or God or prophet, and each one has its own deity.

North Indians are usually light skinned, southerners are darker, and eastern people have mongoloid features. Over 70 million Indians belong to a variety of tribes ranging from Proto-australoid groups in Orissa, to Mon-Khmer peoples in the Northeast.