Veganism in India: A Historical and Cultural Perspective

The modern vegan movement — the formal version, with its 1944 founding date and the word "vegan" coined by Donald Watson — is relatively young. The philosophical foundations it draws on in India are not. Ahimsa, the principle of non-violence toward all living beings, was articulated in Jain texts more than 2,500 years ago. The dietary implications of that principle have shaped how millions of people in South Asia have eaten — and thought about eating — ever since.

This post traces veganism in India not as a Western import finding new ground, but as a tradition with deep and specific roots — philosophical, spiritual, and culinary — that the modern movement has, in many ways, rediscovered.

Ahimsa — The Philosophy Before the Word

The Sanskrit term ahimsa — non-harm, non-violence — appears in Jain, Buddhist, and Hindu texts across several centuries of ancient Indian thought. Its application to diet is one of its most concrete expressions: if the principle prohibits causing suffering to sentient beings, then the food choices that reduce or eliminate that suffering become a form of practice, not merely preference.

In Jainism, ahimsa is not a guideline but the foundational ethical principle — the first of the five major vows (mahavratas) taken by Jain monks and nuns. Lay Jains observe a less strict version, but the philosophical commitment to minimising harm to all forms of life is central to Jain identity. Traditional Jain practice is lacto-vegetarian: dairy was historically permitted on the basis that cows on family-owned farms were not harmed in their production. What has shifted in recent decades is the application of the same principle to industrial dairy—a system that clearly involves harm in the Jain ethical sense. A growing number of contemporary Jains, particularly those influenced by Jain scholars examining the sutras through the lens of modern animal agriculture, now adopt fully plant-based diets as the more consistent expression of ahimsa. This is a contemporary movement, not a retrieval of ancient practice, but it is philosophically coherent with the tradition it draws from.

Buddhism brought a related emphasis on compassion and the reduction of suffering. While Buddhist dietary practice varies considerably by tradition — Theravada monks in parts of Southeast Asia accept meat offered by laypeople; Mahayana traditions in China and Taiwan maintain strict vegetarianism — many early Buddhist monastic communities in India subsisted on plant-based meals offered by devotees. The Lankavatara Sutra, one of the core Mahayana texts, contains explicit arguments against meat consumption on grounds of compassion.

Hinduism's relationship with plant-based eating is more varied across its many schools and sects. The concept of a sattvic diet — foods considered pure, light, and conducive to clarity of mind — favours grains, lentils, fruits, vegetables, and dairy, while avoiding meat, fish, and eggs. Certain Vaishnava traditions observe particularly strict vegetarianism. The concept of Ahimsa in Hinduism, articulated in texts including the Mahabharata and the Manusmriti, influenced Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, which extended explicitly to food.

What the Ancient Record Actually Shows

Claims about the Vedic period as the origin of veganism in India require some care. The Rigveda, the oldest of the Vedic texts (dating to approximately 1500–1200 BCE), references both reverence for cattle and ritual animal sacrifice. Early Vedic diets appear to have included meat. The shift toward plant-dominant eating in Hindu practice is better understood as an evolution — one accelerated by the philosophical influence of Jainism and Buddhism from approximately the 6th century BCE onward — than as an unbroken tradition traced back to the oldest texts.

Ayurveda, the ancient medical system codified in texts including the Charaka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhita (dating to roughly 600 BCE onward), does place grains, lentils, fruits, and vegetables at the centre of the diet for health and well-being. The Ayurvedic concept of food as medicine significantly shaped Indian culinary culture. It is not equivalent to veganism, but it is a coherent ancient tradition of prioritising plant-based foods for their therapeutic properties — and it has influenced Indian cooking for more than two millennia.

Naturally Vegan Regional Cuisines Across India

One of the most striking aspects of Indian culinary history is the sheer number of regional dishes that are vegan by default — not by modification, but because the ingredients and techniques of the region never required animal products in the first place.

South Indian cooking — across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana — has historically relied on lentils, rice, tamarind, and coconut rather than dairy for its foundational flavours and textures. Dosa and idli are fermented rice and lentil preparations; sambar is a tamarind-lentil broth spiced with dried chillies and curry leaves; avial combines seasonal vegetables in a coconut and raw mango base. Coconut milk, abundant across the coastal South, serves the culinary role that dairy cream plays in northern Indian cooking — meaning the substitution never needs to happen. These are the original preparations.

Gujarati cuisine offers dishes like dal dhokli, a spiced lentil stew with wheat dumplings, and undhiyu, a mixed vegetable preparation slow-cooked in an earthenware pot, both of which are naturally plant-based. Many traditional Gujarati preparations do include ghee, but the structure of the food does not depend on it — making them straightforward to prepare without.

Rajasthan's historically arid climate — limited water, limited fodder — led to a cuisine built around dried legumes, preserved ingredients, and drought-tolerant crops rather than fresh produce or extensive dairy. Ker sangri (dried berries and beans), panchmel dal (five lentil blend), and gatte ki sabzi (chickpea flour dumplings in gravy) are regional staples that have always been predominantly plant-based.

Maharashtra's everyday cooking includes misal pav (spiced sprouted legumes with bread), zunka bhakar (chickpea flour preparation with millet flatbread), and bharli vangi (stuffed aubergine with peanuts and spices) — dishes built from legumes, grains, and vegetables, with no dairy at their core. Bengal's cooking traditions use mustard oil and poppy seeds as primary flavouring agents; dishes like shukto (bitter vegetable medley), posto (potato and poppy seed), and panch phoron-spiced vegetable curries are traditionally dairy-free.

Odisha's dalma — a lentil and vegetable stew cooked together — and santula, a simply spiced mixed vegetable dish, represent a cuisine that has always prioritised plant-based whole foods. Goa, best known internationally for its seafood and pork traditions, also carries a significant plant-based culinary heritage: alsande tonak (black-eyed pea curry in a dry-roasted coconut spice base), mushroom xacuti, and patoleo (steamed rice cakes with coconut and jaggery wrapped in turmeric leaves) are naturally vegan preparations with deep Goan roots.

Northeast India's fermented food traditions are among the least-documented but most distinctive vegan culinary heritage on the subcontinent. Axone — fermented soybeans from Nagaland, recognised by the Slow Food Foundation's Ark of Taste for its cultural significance — and tungrymbai, its Meghalayan equivalent fermented over several months, are both naturally vegan probiotic foods that predate the modern fermented food movement by generations. Khar, an Assamese dish made with sun-dried banana peel ash as an alkaline cooking medium, and eromba, a Manipuri fermented soybean and vegetable preparation, are further examples of a regional culinary identity built on plant-based fermentation.

In Kashmir, lotus stem (nadru) is one of the most distinctive ingredients — used in curries, biryanis, and stir-fries.

The Dairy Question — Where Tradition and Modern Ethics Meet

Understanding veganism in India requires engaging with dairy directly, because dairy occupies a genuinely different cultural position in India than in most other food cultures. The cow is considered sacred in many Hindu traditions; dairy products — ghee, milk, curd — carry religious significance and are used in ritual as well as cooking. Removing dairy from the Indian diet is not simply a practical substitution. It is, for many people, a meaningful departure from tradition.

This is precisely why the emerging vegan movement in India has had to make its case differently than in Western contexts. The argument is not that dairy was never part of Indian culture — it was, and for many communities, remains central — but that the conditions under which dairy is produced today are fundamentally different from those under which dairy consumption became culturally embedded. The small-scale, ethically managed dairy of traditional India and the industrial operations that supply the modern market are not the same thing. The ahimsa logic that historically made dairy acceptable now, for many, points toward avoiding it.

A 2023 qualitative study published in the Journal of Food Service Research on Indian vegan food service providers identified dairy as the single most significant cultural barrier to vegan adoption in India — more challenging to navigate than meat substitution for the many Indians who are already vegetarian. The study also noted that urban, educated demographics were driving adoption, and that spiritual and ethical motivations — rather than health or trend-following — were the most commonly cited reasons among committed vegans.

Veganism in India Today

India's vegan market reached approximately USD 1.47 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of around 10–11% through the early 2030s, according to market analysis from vegconomist and allied industry reports. Over 50 plant-based food start-ups are now active in India, a sharp increase from fewer than 10 a decade ago.

Consumer motivation surveys from 2024 show animal welfare as the primary driver (cited by 67% of respondents), followed by environmental concerns (54%) and health (49%). This ordering matters: it suggests that India's vegan movement is philosophically grounded in the ahimsa tradition rather than being primarily a health or wellness trend.

The percentage of Indians who eat vegetarian diets varies substantially by source — estimates range from around 20% (National Family Health Survey data, which corrects for social desirability bias in self-reporting) to 39% (Pew Research Center) and 40% (various market surveys). The variation reflects both methodological differences and the genuine complexity of dietary practice across India's 28 states and eight union territories, where caste, religion, region, and economic status all influence food choices in different ways. Fully vegan practice — no animal products of any kind — is currently estimated at approximately 9% of the population.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is India the most vegetarian country in the world?

India has one of the highest proportions of vegetarians globally — estimates range from 20% to 40%, depending on the survey methodology and definition used. The National Family Health Survey, which uses behavioural data rather than self-identification, produces lower figures than polling surveys. Regardless of the precise number, India's vegetarian population is substantially larger in absolute terms than that of any other country, and significantly higher as a proportion of the population than in most Western nations.

What is the connection between ahimsa and veganism?

Ahimsa — non-violence toward all living beings — is the foundational principle of Jain ethics and central to Buddhist and Hindu thought as well. Applied to diet, it produces a preference for food choices that minimise harm to sentient creatures. Traditional Indian vegetarianism emerged from this principle. Modern veganism, with its focus on eliminating all forms of animal exploitation, extends this reasoning to include dairy and other animal products — a development many contemporary Jains, in particular, recognise as philosophically consistent with their tradition.

Are Jains vegan?

Traditionally, Jains have been lacto-vegetarian — dairy was historically permitted because cows on family farms were not considered to be harmed by milking. What has changed is the context: industrial dairy production clearly involves practices that violate ahimsa. A growing segment of contemporary Jains now adopt fully plant-based diets as the more consistent expression of the tradition's core principle, though this represents a modern development rather than a retrieval of ancient practice.

What is axone and why is it significant?

Axone is a fermented soybean preparation from Nagaland in Northeast India, made by boiling soybeans and allowing them to ferment in the sun or near a fire source. It is naturally vegan, probiotic-rich, and has been recognised by the Slow Food Foundation's Ark of Taste — a register of culturally significant endangered foods worldwide. It is one of many examples of ancient fermented vegan food traditions in Northeast India, which also include tungrymbai from Meghalaya.

What is the difference between Indian vegetarianism and veganism?

Traditional Indian vegetarianism — as practised across Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist communities — typically excludes meat, poultry, and fish but permits dairy (often prominently, particularly in Hindu tradition) and sometimes eggs. Veganism extends the exclusion to all animal-derived foods, including dairy, honey, and eggs. In the Indian context, the dairy distinction is the most culturally significant difference, given dairy's ritual and culinary centrality in much of Indian food culture.

A Tradition Reclaimed, Not Introduced

What the modern vegan movement found when it arrived in India was not a blank slate. It found a culture that had already spent millennia working out the philosophical relationship between diet and ethics — and building a culinary vocabulary capable of satisfying a plant-based diet without the sense of absence that vegan eating sometimes carries in food cultures where plant-based cooking is less developed.

The same regional cuisines that produced dosa and idli, dal dhokli and ker sangri, axone and patoleo, continue to inform how plant-based cooking is practised, taught, and understood. These are not ancient curiosities. They are living culinary traditions — and they have a great deal to offer anyone learning to cook or eat without animal products, regardless of where they live.

At The Vegan School, the Indian plant-based culinary tradition is a significant part of the curriculum, with various regional preparations.