Religion
Religion in India is among the world's most ancient and varied. The Indian subcontinent spawned Vedic religions, which compose one of the world's three major groups of religions. Vedic religion gave rise to what is now the oldest extant and third-largest religion, Hinduism, and almost 900 million of its one billion adherents live in the Republic of India. The other major Dharmic religions, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, each have millions of Indian followers. The Abrahamic religions of Islam and Christianity, spread by missionary activity and conquest over many centuries, are the two largest non-native religions.

More than four-fifths of Indians practice Hinduism. Islam, practised by around one-sixth of the population, is the most prevalent minority religion. Christianity and Sikhism are each practised by around 2% of Indians. About 1.1% practise Buddhism and 0.4% practise Jainism. Zoroastrianism and Judaism have a centuries-long history in India; each has several thousand Indian adherents.

More than nine-tenths of Indians state that religion plays a key role in their lives. Though inter-religious marriage is not widely practiced, Indians are generally tolerant of other religions and retain a secular outlook.

In the North East there is a huge diversity of religious beliefs and the religious break-down of each of these three states are quite different from each other. Arunachal Pradesh's main religions are Buddhism (40%), Hinduism (25%), Animist (20% and Christian (15%). Meghalaya's population however is more than 70% Christian, with Hindu and Animist beliefs making up 10-15% each, and less than 5% Muslim. Assam on the other hand has a majority of Hindus (65%) with 31% Muslim, and less than 4% Christian. See the chart below.

Culture
Arunachal Pradesh
The tribes of Arunachal Pradesh can be broadly divided into three cultural groups on the basis of their socio-religious backgrounds. The Monpas and Sherdukpens of Twang and West Kemeng districts follow the lamastic tradition of Mahayana Buddhism. Noted for their religious beliefs, the villages of these communities have highly decorated 'Gompas', symmetrical fortifications for spiritual learning. Though largely agriculturists, many of these people are also pastoral and breed herds of yak and mountain sheep. Culturally similar are the Membas and Khambas, who live in the high mountains along the northern borders. Khamptis and Singphos inhabit the eastern part of the State and are Buddhists of the Hinayana sect. They are believed to have migrated from Thailand and Burma long ago.

A second group of tribes, living largely in Central Arunachal Pradesh, include the Adi, the warlike Nishi, the Tagin, the Apatani and many more. These tribes come from Tibeto-Burman stock predominantly and practice Donyi-Polo (sun and moon) worship, though in recent times Christianity has made quite some headway here. Donyi-Polo religious rituals largely coincide with the phases of agricultural cycles and involve animal sacrifice and the invocation of natural deities. The Adis and Apatanis extensively practice wet-rice cultivation, though the Apatanis have specialised over the centuries by harvesting two crops of fish with each crop of rice. Apatani women were considered the most beautiful of the region and during more turbulent times many Apatani women were “decorated'with facial tattoos and enormous nose plugs to make them less appealing, particularly to marauding Nishi warriors. Today only woman in their 50s and above sport such “adornments'.

The third group comprises the Noctes and the Wanchos in the Tirap district, adjoining Nagaland. These are hardy people known for their structured village society in which the hereditary village chief still plays a vital role. The Noctes also practice an elementary form of Vaishnavism, a tradition of Hinduism where the God Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi are the main focus of worship.

Assam
Society in Assam is not just a conglomeration of diverse racial and cultural elements but a composite whole arising out of the integration and synthesis of all of them. Indeed, Assam has been a curious melting pot into which have gone the Aryan and non-Aryan, the tribal and the non-tribal, the indigenous and the exotic, making for a delightful and wonderfully mixed society.

The majority of the population in the plains is made up of Hindus, speaking the Aryan Assamese language. But the Aryan racial strain is prominent only in the upper castes, most of the other castes are of the Mongoloid stock.

The Satras (seat of the religious head Satradhikar) and Namghars (houses of names or prayer halls) plays an important role in the life of the average Assamese and have acted as cultural as well as religious institutions.

As in Arunachal Pradesh the majority of the tribal groups in Assam belong to the Tibeto-Burmese family. The colourful people of Assam consist of Bodo-Kacharis (who since 2004 have been granted partial autonomy over a region adjacent to Bhutan), Rabha and Hajongs, Tiwas (lalung), Misings, Sonowal Kacharis, Deuris, Karbis, Dimasa Kacharis, Rengma Naga, Zemi Naga, Kukis and the Hmars.

In Assam, the line between the tribal and the non-tribal is very thin and the so-called non-tribal Assamese Hindu society retains many elements, which are patently 'tribal' by orthodox Hindu standards. Castes are not strictly occupation linked, and there are very few caste-based disabilities.

Before the British arrived in Assam, it was already a very diverse place. The British further added to the demographic canvas by bringing labour from Central India to work in the tea fields. The majority of tea workers in Assam today are their direct descendants! Since India's independence further waves of immigration have further diversified the culture of the state.

Meghalaya
Meghalaya is dominated by two ethnic groups 'the Khasi (49%) and the Garo (34%). The stone monoliths that can be Seen around the state have been erected by the Khasi to commemorate tribal chieftains. Khasi women often wear traditional dress consisting of a checked cotton jaiňnkyrsha pinafore with a tartan shawl. Although Christian, it is not unusual for the Khasi to sacrifice chickens and goats at festivals to ensure the return of the sun, and chewing betal (the Khasi call it 'kwai') is considered a semi-religious habit. Bullfights occur in many Khasi village fairs, however in their version of bullfighting, called yaturmasi, it's one bull against another.

Traditionally Animist-Hindu, more than 80% of Garo are now Christian. However witch doctors are still common and Wangala dances are held in order to insure a good harvest. The Garos are one of the few remaining matrilineal societies in the world. Individuals take their clan titles from their mothers and the youngest daughter (nakma) inherits the property from her mother. Sons leave the parents' house at puberty, and are trained in the village bachelor dormitory (nokpante). After getting married, the man lives in his wife's house.