Tamil Nadu, detail of the goddess Parvati

Tamil Nadu, detail of the goddess Parvati

Religion has always been a central force in India. Many religions have flourished there, often in co-existence but sometimes in competition and conflict. At the beginning of the Gupta era Buddhism was the strongest faith. However the empire was firm on its policy of religious pluralism. It was because of this that the Brahmanical (later called Hindu) and Jaina faiths were also dominant religions. [RB] {GC}