India has been home to a large number of religious thinkers and spiritualists. The most important of such religious thinkers include
Buddha,
Guru Nanak, and
Mahavira. Buddha and Guru Nanak were the founders of the Buddhist and Sikh religions respectively. Mahavira was the last
Jain Tirthankara.
Amir Khusro – Sufi poet, and disciple of
Nizamuddin Auliya, he is credited with being the founder of both Hindustani classical music and Qawwali (the devotional music of the Sufis).
Dadabhai Naoroji - Also regarded as one of the most important freedom fighter of the country.
Other important thinkers
The
Sikh Gurus undoubtedly were very important in propounding the tenets of Sikhism.
Thomas, one of the twelve disciples of
Jesus, is believed to have preached and finally died in India. Saint
Francis Xavier also developed a
Jesuit missionary method that left a significant impression upon the missionary history of India.
Jesus of Nazareth may have had spiritual training or influences from South Asian spiritual thought. A school of thought believes Jesus escaped the Roman empire to Kashmir.[1][2]