Hindus in Bali


Hindus in Bali

News Article Balinese Hinduism The majoirty of Balinese practice a form of the Hindu religion which they call Agama Hindu Dharma (“Religion of the Hindu doctrine”). Also called Agama Tirtha (“Religion of the Holy Waters”), it represents a unique amalgamation of foreign Hindu and Buddhist elements that were grafted onto a base of preexisting, indigenous religious customs. Since independence in 1945, the Balinese have become more self- conscious of their religion and have strengthened their religious organization. Ibis has resulted

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Hindus in Indonesia


Hindus in Indonesia

Hindu culture and religion arrived in the Indonesian archipelago in the first century, later coinciding with the arrival of Buddhism,[26] resulting in a number of Hinduism-Buddhism empires such as Kutai, Mataram and Majapahit. The Prambanan Temple complex was built during the era of Hindu Mataram, during the Sanjaya dynasty. The greatest Hindu empire ever flourished in Indonesian archipelago was Majapahit empire. The age of Hindu-Buddhist empires lasted until the sixteenth century, when the archipelago’s Islamic empires began to expand. This

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Hindus in Cambodia


Hindus in Cambodia

Hindus Cambodia  Apsaras Cambodia was first influenced by Hinduism during the beginning of the Kingdom of Funan kingdom. Hinduism was one of the Khmer Empire’s official religions. Cambodia is the home to one of the only two temples dedicated to Brahma in the world. Angkor Wat of Cambodia is the largest Hindu temple of the world     Cambodia was first influenced by Hinduism during the beginning of the Funan kingdom. Hinduism was one of the Khmer Empire’s official religions.

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Hindus in Vietnam


Hindus in Vietnam

Hindus in Vietnam Po Nagar, built by the Champa near modern-day Nha Trang. The Champa civilization was located in the more southern part of what is today Central Vietnam, and was a highly Indianized Hindu Kingdom, practicing a form of Shaivite Hinduism brought by sea from India. Mỹ Sơn, a Hindu temple complex built by the Champa is still standing in Quang Nam province, in Vietnam. The Champa were conquered by the Vietnamese and today are one of the many

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Hindus in Japan


Hindus in Japan

There is a relatively small number of Hindus found throughout Japan. There are currently 4,000 registered Hindus in the country, with about one third located in the Kansai area and living in Kobe, where they remain the third largest foreign community, after Chinese and Koreans.[citation needed] The arrival of Hindus and other Indians in Japan began in the 1870s, when they arrived at Yokohama (specifically Osaka, center of the textile trade) and began a profitable business exporting textiles and silk

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Hindus in Philippines


Hindus in Philippines

The Philippines Before the Spanish period, the archipelagoes of Southeast Asia were under the influence of traders from the Hindu-Malayan culture, such as the Majapahit Empire, which was then supplanted by Islamic conquest by the Sultanate of Malacca. The Sultanate itself had converted from Hinduism to Islam in 1414, and of Borneo. In the Majapahit Empire, the last Hindu kings retreated to Bali around 1500. Influences from the Indian subcontinent may be traced earlier to before the arrival of the

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Hindus in Thailand


Hindus in Thailand

  Four Faced Brahma The influence of Hinduism is popular Thai culture. Icons of Hindu gods and goddesses have been discovered in ancient excavations, and sculptures of such icons as Parvati, Hanumana, Ganesha, Vishnu, Indra, and Brahma adorn wats (temples) in Thailand. Images of Ganesha, the patron of Thai arts, are sometimes installed in newly constructed buildings. Hindu deities are worshipped along with Buddha and phis (spirits). Even to the present, the Thai congregate at the Erawan shrine in Bangkok

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Hindus in Singapore


Hindus in Singapore

Ancient times An artist’s impression of Parameswara, who ruled Singapore in the 1390s. The earliest written record of Singapore occurs in a Chinese account from the third century, describing the island of Pu Luo Chung. This was itself a transliteration from the Malay name “Pulau Ujong“, or “island at the end” (of the Malay peninsula). The quasi-mythological Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals) contains a tale of a prince of Srivijaya, Sri Tri Buana (also known as Sang Nila Utama), who landed

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Hindus in Afganistan


Hindus in Afganistan

Hindus in Afghan Hinduism in Afghanistan has existed for almost as long as Hinduism itself. The religion was widespread in the region until the Islamic conquest of Afghanistan. It has been documented in recent years that thousands of Hindus live in Afghanistan, mostly in major cities such as Kabul, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and others. History Gold coin of Vasudeva I (191–225). Hinduism in Afghanistan dates back to the Vedic periods when areas of the country shared a common culture with India.

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Hindus in Pakistan


Hindus in Pakistan

Hinduism is the indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent, including Pakistan. However since the independence of Pakistan in 1947 as a Muslim majority nation, Hindus have had a much smaller numerical presence there. Nonetheless Hindus have played a major role in the history, culture and politics of the country. The term Hindu is etymologically derived from the Sindhu (Indus River) of ancient India. The Sindhu is one of the holy rivers of Hinduism. Thus, in many ways, the land

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Hindus In Nepal


Hindus In Nepal

Hinduism generally is regarded as the oldest formal religion in the world. The origins of Hinduism go back to the pastoral Aryan tribes, spilling over the Hindu Kush from Inner Asia, and mixing with the urban civilization of the Indus Valley and with the tribal cultures of hunting and gathering peoples in the area. Unlike other world religions, Hinduism had no single founder and has never been missionary in orientation. It is believed that about 1200 B.C., or even earlier

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Hindus in Fizi


Hindus in Fizi

Hinduism in Fiji has a following primarily among the Indo-Fijians. They are descendants of either indentured servants brought to Fiji by the British in 19th century, or descendants of immigrants who came to the island nation in the 1920s and 1930s. According to the Constitution of Fiji, citizens of the country are Indo-Fijians if they can trace their ancestry to the Indian subcontinent, but not necessarily India.         During the late 90′s there were several riots against

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Africa

Hindus in Africa

Hindus in Africa

Hindus in Africa History Hinduism took root in Africa through the spread of the British Empire, which colonized huge swaths of land throughout Asia and Africa, including almost the entirety of the Indian subcontinent. Many Indians were recruited as indentured servants throughout the British Empire, settling mainly in the British colonies of Southern and Eastern Africa. Their descendants eventually gained middle-class status in these countries, a position which has changed little in post-colonial Africa. Hinduism is non-proselytizing religion and was

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Caribbean

Hindus in Caribbean

Hindus in Caribbean

Hindus in Carribean Hinduism is the leading single religion of the Indo-Caribbean communities of the West Indies. Hindus are particularly well represented in Trinidad and Tobago, where they constituted 25 percent of the total population, as of 1995. Smaller groups of Indo-Caribbeans live elsewhere in the Caribbean, especially Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Martinique and Guadeloupe.Hinduism in Anguilla The total Hindu population of Anguilla is just 45, according to the census of 2001. Virtually all are

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Trinidad

Hindus in Trinidad

Hindus in Trinidad

Hindus in Trinidad Hinduism in Trinidad and Tobago A decade after slavery was abolished in 1834, the British government gave permission for the colonians to import indentured labour from India to work on the plantations. Throughout the remainder of the century, Trinidad’s population growth came primarily from East Indian laborers. By 1871, there were 27,425 East Indians, approximately 22 percent of the population of Trinidad and Tobago; by 1911 that figure had grown to 110,911, or about 33 percent of

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Mauritius

Hindus in Mauritius

Hindus in Mauritius

Hindus in Maritius Hinduism originally came to Mauritius with Indians who worked as indentured servants of European settlers of the island. As of 2000, 52% of the country follows Hinduism,which makes Mauritius the only country in Africa where Hinduism is the dominant religion.       One of the biggest festivals on the island is Mahasivaratri, “Siva’s Great Night.” During this annual Hindu celebration, which takes place in the months of February and March, four to nine days of ceremony

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