Despite being a secular democracy, India is one of the few countries on earth in which the social and religious structures that define the nation's identity remain intact. The culture has remained stable for at least 4,000 years despite invasions, persecution, European colonialism and political upheaval. Most of society revolves around religion. Buddhism was founded in northern India in about 500 BC, spread rapidly when emperor Ashoka embraced it, but was gradually reabsorbed into Hinduism. Buddhism waned after the Fifth Century as Hinduism and Jainism became dominant. India's major religion today, Hinduism is practiced by approximately 80 percent of the population. This way of life employs a vast pantheon of gods, a number of holy books and also postulates that followers pass through a series of births or reincarnations -- eventually leading to spiritual salvation.
Indian culture is oriented primarily around its Hindu roots. Many Hindu institutions, including the strict caste system with its dietary proscriptions, still have wide-ranging effects on secular Indian society. The caste system is a rigid, and often harsh, social system, allowing little mobility out of the position to which a person is born. The term "caste" was first used by 16th-century Portuguese traders; derived from the Portuguese "casta," denoting family strain, breed, or race. The four original castes have been subdivided over many centuries, until today it is impossible to tell their exact number. Estimates range from 2,000 to 3,000 different castes established by Brahmanical law throughout India, each region having its own distinct groups defined by craft and fixed by custom.
