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 a minority religion in France that is followed by more than 121,312 people in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, which is nearly 0.2% of the nation's population. Most of the

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

are mainly from the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora and the Indian diaspora, though there are many

from

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 ...

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 ...

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

and other nations. There are also Hindus who are citizens of France France has the fifth largest Hindu population in Europe 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 ...

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 Netherlands and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Emergence of Hindus in France

The initial presence of Hindus in

dates to the early 1700s and primarily consisted of sailors and servants, who eventually converted to

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 ...

. The Hindu population remained small until the opening of the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

in 1869, which reduced the travel time between

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

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. Thereafter, as Indian dancers, musicians, and yogis began to migrate to France, the Hindu population slowly grew. From 1900 to 1920, a temporary Hindu temple was constructed. Businessmen, students, and intellectuals began to migrate and settle in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. France also became a destination for refugees fighting for Indian Independence. Hindu immigration to France was catalyzed by Indian Independence in 1947. In 1971, Hindu

Bengalis Bengalis ( ), also rendered as endonym and exonym, endonym Bangalee, are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of South Asia. The current population is divi ...

began migrating to France. By 1975, nearly 60,000 Indians, 40% of which were Hindu, had migrated from Pondicherry to France. Mauritians also began migrating to France for work and education after gaining independence. There are now approximately 60,000 Mauritians in France, primarily made up of Hindus and Muslims, and most of them settling in Paris. The majority of Hindus in France are now

Sri Lankan Tamils Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province, form the pluralit ...

, whose population surged during the civil war in Sri Lanka as refugees sought asylum in the West. Most refugees aimed for refuge in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

, but as Great Britain tightened their immigration policy, they eventually settled in France. For the same reason, Gujaratis, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis, many of whom practiced Hinduism, settled in France.

Influence of Hinduism in France

In 2022, Durga Puja was celebrated in 12 pavilions across France with various events including worship, offering of Anjali, distribution of prasad, and cultural programs. Diwali is celebrated in Reunion island, also Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in Paris.

Notable personalities

French people who were influenced by Hinduism include : Alexandra David-Néel, René Guénon, Mirra Richard, Romain Rolland, Satprem, François Gautier,

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

Hinduism in French overseas territories

Hinduism in Martinique

is followed in the Martinique by the Indo-Martiniquais. Though Indo-Martiniquais comprises approximately 10% of the population of the island of Martinique, inly 15% of Indo-Martiniquais are

Hinduism in French Guiana

As of 2010, Hinduism is followed by 1.6% of the population of French Guiana. It is practiced mostly by the descendants of the Indo-Guyanese, who in 2014 numbered around 360,000.

Hinduism in Réunion

The French government gathers no statistics on religious affiliation. Because of this, it is impossible to know accurately how many Hindus there are in Réunion. Estimates of practicing Hindus vary from 6.7% to 10.7%. Most of the large towns have a functioning Hindu temple. An interesting feature, likely peculiar to Réunion, is the simultaneous observance by some ethnic Indians of both Catholic and Hindu faiths, a practice that has earned them the sobriquet of being "socially Catholic and privately Hindu."

Hinduism in Guadeloupe

Hinduism is practised by Some Indo-Guadeloupeans in

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...

. According to statistics, Hinduism is followed by 0.5% of the Guadelopeans.

Notable French Hindus

* Vikash Dhorasoo, a member of the French Football World Cup squad in 2006. He is an ethnic Mauritian Indian from the town of

Le Havre Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...

. * Alain Danielou, a French historian, intellectual, musicologist, Indologist and noted Western convert to Shaivite Hinduism. * Arnaud Desjardins, French journalist, film maker, main disciple of Swami Prajnanpad. * François Gautier, French journalist, settled in

and Western convert to

. * Bapi Das Baul, Bengali folk musician born in

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

and settled in

. * Bollozzou Bassavalingam, Poet and writer, born in Yanam and settled in

. * Jayasri Burman, painter and sculptor born in

. * Maya Burman * Sakti Burman

Famous Hindu Temples

* Sri Sathya Narayana Padhuga Temple, 6-8 Avenue Anatole France, 94600 Choisy-le-Roi, France * Temple Ganesh, 17 Rue Pajol, 75018 Paris, France * Radha Krishna Temple, 230 Avenue de la Division Leclerc, 95200 Sarcelles, France

References

Citations

Further sources

External links

* {{Hinduism in Europe Hinduism by country Hinduism in Europe Religion in France