The founding fathers of the Indian Constitution always had secularism as a foundation of a democratic India.  Secularism means the acceptance and respect of all the religions in a country without any coercion and minimal interference of state in the religious matters. A country is considered secular only when the state without any discrimination, considers the value of each religion and empathize towards the people to profess any religion of their choice. In a country as diverse as India, there are several religions and communal groups with various interests, belief and faith. There is a possibility of religious conflicts in India, since the interest of one religious group may be violating other groups faith. In such a situation the state plays an important role in regulating the acts of the people, protecting the religious beliefs and preventing the destruction of lives and property. The philosophy of secularism has been analysed in this paper. The meaning of secularism has different interpretations but is same at its core, i.e. freedom of religion with no state interference.The meaning and importance of secularism of secularism in India has been understood. The paper focuses on the Constitutional relation between state and religion in India. The view of secularism in India is different. There is no strict separation between state and religion. The state interferes when matters of religion affect the peace of other living beings. Indian constitution provides a blend of secular and non-secular features which has been focused in this paper in detail. Further, an analysis has been drawn upon the role of the state in affairs of religion prior to the adoption of the Constitution in India. Before the British and during the British Indian period, the role of religion in state and vice versa has been looked into. The present situation of the relation between state and religion has been inferred, with reference to the in secular acts of the religious groups in the country. The post constitution role of state in religion is also the focus of this paper. What was considered supreme for governance of the people is now governed by the state for welfare of society at large.

Keywords: Religion, secularism, minimal interference, relation between state and religion, constitutional provisions.

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