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Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
is the third largest religious group in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, after
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
and
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
; representing about 1.0% of the Dutch population in 2019. After
the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, the third largest Hindu community of Europe lives in the Netherlands. There are between 150,000 – 200,000 Hindus currently living in the Netherlands, the vast majority of who migrated from
Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...
– a former Dutch colony in South America. There are also sizable populations of Hindu immigrants from
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
,
Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
, and
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
, as well as a smaller number of Western adherents of Hinduism-oriented new religious movements.


History

The presence of a significant number of Hindus in the Netherlands is a relatively modern development; in 1960, it is estimated there were only ten Indian families in the country,Report of the High Level Committee on the Indian Diaspora, p. 141 who between them presumably comprised the bulk of the Hindu population. In 1971, the ''Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek'' (CBS) recorded around 3,000 adherents.CBS StatLine In the 1970s, however, the number sharply increased. This was due to the immigration of the
Indo-Surinamese Indo-Surinamese, Indian-Surinamese, or Hindustani Surinamese are nationals of Suriname who trace their ancestry to the Indian subcontinent. Their ancestors were indentured labourers brought by the Dutch and the British to the Dutch colony of S ...
("Hindustanis"), people of Indian origin whose families had emigrated to
Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...
as
indentured workers Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract called an "indenture", may be entered voluntarily for a prepaid lump sum, as payment for some good or serv ...
in the late nineteenth century. With Surinamese independence in 1975, growing concern about their future in the new country caused about a third of the Hindustani population to leave Surinam and emigrate to the Netherlands. The Indo-Surinamese were predominantly Hindu, and as a result the Hindu population increased tenfold over the decade to 34,000 in 1980, continuing to climb to 61,000 in 1990 and 91,000 in 2000.


Demographics

The changes in Hindu population from 2010-19. The largest group of Hindus in the Netherlands is composed of immigrants, mainly from
Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...
but with numbers also directly from
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
.van de Donk ''et al.'' (2006), p. 126 The estimated number of Hindus can vary dramatically depending on which source is used, ranging from 100,000 to comfortably over 200,000.van de Donk ''et al.'' (2006), p. 91 A 1997 study suggested that there were around 100,000 adherents. A 2006 estimate by the CBS concurred with this number, breaking it down as 83,000 of Surinamese origin, 11,000 of Indian origin, 5,000 other non-Europeans, and 1,000 Europeans. However, the Hindu Council of the Netherlands estimated around 215,000, of which 160,000 were from Surinam, 15,000 from the Indian subcontinent, and 40,000 from elsewhere.van de Donk ''et al.'' (2006), p. 128 This figure tallies very closely with those put out by the High Level Committee on the Indian Diaspora, who stated that the Netherlands had 200,000 people of Indian origin, and 15,000
Non-Resident Indians Overseas Indians (ISO: ), officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and People of Indian Origin (PIOs) are people of Indian descent who reside or originate outside of India (Including those that were directly under the British Raj). According to t ...
;Report of the High Level Committee on the Indian Diaspora, p. 138 it is not clear if the two figures have a common source or if they are simply conflating people of ethnic Indian background with practising Hindus. A 2003 study gave the total
Indo-Surinamese Indo-Surinamese, Indian-Surinamese, or Hindustani Surinamese are nationals of Suriname who trace their ancestry to the Indian subcontinent. Their ancestors were indentured labourers brought by the Dutch and the British to the Dutch colony of S ...
population - Surinamese originally of Indian descent - as 160,000, of which 80%, or around 130,000, were Hindu. The largest regional populations, according to the 2003 study, were in
South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...
(60,000), mostly clustered around
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
, and
North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...
(31,200); between them, the two provinces accounted for over 70% of the overall population. The same study suggested that there were around fifty
temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
and around 250 priests, of whom half were full-time workers.van de Donk ''et al.'' (2006), p. 130 The percentage of Hindus by provinces in Netherland:


Hindu denominations

The bulk of this population, around 80%, belong to the Sanatana dharma, whilst the remaining 20% belong to the sectarian
Arya Samaj Arya Samaj () is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda Saraswati founded the samaj in the 1870s. Arya Samaj was the first Hindu ...
movement.van de Donk ''et al.'' (2006), p. 127 There are other groups belonging to the more recent "guru movements", such as the
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna may refer to: * International Society for Krishna Consciousness, a group commonly known as "Hare Krishnas" or the "Hare Krishna movement" * Hare Krishna (mantra), a sixteen-word Vaishnava mantra also known as the "Maha Mantra" (Great ...
s or the Transcendental Meditation movement, and finally a small number who practice a mixture of more "
new age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
" or
theosophical Theosophy is a religious movement established in the United States in the late 19th century. Founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and based largely on her writings, it draws heavily from both older European philosophies such as Neo ...
beliefs which include elements linked to Hinduism.


Hinduism in overseas territories of the Netherlands


Sint Maarten

Hinduism is practised by 5.2% of the population of
Sint Maarten Sint Maarten () is a Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean region of North America. With a population of 58,477 as of June 2023 on an area of , it encompasses ...
. Hindus are represented by the St. Maarten Hindu Organization, which holds regular satsangs (prayers) in the Sun Building every first and third Sunday of every month.


Curaçao

Hinduism is the second largest religion in
Curaçao Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela. Curaçao includ ...
, although it is only practised by 2% of the total population. There is a large Hindu temple in
Willemstad Willemstad ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that is a Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was the cap ...
, capital of Curaçao.


Community

The Hindu Council of the Netherlands represents Hinduism in the Netherlands. The council governs Hindu temples, spiritual care, education and employs influential community leaders among its ranks. The organization was known for internal turmoil, causing Hindus in the Netherlands to be underrepresented in several areas such as politics, sports and media. There are five Hindu schools funded by the Hindu community in the country, which are deemed as national schools. The schools follow the same curriculum as other schools. The curriculum also includes
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
, teaching of the Hindu epics such as
Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...
and
Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...
, and celebrating Hindu festivals. The Hindus have also established their own human rights group called ‘Agni’, in order to address the grievances of the community and to highlight the atrocities that are sometimes encountered by them. Besides hosting their own radio program, the Hindu community also used to broadcast its own 30 minute weekly program, ‘Ohm’, on the national television. They also have their own charity called Seva Network to help people . There are many cultural platforms and societies that try to maintain the Hindu culture in the Netherlands, such as Saraswati Art and Hindorama.


Attacks on the Hindu community

*In 2019, there was a controversy due to the portrayal of Ganesh on a beer bottle from the Dutch beer brewery Friekens. Rajan Zed, president of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that Ganesh was highly revered in Hinduism and he was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be used in selling beer. He also said that linking a deity with an alcoholic beverage was very disrespectful. *In May 2018, a Hindu temple in the Schilderswijk area of
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
was vandalized by youths during
Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...
, who threw several stones causing multiple windows to break. The harassment also continued during religious festivities. This is not the first time it happened, according to a temple employee. The temple and its visitors have been targeted before; they used to hold their prayer services in the garden, but had to move them inside because visitors were insulted and had stones pelted at them. Paulinne Krikke, the mayor of The Hague expressed her support and arranged extra security after the second time it happened that week.


Literature

* Freek L. Bakker, ''Hindus in the Netherlands'', Berlin: LIT Verlag 2018, .


See also

*
Hindu denominations Hindu denominations, ''sampradayas'', traditions, movements, and sects are traditions and sub-traditions within Hinduism centered on one or more gods or goddesses, such as Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti and so on. The term ''sampradaya'' is used for bra ...
*
Hinduism by country Hinduism has approximately 1.2 billion adherents worldwide (15% of the world's population). Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world behind Christianity (32.8%) and Islam (23.3%).Hinduism in the United Kingdom Hinduism is the Religion in the United Kingdom, third-largest religious group in the United Kingdom, after Christianity in the United Kingdom, Christianity and Islam in the United Kingdom, Islam; the religion is followed by over one million pe ...
*
Hinduism in Suriname Hinduism in Suriname is the second-largest religion. According to Association of Religion Data Archives, ARDA, there are 129,440 Hindus in Suriname as of 2015, constituting 23.15% of the population. Suriname has the second largest percentage of ...
*
Hinduism in the West Indies Hinduism is the leading single religion of the Indo-Caribbean communities of the West Indies. Hindus are particularly well represented in Guyana, Suriname, Guadeloupe and Trinidad and Tobago. The Cayman Islands also hosts a sizable Hindu popula ...
*
Persecution of Hindus Hindus have experienced both historical and ongoing religious persecution and systematic violence, in the form of forced conversions, documented massacres, genocides, demolition and desecration of temples, as well as the destruction of ...
* List of Hindu temples in the Netherlands * Hinduism in Guadeloupe


Notes


References


Dutch language


''Geloven in het publieke domein: verkenningen van een dubbele transformatie''
W.B.H.J. van de Donk, A.P. Jonkers, G.J. Kronjee en R.J.J. Plum. 2006.
Bevolking; Islamieten en hindoes in Nederland
CBS StatLine


English language


Chapter 11, ''Other Countries of Europe''
Report of the High Level Committee on the Indian Diaspora.


External links

{{Hinduism in Europe