Abstract

Indian democracy stands as a civilizational and philosophical achievement whose origins extend far beyond its institutional formation in the mid-twentieth century. It reflects the cumulative wisdom of ancient Indian ethical thought medieval social reform traditions and the modern intellectual renaissance that accompanied Indias freedom struggle. The democratic ideals embodied in India’s Constitution are rooted in diverse philosophical principles such as dharma justice equality compassion rational inquiry and pluralism. These principles were shaped over centuries through Vedic and Upanishadic reflections Buddhist rational and ethical doctrines the egalitarian impulses of Bhakti and Sufi saints and the moral and political philosophies of modern thinkers like Mahatma Gandhi B. R. Ambedkar Jawaharlal Nehru and Rabindranath Tagore. A philosophical reading of Indian democracy reveals it not simply as a governance system but as a moral and ethical project concerned with human dignity social j