JAINISM

Jainism is India's sixth-largest religion and is practiced throughout India.

As per the 2011 census, there are only 4,451,753 Jains in the 1.21 billion population of India, the majority living
in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, however, the influence of Jainism has been far greater
on the Indian population than these numbers suggest. Jains can be found in 34 out of 35 states and union
territories, with Lakshdweep being the only union territory without Jains. The state of Jharkhand, with a
population of 16,301 Jains also contains the holy pilgrimage centre of Shikharji.

History
Jain doctrine teaches that Jainism has always existed and will always exist, [4][5][6][7][8] Like most ancient Indian
religions, Jainism has its roots from the Indus Valley Civilization, reflecting native spirituality prior to the IndoAryan migration into India. Other scholars suggested the Shramana traditions were separate and
contemporaneous with Indo-Aryan religious practices of the historical Vedic religion. In August 2005, Supreme
Court of India gave verdict that Jainism, Sikhism (and Buddhism) are distinct religions, but are inter-connected
and inter-related to Hinduism, so these three are part of wider broader Hindu religion, based on the historic
background on how the Constitution had come into existence after. However, in the 2006 verdict, Supreme
Court of India found that the "Jain Religion is indisputably not a part of the Hindu Religion".
Accorded National minority status for Jain

On January 20, 2014, the Government of India awarded the minority status to the Jain community in India, as
per Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Act (NCM), 1992. This made the Jain
community which makes for 4.5 million or 0.36 percent of the population as per 2011 census, the sixth
community to be designated this status as a "national minority", after Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and
Parsis. Though Jains already had minority status in 11 states of India including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, in 2005 a petition was filed with Supreme Court of India, by community
representatives, which was also backed by the National Minorities Commission. In its judgement the court left
the decision to the Central government.

BUDDHISM

Standing Buddha statue at the Tokyo National Museum. One of the earliest known representations of the
Buddha, 1st2nd century CE.
Buddhism /budzm/ is a religion and dharma that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual
practices largely based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. Buddhism originated in India, from where it
spread through much of Asia, whereafter it declined in India during the middle ages. Two major extant branches
of Buddhism are generally recognized by scholars: Theravada (Pali: "The School of the Elders") and Mahayana
(Sanskrit: "The Great Vehicle").
Buddhist schools vary on the exact nature of the path to liberation, the importance and canonicity of various
teachings and scriptures, and especially their respective practices. Practices of Buddhism include Refuge,
Samatha, Vipassan, the Mahayana practice of Bodhicitta and the Vajrayana practices of Generation stage and
Completion stage.
In Theravada the ultimate goal is the attainment of the sublime state of nirvana, achieved by practicing the
Noble Eightfold Path (also known as the Middle Way), thus escaping what is seen as a cycle of suffering and
rebirth. Theravada has a widespread following in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
Mahayana, which includes the traditions of Pure Land, Zen, Nichiren Buddhism, Shingon and Tiantai (Tendai),
is found throughout East Asia. Rather than Nirvana, Mahayana instead aspires to Buddhahood via the
bodhisattva path, a state wherein one remains in the cycle of rebirth to help other beings reach awakening.
Vajrayana, a body of teachings attributed to Indian siddhas, may be viewed as a third branch or merely a part of
Mahayana. Tibetan Buddhism, which preserves the Vajrayana teachings of eighth century India, is practiced in
regions surrounding the Himalayas, Mongolia[11] and Kalmykia. Tibetan Buddhism aspires to Buddhahood or
rainbow body.
Buddhists number between an estimated 488 million and 535 million, making it one of the world's major
religions.

ISLAM

The Kaaba, in Mecca, Hejaz region, today's Saudi Arabia, is the center of Islam. Muslims from all over the
world gather there to pray in unity.
Islam (/slm/; Arabic: , al-Islm IPA: [alislam] ( listen); historically called Muhammadanism in
non-Islamic Anglophone societies) is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion articulated by the Qur'an, a
religious text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God (Allh), and, for the vast majority of
adherents, by the teachings and normative example (called the sunnah, composed of accounts called hadith) of
Muhammad (c. 5708 June 632 CE). An adherent of Islam is called a Muslim (sometimes spelled "Moslem").
Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable[3] and that the purpose of existence is to worship God.
Nearly all Muslims consider Muhammad to be the last prophet of God.
Muslims also believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed
many times before through prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. As for the Qur'an,
Muslims consider it to be both the unaltered and the final revelation of God. Religious concepts and practices
include the five pillars of Islam, which are obligatory acts of worship, and following Islamic law, which touches
on virtually every aspect of life and society, from banking and welfare to the status of women and the
environment.
Islam began in the early-7th century. Originating in Mecca, it quickly spread in the Arabian peninsula and by
the 8th century the Islamic empire was extended from Iberia in the west to the Indus river in the east. The
Islamic Golden Age refers to the period traditionally dated from the 8th century to the 13th century when much
of the historically Islamic world was experiencing a scientific, economic and cultural flourishing. The
expansion of the Muslim world involved various caliphates and empires, traders and conversion to Islam by
missionary activities.
Most Muslims are of one of two denominations: Sunni (7590%) or Shia (1020%). About 13% of Muslims
live in Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority country, 32% in South Asia, the largest Muslim population of any
region, 20% in the Middle East, and 15% in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sizable Muslim communities are also found in
Europe, China, Russia, and the Americas. Converts and immigrant communities are found in almost every part
of the world. With about 1.7 billion followers or 23% of the global population, Islam is the second-largest
religion by number of adherents and, according to many sources, the fastest-growing major religion in the
world.

CHRISTIANITY

Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is the
world's largest religion, with over 2.4 billion adherents, known as Christians. Christians believe that Jesus is the
Son of God and the savior of humanity whose coming as the Messiah (the Christ) was prophesied in the Old
Testament.
Christian theology is summarized in various creeds. These professions of faith state that Jesus suffered, died,
was buried, descended into hell, and rose from the dead, in order to grant eternal life to those who believe in
him and trust in him for the remission of their sins. The creeds further maintain that Jesus bodily ascended into
heaven, where he reigns with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, and that he will return to judge the
living and the dead and grant eternal life to his followers. His Incarnation, earthly ministry, Crucifixion, and
Resurrection are often referred to as "the gospel", meaning "good news". The term gospel also refers to written
accounts of Jesus's life and teaching, four of whichMatthew, Mark, Luke, and Johnare considered
canonical and included in the Christian Bible.
Christianity began as a Second Temple Judaic sect in the mid-1st century. Originating in Judea, it quickly spread
to Europe, Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Egypt, Ethiopia, and India, and by the end of the 4th century had
become the official state church of the Roman Empire.[10][11][12] Following the Age of Discovery, Christianity
spread to the Americas, Australasia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the rest of the world through missionary work and
colonization. Christianity has played a prominent role in the shaping of Western civilization.
Throughout its history, Christianity has weathered schisms and theological disputes that have resulted in many
distinct churches and denominations. Worldwide, the three largest branches of Christianity are the Roman
Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Protestantism, which is divided into many denominations.
The Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches broke communion with each other in the East-West Schism of
1054; Protestantism came into existence in the Reformation of the 16th century, splitting from the Roman
Catholic Church.

A SOCIETY

A society is a group of people involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social

grouping sharing the same geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same political
authority and dominant cultural expectations.
A society is a group of people involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social
grouping sharing the same geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same political
authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societies are characterized by patterns of
relationships (social relations) between individuals who share a distinctive culture and
institutions; a given society may be described as the sum total of such relationships among its
constituent members. In the social sciences, a larger society often evinces stratification or
dominance patterns in subgroups.
Insofar as it is collaborative, a society can enable its members to benefit in ways that would not
otherwise be possible on an individual basis; both individual and social (common) benefits can
thus be distinguished, or in many cases found to overlap. A society can also consist of likeminded people governed by their own norms and values within a dominant, larger society. This
is sometimes referred to as a subculture, a term used extensively within criminology.
More broadly, and especially within structuralist thought, a society may be illustrated as an
economic, social, industrial or cultural infrastructure, made up of, yet distinct from, a varied
collection of individuals. In this regard society can mean the objective relationships people have
with the material world and with other people, rather than "other people" beyond the individual
and their familiar social environment.

EARTHA GLOBE
Eartha is a 3-dimensional scale model of our earth with mountains and landforms in full 3D, that rotates and
revolves, simulating the earths real movements. Eartha was given the title of "World's Largest
Revolving/Rotating Globe" by the editors of the Guinness Book of World Records in 1999, and still holds that
record today. It measures 41.5 ft in diameter. Unveiled July 23, 1998 Eartha took two years to build and
represents earth as it is seen from space. It rotates and revolves on a specially designed and built mechanized,
cantilever arm.
The Official Measurements
The official measurements of Eartha were made for Guinness by several independent and licensed surveyors
who found the Globe to measure 41 feet, one and one-half inches, slightly less than the rounded figure of 42
feet that was projected by DeLorme staff members. Still, 41' 1.5" was more than enough to surpass the former
record-holder, the Globe of Peace in Apeccio, Pesaro, Italy (which is 33 feet in diameter and does not revolve or
rotate).
An Engineering Accomplishment
Every aspect of Eartha was developed using computer technology. It was designed by founder David DeLorme.
and constructed by DeLorme staff members. The building of Eartha was a tremendous challenge for all of us,"
says DeLorme. "It will help us make even better maps and will help others envision how we on earth are all
connected.

The Data
The mapping data, which took over a year to compile, is completely unique. It is a special composite
database built from satellite imagery, shaded relief, colored bathymetry (ocean depth data) and
information from terrestrial sources, such as road networks and urban areas. The printed Eartha database
is equivalent to about 140 gigabytes (or 214 CD-ROMs), making it one of the largest in the world! Its
scale is 1:1,000,000, which works out to be one inch equaling nearly 16 miles. At this scale, California is
three and a half feet tall!

Visit Eartha at DeLorme Headquarters, in Yarmouth, Maine

Housed in a three-story glass atrium at the company's headquarters in Yarmouth, Maine, Eartha took two years
to build and represents earth as it is seen from space. Every continent is beautifully detailed, with vivid colors
illustrating all levels of vegetation, major roadways and cities. Ocean depths are also completely represented.
"Eartha is the largest image of earth ever created," says DeLorme. "Eartha will instill a sense of wonder in
people when they first see it and we hope they walk away from it with a better appreciation and knowledge of
the world around them."
Directions to visit Eartha
DeLorme is a longtime leader in innovative mapping and GPS products, and most recently the company has
earned numerous prestigious awards for its groundbreaking integration of GPS navigation and satellite
communications. The ability to develop all the critical components necessary to compete in these fast-changing
technologies distinguishes DeLorme as a provider of unique solutions for both the commercial and government
markets.