Hinduism in Guyana

Guyanese Hindus

Total population
250,000 (2020)
31% of the population
Regions with significant populations

* Guyana
* United States
* Canada
* United Kingdom
* Netherlands
* Suriname
* Trinidad and Tobago

Religions
Hinduism
(Sanātana Dharma)
Majority sect
Sanātanī
Minority sects
Arya Samaj * Caribbean Shaktism (Kali Mai Dharam/Madrasi Hinduism) * Sathya Sai Baba movement * Sieunarini (Sir Narain/Shiv Narayani) Panth * Hindu atheism * others
Scriptures
Vedas * Puranas * Upanishads * Ramayana (incl. Ramcharitmanas version) * Mahabharata (incl. Bhagavad Gita) * other Hindu texts
Languages
Sanskrit * Tamil (liturgical languages)
English (Guyanese English Creole) * Guyanese Hindustani
Related ethnic groups
Trinidadian and Tobagonian Hindus * Surinamese Hindus * Jamaican Hindus * other Caribbean Hindus
Hinduism by country

Africa

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Morocco
* Western Sahara
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

Asia

* Afghanistan
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* China
* Cyprus
* East Timor
* Georgia
* Hong Kong
* India
* Indonesia
* Bali
* Java
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* Korea
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Palestine
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Southeast Asia
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Taiwan
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

Europe

* Albania
* Andorra
* Austria
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Czechia
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Gibraltar
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Italy
* Kosovo
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* England
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales

North America

* Belize
* Canada
* Costa Rica
* El Salvador
* Guatemala
* Honduras
* Mexico
* Nicaragua
* Panama
* United States

Caribbean

* Anguilla
* Antigua and Barbuda
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Cuba
* Dominica
* Dominican Republic
* Grenada
* Guadeloupe
* Haiti
* Jamaica
* Martinique
* Puerto Rico
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Saint Lucia
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Caribbean Madrasi Community

Oceania

* Australia
* Fiji
* Kiribati
* Marshall Islands
* Micronesia
* Nauru
* New Caledonia
* New Zealand
* Palau
* Papua New Guinea
* Samoa
* Solomon Islands
* Tonga
* Tuvalu
* Vanuatu

South America

* Argentina
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Chile
* Colombia
* Ecuador
* French Guiana
* Guyana
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Suriname
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Full list

* v
* t
* e

Hinduism in Guyana is the religion of about 31% of the population in 2020.[1][2] This makes Guyana the country with the highest percentage of Hindu residents in the Western Hemisphere.[3]

## History

[edit]

After the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act in the British Empire, the need for labour led to the recruitment of Indians in Guyana and other British West Indian territories. Upon arrival, the new workers had to adapt to the extreme tropical conditions, along with their new contracts and working conditions. Between 1835 and 1918, 341,600 indentured labourers were imported into British Guyana from India.[4]

From 1852, Christian missionaries attempted to convert East Indians during the indentured servitude period, but this was met with little success. In response to Christian proselytizing, Hindu priests and monks began administering spiritual rites to all Hindus.

In the late 1940s, reform movements caught the attention of many Guyanese Hindus. In 1910, Arya Samaj arrived in Guyana.

## Demographics

[edit]

Hinduism had been slowly decreasing for many decades. In 1991, 35.0% of the Guyanese population adhered to Hinduism, decreasing to 28.4% in 2002,[5] 24.8% in 2012[6] but increasing to 31.0% in 2020.[1]

Year | Percent | Decrease

|
|

1980 | 35.7% | -
1991 | 35.0% | -0.7%
2002 | 28.4% | -6.6%
2012 | 24.8% | -3.6%
2020 | 31.0% | +6.2%

### Geographical distribution of Hindus

[edit]

Region | Percent of Hindus (2002) | Percent of Hindus (2012)

|
|

Barima-Waini | 8.1% |  0.4%
Pomeroon-Supenaam | 37.3% |  33.2%
Essequibo Islands-West Demerara | 46.5% |  37.7%
Demerara-Mahaica | 24.4% |  20.8%
Mahaica-Berbice | 39.0% |  34.1%
East Berbice-Corentyne | 46.4% |  42.1%
Cuyuni-Mazaruni | 5.6% |  3.5%
Potaro-Siparuni | 6.4% |  1.0%
Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo | 0.5% |  0.4%
Upper Demerara-Berbice | 4.7% |  0.8%
Guyana | 28.4% |  24.8%

Tamil (Madrasi) Hindus forms the majority in East Berbice-Corentyne region and practice Caribbean Shaktism.[7]

According to the 2012 census, 39.8% of the Guyana's population is of East Indian origin and 24.8% are Hindus.[6] The remainder is mostly Muslim (6.8%) or Christian (62.7%).

## Public Holidays

[edit]

Holi-Phagwah and Deepavali are National Holidays in Guyana.[8]

## Temples

[edit]

* Tain Hindu Mandir
* Central Vaidik Mandir
* Sita Ram Toolsie Vade Ganesh Mandir
* Shree Maha Kali Devi Temple
* Edinburgh Shree Krishna Mandir
* Hampton Court Mandir
* D'Edward Vighneshwar Mandir

## See also

[edit]

* Hinduism in Belize
* Hinduism in French Guiana
* Hinduism in South America
* Hinduism in Suriname
* Hinduism in Trinidad and Tobago
* Hindu eschatology

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b World Religion Database at the ARDA database, retrieved 2023-08-08
2. ^ "Religions in Guyana". globalreligiousfutures.org. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
3. ^ "Percent Hindu – country rankings". the Global Economy. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
4. ^ Despres, Leo, "Differential Adaptions and Micro-Cultural Evolution in Guyana," Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, 25:1, 22.
5. ^ "Chapter Ii" (PDF). Retrieved 3 November 2018.
6. ^ a b "Organization" (PDF). www.state.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 August 2017.
7. ^ Stephanides, Stephanos; Singh, Karna Bahadur (3 November 2018). Translating Kali's Feast: The Goddess in Indo-Caribbean Ritual and Fiction. Rodopi. ISBN 978-9042013711 - via Google Books.
8. ^ "Guyana".

## External links

[edit]

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Hinduism in South America

Sovereign states|

* Argentina
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Chile
* Colombia
* Ecuador
* Guyana
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Suriname
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Dependencies and
other territories

* Falkland Islands
* French Guiana
* South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

* Hinduism portal
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