A history of state and religion in India Offering the first long duration analysis of the relationship between the state and religion in South Asia this book looks at the nature and origins of Indian secularism. It interrogates the proposition that communalism in India is wholly a product of colonial policy and modernisation questions whether the Indian state has generally been a benign or disruptive influence on public religious life and evaluates the claim that the region has spawned a culture of practical toleration. The book is structured around six key arenas of interaction between state and religion: cow worship and sacrifice control of temples and shrines religious festivals and processions proselytising and conversion communal riots and religious teaching doctrine and family law. It offers a challenging argument about the role of the state in religious life in a historical continuum and identifies points of similarity and contrast between periods and regimes. The book makes a significant contribution to the literature on South Asian History and Religion Introduction Religion and state formation Orthodoxies in competition and the birth of empire Kings and sects Dar ul Islam The Mughal dispensation Cohesion and conflict The Maratha polity Colonial neutrality Religion and nationalism The rule of law Religion and democracy Conclusion