Hinduism is the religion of approximately 23.3% of the population of Guyana in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

. Guyana has the highest percentage of

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

in the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...

History

After the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act in the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

, 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 laborers were imported into British Guyana from India. From 1852, Christian missionaries attempted to convert East Indians during the indenture period, but this met with little success. When Christian missionaries started proselytizing,

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...

s started administering spiritual rites to all Hindus regardless of caste. This led to the breakdown of the caste system there. In the late 1940s, reform movements caught the attention of many Guyanese Hindus. In 1910, Arya Samaj arrived in Guyana. Samaj's doctrine rejects the idea of caste and the exclusive role of Brahmins as religious leaders. The movement preaches monotheism and opposition to the use of images in worship as well as many traditional Hindu rituals. After the 1930s, Hindu conversions to Christianity slowed because the status of Hinduism improved and discrimination against Hindus diminished.

Demographics

Hinduism has been slowly decreasing for many decades. In 1991, 35.0% of the Guyanese population adhered to Hinduism, decreasing to 28.4% in 2002, 24.8% in 2012

Geographical distribution of Hindus

Tamil (Madrasi) Hindus forms the majority in

East Berbice-Corentyne East Berbice-Corentyne (Region 6) is one of ten regions in Guyana covering the whole of the east of the country. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the Nickerie District and Sipaliwini District of Suriname to the east, Brazil to the so ...

region. Although 39.8% of the Guyana's population is East Indian, only 24.8% are Hindus. The remainder is mostly Muslim (6.8%) or Christian.

Public Holidays

Holi Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...

-Phagwah and

Deepavali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali (IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is on ...

are National Holidays in Guyana.

Temples

Central Vaidik Mandir, Georgetown, Guyana

Tain Hindu Mandir Port Mourant is a town on the Atlantic coast in East Berbice-Corentyne, Guyana. It is the birthplace of the late president Cheddi Jagan as well as many of Guyana's most famous cricketers. Port Mourant was originally a sugar estate. Many residents ...

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

References

External links

{{Portal, Hinduism, Guyana, North America Religion in Guyana