Religion
Yerukalas worship Hindu Gods i.e. Lord shiva, Lord Venteswara, Narasimhaswamy, Narayanaswamy and Rama, which are common Gods in Hindu pantheon and appease deities such as Ankamma, Kollapuramma, Sunkulamma, Poleramma and Ellamma. The Yerukalas celebrate Hindu festivals such as Sankranthi, Sivarathri, Sreeramanavami, Dasara, Ugadi (Telugu New Year’s Day).
Yerukalas worship natural objects such as the sun, the moon and the fire, along with worshipping Lord Vishnu & Lord shiva. In some of the places, Yerukalas are not permitted to enter Hindu temples; hence they keep stones or mud idols under trees and give them offerings.
Largest religion is Hindu. But Christianity is on the rise in this community because of the economic inducements and coercion by the missionaries. The converts are made to look down on their unique identity and culture and adopt Christian ways over their own. Missionary funded churches are being built with funds donated by Christians allover the world.
- Hindu (95%)
- Nonreligious (3.6%)
- Christians (1.3%)
Read more about this topic: Yerukala People
Famous quotes containing the word religion:
“The proper office of religion is to regulate the heart of men, humanize their conduct, infuse the spirit of temperance, order, and obedience; and as its operation is silent, and only enforces the motives of morality and justice, it is in danger of being overlooked, and confounded with these other motives.”
—David Hume (1711–1776)
“Religion is doing; a man does not merely think his religion or feel it, he “lives” his religion as much as he is able, otherwise it is not religion but fantasy or philosophy.”
—George Gurdjieff (c. 1877–1949)
“Men are like plants; the goodness and flavor of the fruit proceeds from the peculiar soil and exposition in which they grow. We are nothing but what we derive from the air we breathe, the climate we inhabit, the government we obey, the system of religion we profess, and the nature of our employment.”
—Michel Guillaume Jean De Crevecoeur (1735–1813)