Answer: Indian society is composed of diverse cultures and religions. Continual influx of diverse communities, has fostered a rich tapestry of religious faiths, customs, and cultures in the country. This resulted in bringing together people following different religions and gradually laid the basis of religious pluralism in India. 

The religious diversity of India is a product of its history: 

• Birthplace of religions: Hinduism has ancient roots and many of its important religious and philosophical texts were written in the first millennium BC. Two new faiths, Jainism and Buddhism were introduced around the 5th century BCE. Sikhism was founded in the late 15th century. 
• Conquest: Islam was introduced into the Indian subcontinent with the Arab conquest of Sind, in the lower Indus valley, in 712 AD.  
• Foreign rule: Christianity gained many converts, following the arrival of Europeans such as the Portuguese and British.  
• Migration: Historical evidence shows the migration of the original group of Parsis to Gujarat occurred around the 7th Century AD. The migration was the result of the Islamic conquest of the Zoroastrian Sasanian dynasty.  

Impact of religious diversity on the Indian society:

• Religious values: All the diverse religions also contributed to the development of values among the people of India. 

• For example, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism share the values of non-violence and Islam places great emphasis on just and human values.  

• Architecture and arts: The diversity of religions has contributed to the diversity in art and architecture in India.  

• For example, Islamic architecture was brought by the Muslims into India.  

• Traditions and culture: Religious diversity has enriched the culture of India by introducing new customs, traditions and festivals.  

• For example, Festivals such as Eid and Nowruz are celebrated across India.  

• Choices: Religious diversity provides people with multiple choices of faith and thus protects them against ignorance and blind faith.  
• Pluralism: The existence of diversity in religion has reinforced pluralism as a value in Indian society. 
• Negative Impacts: Along with benefits, religious diversity can sometimes lead to some negative impacts such as clash of beliefs, political competition among religious groups, riots, radicalism etc.  

Religious diversity is a fact in Indian society and life. The demography of religious groups and their territorial localization supports this viewpoint. Religious diversity has persisted over a long period of time and significantly contributed to the cultural developments in India.