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Jainism: This religion is believed to have been started by

Rishabh Dev, the first Tirthankara, or spiritual teacher. The
religion gained widespread acceptance in India at the time

of Vardhamana Mahavira—the 24th Tirthankara. He lived at
about the same time as Gautam Buddha .

He preached kindness to all living beings.He urged people to
live a simple life and follow the path of non-violence. Rishabh Dev

Islam: Islam was founded by the prophet Mohammad. It is believed the Islam is
the word of God and that Mohammad was God's messenger on Earth. Prophet
Muhammad lived in Arabia about 1400 years ago. He gave the message of love,

peace and brotherhood to the Arabs, who were fighting with each other at the

time. His teaching spread throughout the world, including India.
Followers of Islam are known as Muslim. The holy book of Muslim
is the Quran.

Christianity: Christianity is a religion based on the teaching of Jesus
Christ . He was born about 2000 years ago in Bethlehem. He

taught people to love God and all other people, and emphasised

Jesus Christ the importance of forgiveness. The holy book of the Christians is
the Bible. Christianity was brought to India by St. Thomas.

Zoroastrainism (The Religion of Parsis): Parsis believe in the teaching of Zoroaster. He

lived in Iran about 2500 years ago. He taught that our duty is to
be good and fight evil. The holy book of the Parsis is called the

Zend Avesta.

Sikhism: This religion was founded by Guru Nanak Dev. He lived in
Punjab about 500 years ago. He believed that there is only one

God, and people had given him different forms and names. The

holy book of the Sikhs is the Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Nanak Dev

Social Reformers

From time-to-time, evil practices take root in society. In India, for example, many
people believe in the caste system, and practice the dowry system and child

marriage. Brave people have fought against such practices and helped to improve
society. Such people are called social reformers.

94 Social Studies-4