Exceptions Prove the Rule

I would love to tell you that Hindus have always been shining examples of a people who consistently respect religious traditions, but I'd be lying if I did. Human nature, and the tendency to believe that one's own faith is not only the best, but perhaps the only valid one, has raised its head in Indian history, too.

If you have a look at the Puranas, you'll find that while some of them are quite versalistic in outlook, others are notably sectarian. Some of  the authors of the Puranas poke fun at their neighbor's gods in a fairly lighthearted manner. In others the insults get edgier.

At times, friction between different Hindu dominations has gotten out of hand. At some points, the devotees of Vishnu have actively persecuted the devotees of Shiva. At other points, the devotees of Shiva have persecuted the devotees of Vishnu.Non-Hindus living in India, such as Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists, and more recently Muslims, have occasionally taken some serious hits from fanatical Hindus.