Hinduism is the largest religion of Tamil Nadu. Hinduism is mentioned in the Tamil Sangam literature dated to the 5th century BCE. The total number of Hindus in Tamil Nadu as per 2011 Indian census is 63,188,168 which forms 87.58% of the total population of Tamil Nadu. The major worship forms of Shiva temples are for Shiva, Parvathi, Ganesha and Muruga. Vishnu is either worshiped directly or in the form of his ten avatars, most famous of whom are Rama and Krishna. Village deities or grama devata of village are also widely worshiped among the people of the villages. They are found in almost all villages throughout India, and more common in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. They are known as Kaval deivam and Local Village Gods. They are associated to a main deity who is generally ascribed as Kuladeivam by various communities and castes as part of the tracing their generation through centuries. The sixty-three Nayanars and the twelve Azhwars are regarded as exponents of the bhakti tradition of Hinduism in South India as most of them came from the ancient Tamil region The development of Hinduism grew up in the temples and mathas of medieval Tamil Nadu with self-conscious rejection of Jain practices.
Islam is the third largest religion of Tamil Nadu accounting for around 5.86 percent of the population according to the 2011 census. The total number of Tamil Muslims according to the 2011 census is 4,229,479. An overwhelming majority of Tamil Muslims belong to the Sunni sect although a small Shia minority does exist. , Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu
Jainism
The total number of Jains in Tamil Nadu as per 2011 Indian census is 89,265 which forms 0.12% of the total population of Tamil Nadu, including both Tamil Jains and Jains originating from North India that settled in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Jains are predominantly scattered in northern Tamil Nadu, largely in the districts of Kanchipuram, Madurai, Vellore, Thanjavur, Cuddalore, Viluppuram and Tiruvannamalai. Some scholars believe that Jain philosophy entered South India in the sixth century BCE.The Tamil Jains are ancient natives of Tamil Nadu and belong to the Digambara sect. They generally use the title Nainar. The former North Arcot and South Arcot districts have a large number of Jain temples, as well as a significant Jain population. Many of them retain some Jain customs such as vegetarianism. Camaṇar wrote much Tamil literature, including the important Sangam literature, such as the Silappatikaram, the Manimekalai, the Nālaṭiyār and the Cīvaka Cintāmaṇi. Three of the five great epics of Tamil literature are writtern by Jains.
Buddhism
The Buddhist philosophy and its growth in Tamil Nadu had great influence before the 12th century AD. The total number of Buddhists in Tamil Nadu as per 2011 Indian census is 11186 which forms 0.02% of the total population of Tamil Nadu.
Sikhism
The total number of Sikhs in Tamil Nadu as per 2011 Indian census is 14,601 which forms 0.02% of the total population of Tamil Nadu. Some Sikhs have migrated mainly to the southern districts of Tamil Nadu for agriculture and business purposes.
Demographics
The following table shows the total number of people belonging to each religion in Tamil Nadu
