Hinduism in South India and North India

So that I don't have any work in office I'm writing all the pending things that I told y'all that I would write.

Let’s call it HxH for short. What’s the reason for this shift? I mean, we were all Hindus before 2014, right? We followed our rituals, celebrated our festivals, and went about our lives. So why this sudden radicalism over the past 10 years, conveniently overlapping with a certain party coming to power? Let’s talk about it.

If you look at most radical movements in the name of religion, they all seem to start in the northern part of India. Why is that? "Because they lack rational reasoning"? No, I didn’t say that. But this specific party has always had a stronghold in the North. Let’s dive into why that’s significant, starting with how regional politics morphed into religious politics.

You can’t win over a country like India, a country where culture and religion change every 10 km with just economic reforms or policies. So, they took the easy route: majority vote-bank politics. Target the Hindus. Mobilize them. Spread hatred against minorities. How? Through fake news, IT cell propaganda, and fear-mongering. Make them believe that Hindus are in danger.

I saw a video the other day—hundreds of people causing a nuisance outside a church on Christmas. Not a handful, hundreds. Why do people suddenly remember their religion when it’s time for someone else’s festival? BJP has turned people so extremist that they find a problem with everything. And this isn’t isolated; it’s mostly in northern states.

Let me make this clear: I’m not saying you shouldn’t express your religion. You should! Be proud of it. But it should come from a place of faith, not some made-up fear or hatred.

North vs South: The Way Hinduism is Practiced

Having lived in both the North and South, I’ve noticed big differences in how Hinduism is practiced. In the North, it feels… less traditional? Many people there don’t know Vedic chants. A “prayer” usually involves burning an incense stick, and that’s it not even a deepam. Some pooja rooms are right next to bathrooms, idols and photos aren’t cleaned, kumkuma isn’t applied. Festivals and rituals like vratams, which are so common in the South, are rare there.

In South India, it’s a whole different story. Every occasion, every festival—even housewarming—has a vratam. Temple architecture and customs are distinct too. South Indian temples often don’t allow western garments inside the temple, and some even restrict women from certain areas because you know why. You don’t see these practices in the North.

Then there’s the awareness of deities. How many people in the North have even heard of Lord Ayyappa? He’s the son of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, but most Northerners wouldn’t know. In the South, devotion to Ayyappa is massive. Southern Hindus give importance to home gods and ancestral gods, with entire festivals dedicated to them. That concept barely exists in the North.

Even the way poojas are done is different. In the South, the rituals are elaborate and meticulous. The fragrance of havans, the attention to detail—it’s something else. The South also has more established sampradayas, and our connection to Sanatana Dharma feels more rooted in Vedic culture.

The Veg vs Non-Veg Debate

And then there’s the whole veg vs. non-veg debate. Northern Hindutva supporters love to project this image of being pure vegetarians, like it’s the ultimate benchmark for being a good Hindu. But here’s the thing: Hinduism never dictated vegetarianism for everyone. South Indians get this. For us, non-veg is just food. Many South Indian Hindus eat meat without feeling any less religious. In fact, a lot of our festivals and rituals include offerings of non-veg to our home gods. Meanwhile, in the North, they’ll eat non-veg on the down-low but pretend otherwise to fit this holier-than-thou narrative. The hypocrisy is unreal.

So why does the South largely reject Hindutva? Because for us, Hinduism isn’t something to be politicized. It’s part of our lives organic, genuine, and personal. We don’t need a party or propaganda to remind us of who we are.

This difference in how Hinduism is lived and practiced explains, in part, why the South often snubs Modi and his party’s version of Hindutva.