Is the religion of the Kalash people of Pakistan similar to Hinduism? They worship Indra, a Hindu god, so is is similar?

Similar questions: religion Kalash people Pakistan similar nduism worship Indra ndu god.

This is a fascinating question that has taught me a fair bit in researching an answer for you. Let me open by saying there is an excellent scholarly source for you. I have listed it first in the source section below.

If your interest is serious, I strongly recommend you read it. To directly answer your question, yes, there are some similarities to the I will attempt to highlight some points for you accordingly. Background on the Kalash people Kalash Religion The Kalash are a people who inhabit an area overlapping Afghanistan and Northern Pakistan.In particular, they are Indo-European, like the Persians.

They settled in what is today Pakistan, in several valleys near Chitral, to the North of Mingaora, close to the present Afghani border. It is believed by some that the people has roots in Nuristan, to the North of Jalalabad in Afghanistan. Some say they are descended from people who intermarried with the armies of Alexander the Great.

If you look at photos of the Kalash people, you will find interesting racial features that differ from the dominant peoples of the Indian Subcontinent. The Kalash or Kalasha religion is a pre-Islamic polytheistic religion of this mountain people. Most of the people in this region became Muslim with the Islamic conquests.

But, for some reason, the Kalash resisted this and maintain their ancient Vedic religion. Vedic religions predate As such, there are many similarities, since both the Kalash religion and nduism derive from these ancient Vedic religions. The Nuristani region of Afghanistan is occasionally referred to as the Kafiri, using the (derogatory) Muslim term for idol worshippers.

While the languages of the Nuristani and Kalash peoples differ, they have religious features in common. There is an Indra-like figure, called Indr. If you are interested in specific comparisons to Indra, I refer you to the detailed first source document by M.Witzel. Sources: http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/KalashaReligion.pdf ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalash ; http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/pakistan-map/ ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/storical_Vedic_religion Google Map View Larger Map .

Most ndus worship one or more deities, believe in reincarnation, and value the practice of meditation.

There can be as many spiritual paths as there are spiritual aspirants, and similarly there can be as many Gods as there are devotees to suit the moods, feelings, emotions & social background of devotees. "nduism may be the oldest surviving relgion on the planet and many religions evolved from it. The term "nduism" is derived from the word "India" and refers to a wide variety of religious traditions and philosophies that have developed in India over thousands of years.

Most ndus worship one or more deities, believe in reincarnation, and value the practice of meditation.

3 By the way, related to my answer, but not directly related to your question, for photos of the Kalash people, go to goldie080's Wikipedia link above, or better yet, Google Images "Kalash". As an aside, this is just a further complexity for our US soldiers in Afghanistan. While Muslims make up the majority of the population in Afghanistan and the NW territories of Pakistan, there are other Indo-European peoples like the Kalash who worship ancient, pre-Islamic Vedic religions with similarities to .

By the way, related to my answer, but not directly related to your question, for photos of the Kalash people, go to goldie080's Wikipedia link above, or better yet, Google Images "Kalash". As an aside, this is just a further complexity for our US soldiers in Afghanistan. While Muslims make up the majority of the population in Afghanistan and the NW territories of Pakistan, there are other Indo-European peoples like the Kalash who worship ancient, pre-Islamic Vedic religions with similarities to .

Ancient Greek influence:news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_g... - The Chelam Joshi Festivalhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gspz_pFfVdcTourism commercial for Joshi Festival"Sarhad Tourism Corporation advertisement for the spring festival of the Kalasha - a fascinating people living in the malayas whose origins are shrouded in mystery. Details: nwfptourism.com.pk "youtube.com/watch?v=K5SgHsKrRgo.

Is God squeezed out yet again :(" ""Religion is for people who are scared of hell, and spirituality is for people who have been through it. " comments?" (10 answers) "Religion is for people who fear hell; Spirituality is for people who've been to hell. What does this mean?

Do you think that God particularly cares about what religion one follows as long as they believe in " (17 answers).

Do you think God really cares what religion you are as long as you believe in .

Religion is for people who are scared of hell, and spirituality is for people who have been through it. " comments? " (10 answers).

Religion is for people who fear hell; Spirituality is for people who've been to hell. What does this mean?

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.