AHC: Better India

The Muslim percentage in India has risen significantly since independence, as well as since the British conquest. In 1951, India was 84.1% Hindu, a figure which has only decreased. The farther back you go, the more Hindu.

OP asks about South Asia, not India in its post-Partition boundaries.

If an Indian empire (surviving restructured Marathas, maybe) modernized in the early 19th century, and followed the demographic transition at the same time that Europe did, it would be a super-rich country with only 300-500 million people, meaning that <15% of the country, <45 million could immigrate to countries across the world easily.

Why would it only have 300-500 million people? South Asia had 200 million in 1800, and has had a factor-of-8 population growth since, which isn't that much higher than England's growth since 1800 (8.3 million -> 53 million). And Northern Europe had had significant population growth in the Early Modern era, whereas the Mughal Empire already had 150 million people in 1600.
 
Could there be a scenario in which India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives be united under a single country, And the religious demographic should be 85% Hinduism followed by Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism and with Christianity Islam being the smallest religions at less than 2% each.
This country also should be Militarily, Economically and Politically rival China in OTL
Pod can be at anytime from 3000 BC to 2000 AD
This nation should also have per capita of around $6000 to $8000 and population should be around 1.2 - 1.3 Billion

EDIT 1 - you can also include areas of Afghanistan and Burma, But not the whole country

If a united South Asia ie. a greater India, much more advanced than the present day Republic is meant, the POD must be much earlier. Only a strong state/states at the time of the Islamic attacks can butterfly the Muslim period away and keep the Muslim population down to around 2%. Then the Sikhism also is not likely to emerge, as it was Hindu - Muslim meeting that led to the rise of Sikhism. If a strong state or three or four strong states had emerged the European conquests including that of the British become implausible. If any of the large empires in history like those of Mauryas, Guptas, Palas, Cholas, Vijayanagar or Marathas had survived longer and spread wider it was plausible. If Muslim period is butterflied away, the last two empires are also butterflied. In such an India the percentages of Muslims and Christians would be less, the Sikhs will be absent, but Buddhism is likely to be much more widespread. Buddhism was much stronger, perhaps even majority religion in ancient India.
 
Too many butterflies to predict whether this would have been profitable for India, but during the reign of Ogodei Kahn of the mongols, Batu convinced the great Kahn to attack Europe although there had been considable debate over attacking India.

A successful invasion of India not only would have spread interesting ideas worldwide, but by the time of Kublai (or a Kublai equivalent), it's resources would certainly have been cause for strong development and centralisation of the lands.
 
Top