Hinduism Islam Jainism Judaism Sikhism Zoroastrianism India is widely believed to the land of spirituality, whose native philosophy detects the presence of the supreme divinity in the flower as well as in the thorn, in stone and in rust, in everything animate and inanimate. Hindus worship 330 million gods. And this pantheon's elasticity is put to good use even today as revered social leaders and sages make the transition from exalted human beings to deities to be venerated. Polytheistic eclecticism lends to Hinduism a capacity to co-exist with other religions that goes beyond tolerance. Religious tolerance is a non-Indian concept, coined by cultures that accept the idea of a single, true god.
Monotheistic religions see other religions as false.
Hinduism, in contrast, accepts plurality of gods and plurality of the ways of spiritual fulfilment. At a theological level, therefore, Hinduism does not recognise any religion as being deviant, all represent valid ways of attaining man's goal of spiritual fulfilment. Other religions are not so much tolerated as accepted as legitimate means of self-realisation. This perspective has informed the attitude of Indian society and Indian rulers to non-Hindu faiths that have travelled to this land from different parts of the world. Judaism, Christianity and Islam made their way to India across the Arabian sea, aboard the sailing ships that ferried timber, spices, gold and perfumes between the Malabar coast and the Levant.