One of the distinctive features of the Indian sub-continent is its rich religious
diversity. This article examines two political responses to religious diversity, one, in
third century BCE and the other in the middle of the last century as India became
independent from British colonial rule. In Ancient India, Emperor Asoka issued edicts that
advised people of all religious faiths to live together and claimed that the condition of
sociability are fulfilled by all religious perspectives as each values self-restraint and
self-purification. In the public arena, this translates into restraint of speech and
civility towards one another. Modern India presented an entirely different scenario. Here
the state had to respond to well demarcated, often conflicting religious communities, each
of whom, was at least partially committed to freedom and equality-oriented reforms. This
necessitated that the state take a somewhat combative stance towards both inter and
intra-religious domination. The article argues that the only way in which to undermine
these forms of domination is that the state adopts a policy of principled distance towards
all religions.
