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{{Short description|Worldwide population of Bengali hindus of Indian and Bengali origin}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
The '''Bengali Hindu diaspora''' is the worldwide population of the [[Bengali Hindus]] of [[Indian people|Indian]] and [[Bangladeshi]] origin.

== History ==
In the modern era, the migration of the Bengali Hindus began during the [[British Raj|British colonial era]]. The Bengali Hindu migrants to [[Assam]] were mostly government officials, doctors, lawyers, and teachers by profession. They also settled in parts of the present-day Indian states of [[Bihar]] and [[Jharkhand]], which were at the time included in the [[Bengal Presidency|Presidency of Bengal]]. After the [[partition of India]] and subsequent communal violence in [[East Pakistan]] and [[Bangladesh]] (such as during the [[1971 Bangladesh genocide]]), millions of Bengali Hindu refugees migrated to [[Assam]], [[Bihar]], [[Jharkhand]], [[Tripura]], [[Odisha]], [[Chhattisgarh]], [[Maharashtra]], [[Uttarakhand]] and the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]. Over the years, professionals have migrated from [[Kolkata]] to cities like [[New Delhi]], [[Mumbai]], [[Bangalore]] and [[Pune]], as well as overseas.

== Indian diaspora ==

=== Assam ===
The [[Barak Valley]] comprising the present districts of [[Cachar]], [[Karimganj]] and [[Hailakandi]] is contiguous to [[Sylhet]] (Bengal plains), where the Bengali Hindus, according to historian J.B. Bhattacharjee, had settled well before the colonial period, influencing the culture of Dimasa Kacaharis.<ref name="Cachar">{{cite book |last1=Baruah |first1=Professor of Political Studies Sanjib |last2=Baruah |first2=Sanjib |title=India Against Itself: Assam and the Politics of Nationality |date=29 June 1999 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-3491-6 |page=103 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8k-irMMTnywC&dq=bengalis+in+cachar&pg=PA103 |language=en}}</ref> Bhattacharjee describes that the Dimasa kings spoke Bengali and the inscriptions and coins written were in Bengali script.<ref name="Cachar"/> Migrations to Cachar increased after the British annexation of the region.<ref name="Cachar"/> The Bengali Hindus settled in [[Brahmaputra Valley]] largely during the colonial period as professionals. After the Partition and especially after the [[1950 East Bengal genocide|genocide of 1950]], Bengali Hindus of Sylhet immigrated to the Barak Valley. Later on during the 1971 Bangladesh genocide, thousands of Bengali Hindus took refuge in Assam. The Bengali Hindu organizations estimate that there are approximately 6.5 million Bengali Hindus in the state.<ref name="telegraphindia.com">{{cite news |title=12 groups move President - Hindu Bengalis in Assam allege harassment |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101127/jsp/northeast/story_13225697.jsp |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=27 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304071823/https://www.telegraphindia.com/1101127/jsp/northeast/story_13225697.jsp|archive-date=4 March 2016|access-date=15 July 2012}}</ref>
However different sources have varied estimation of Bengali Hindu population in Assam.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ ''Number of Bengali Hindus residing in Assam (2010-2019)''
|-
! Source/claimed by
! Population
|-
| Claimed by Assam marriage board.<ref>{{cite news |title=Assam board suggests cash incentive to Bengali Hindus marrying Assamese Hindus |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/assam-board-suggests-cash-incentive-to-bengali-hindus-marrying-assamese-hindus/story-ghVIGWWqjquMWIwss7MFVI.html |work=Hindustan Times |date=18 February 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
| 3,000,000
|-
|Confusion, hope run high among Assam's Hindu Bengalis.<ref>{{cite news |title=Confusion, hope run high among Assam's Hindu Bengalis |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/east-and-northeast/confusion-hope-run-high-among-assams-hindu-bengalis-786418.html |work=Deccan Herald |date=17 December 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
| 5,000,000
|-
| Claimed KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi.<ref name="fp18Dec2019">{{cite news |title=Citizenship Amendment Act: BJP chasing ghosts in Assam; Census data shows number of Hindu immigrants may have been exaggerated |url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/citizenship-amendment-bill-bjp-chasing-ghosts-in-assam-as-census-data-shows-number-of-hindu-immigrants-couldve-been-exaggerated-5640511.html |work=Firstpost |date=18 December 2019}}</ref>
| 10,000,000
|-
| Claimed AASU chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya.<ref name="fp18Dec2019" />
| 7,000,000-7,200,000
|-
| BJP government estimation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sabrangindia.in/article/exclusive-bjp-govt-plans-evict-70-lakh-muslims-60-lakh-bengali-hindus-through-its-land|title = EXCLUSIVE: BJP Govt plans to evict 70 lakh Muslims, 60 lakh Bengali Hindus through its Land Policy (2019) in Assam|date = 5 December 2019}}</ref>
| 6,000,000
|-
| 2016 Assam election assembly results.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.india.com/news/india/assam-assembly-elections-2016-assamese-are-minority-muslims-are-largest-electoral-group-in-this-poll-battle-1093774/|title = Assam Assembly Elections 2016: Assamese are minority, Muslims are largest electoral group in this poll battle!|date = 8 April 2016}}</ref>
| 6,000,000
|-
| Claimed by NDTV<ref name="thenewsweb.in">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenewsweb.in/india/bengali-speaking-voters-may-prove-crucial-in-the-second-phase-of-assam-poll/|title=Bengali speaking voters may prove crucial in the second phase of Assam poll - the News Web|access-date=1 June 2021|archive-date=3 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603194154/https://www.thenewsweb.in/india/bengali-speaking-voters-may-prove-crucial-in-the-second-phase-of-assam-poll/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| 5,620,000
|-
| Claimed by Assam Bengali Hindu organization (ABHO).<ref name="telegraphindia.com"/><ref name="sentinel3jan">{{cite news |title=Hindu Bengali youth body flays 'government neglect' |url=http://www.sentinelassam.com/ghy_city/story.php?sec=1&subsec=0&id=59144&dtP=2011-04-08&ppr=1 |work=The Sentinel |location=Guwahati |date=2 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928210951/http://www.sentinelassam.com/ghy_city/story.php?sec=1&subsec=0&id=59144&dtP=2011-04-08&ppr=1 |archive-date=28 September 2011}}</ref>
| 6,500,000-7,200,000
|-
| Claimed by The All Assam Bengali Hindu Association (AABHA)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nenow.in/north-east-news/assam/hindu-bengalis-want-member-in-clause-6-panel-of-assam-accord.html|title = Hindu Bengalis want member in Clause 6 panel of Assam Accord}}</ref>
| 7,802,000
|-
| Claimed by Times of India<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/over-1cr-bengali-refugees-living-outside-bengal/articleshow/67348291.cms|title = Over 1 crore Bengali refugees living outside Bengal | Kolkata News - Times of India|website = [[The Times of India]]}}</ref>
| 7,500,000
|-
| Claimed by Daily O News<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailyo.in/politics/citizenship-amendment-bill-assam-nrc-illegal-immigration-bangladeshi-infiltration-bjp-hindu-muslim-divide/story/1/24330.html|title = Citizenship Amendment Bill — What is it the Assamese fear the most}}</ref>
| 7,000,000
|-
| Claimed by The Wire<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thewire.in/politics/assam-on-the-boil-again-this-time-over-hindu-migrants-from-bangladesh|title = Assam on the Boil Again, this Time over Hindu Migrants from Bangladesh}}</ref>
| 5,900,000-7,500,000
|-
| Claimed by The News Web <ref name="thenewsweb.in"/>
| 7,500,000
|-
| Claimed by The Hindu <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/former-officers-plea-to-respect-diversity-of-barak-valley/article29272612.ece|title=Former officers' plea to respect diversity of Barak Valley|newspaper=The Hindu|date=28 August 2019}}</ref>
| 7,801,250
|}

=== Tripura ===
The non-tribal population of Tripura, the mostly Bengali-speaking Hindus and Muslims, constitute more than two-thirds of the state's population. The resident and the migrant Bengali population benefitted from the culture and language of the [[Manikya dynasty|royal house of Tripura]] thanks to embracement of Hinduism and adoption of Bengali as the state language by the Maharajahs of Tripura much before [[Indian Independence Act 1947|Indian independence]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dikshit |first1=K. R. |last2=Dikshit |first2=Jutta K. |title=North-East India: Land, People and Economy |date=21 October 2013 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-94-007-7055-3 |page=352 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iorHBAAAQBAJ&dq=The+Manikya+kings+adopted+Bengali+culture&pg=PA352 |language=en}}</ref> After the Partition of India and Tripura's accession to the [[Dominion of India]], thousands of Bengali Hindus from eastern Bengal took refuge in Tripura. The influx of the Bengali Hindus increased during the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]], when of Bengali Hindus were massacred in Bangladesh by the [[Pakistan Army|Pakistani occupation army]]. At present there are around 2.2 million Bengali Hindus in Tripura, making them the largest ethnic group in the state, constituting over 60% of the total population.<ref>{{cite news |title=BJP eyes 2.2 m Bengali Hindus in Tripura quest |url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2017/sunday-edition/bjp-eyes-22-m-bengali-hindus-in-tripura-quest.html |work=The Pioneer |date=14 May 2017}}</ref>

==Worldwide diaspora==
===Europe===
The Bengali Hindus started migrating into the [[United Kingdom]] from the colonial times. However, the majority of the immigrants settled in the UK in the latter half of the 20th century mostly with white collar jobs. The exact population of the Bengali Hindus are not maintained in the census records.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

In [[Italy]], the moderate community of Bengali Hindus celebrate [[Durga Puja]] in [[Bologna]] and [[Rome]]. There are around 15,000 Bengali Hindu families in Paris.<ref>{{cite news |title=Durga Puja festivities kicked off in Paris |last=Nayar |first=Ranvir |url=http://www.rediff.com/us/2001/oct/23fra.htm |newspaper=Rediff.com |date=23 October 2001 |access-date=15 July 2012}}</ref> The Bengali Hindus began to migrate to [[Germany]] in the 1950s and the 1960s.<ref name="goel">{{cite web|url=http://www.urmila.de/forschung/bergen/Vortrag/GoelVortragAHKR101007.pdf|title=Indian Religions in Germany|last=Goel|first=Urmila|date=October 2007|access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref>

Notable Bengali Hindus in Europe include British Communist leader [[Rajani Palme Dutt]], German politician [[Anita Bose Pfaff]], German football manager [[Robin Dutt]], and the richest hotelier of Sweden [[Bicky Chakraborty]].

===North America===
[[Bengali Hindus]] began to arrive in [[Canada]] in the 1970s.<ref name="cowardetal">{{cite book |editor-last1=Coward |editor-first1=Harold G. |editor-link1=Harold Coward |editor-last2=Hinnells |editor-first2=John R. |editor-last3=Williams |editor-first3=Raymond Brady |title=The South Asian Religious Diaspora in Britain, Canada, and the United States |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mXrdXMaaYCkC |access-date=11 September 2014 |year=2000 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-0-7914-9302-1 |page=153}}</ref> In 1991, there were an estimated 4,000 Bengali Hindus living in Canada, mainly from India.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Buchignani |first1=Norman |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia |title=South Asians |publisher=Historica Foundation |url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/south-asians |access-date=15 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120708203640/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/south-asians |archive-date=8 July 2012}}</ref> However, after the [[Information technology|IT]] [[Economic boom|boom]] in the late 1990s, more and more professionals began to settle in Canada. According to the 2006 census, there are 52,130 Bengali Hindus in Canada.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=837928&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=92333&PRID=0&PTYPE=88971,97154&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2006&THEME=80&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |title=Ethnic Origin (247), Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3) and Sex (3) for the Population of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census – 20% Sample Data |publisher=Statistics Canada |access-date=17 October 2010 |archive-date=25 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225043024/http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=837928&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=92333&PRID=0&PTYPE=88971,97154&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2006&THEME=80&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Bengali Hindus are mostly concentrated in the cities of [[Toronto]], [[Ottawa]], [[Montreal]], [[Edmonton]], [[Calgary]], [[Vancouver]] and [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]].

The earliest Bengali Hindus in the United States were the revolutionaries fighting for [[Indian independence movement|Indian independence]]. They arrived in the first few decades of the twentieth century. Examples include [[Gopal Bose|Noni Gopal Bose]],<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?201416 |title=Rich & Famous in the US | Padma Rao Sundarji |magazine=Outlook India |date=22 May 1996 |access-date=21 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817090746/http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?201416 |archive-date=17 August 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first = Brad | last = Lemley | title = Discover Dialogue: Amar G. Bose | date = 1 October 2004 | url = http://discovermagazine.com/2004/oct/discover-dialogue | work = [[Discover (magazine)|Discover Magazine]] | access-date = 1 February 2012}}</ref> the father of [[Bose Corporation|Bose Corp]]'s [[Amar Bose]]. In 1913, the Bengali Hindu [[A. K. Mozumdar|Okhoy Kumar Mozumdar]] became the second Indian-born person to get [[Citizenship of the United States|U.S. citizenship]] after the [[Punjabi Sikhs|Punjabi Sikh]] [[Bhagat Singh Thind]] who was the first one to obtain it after the [[United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind]] court case. Later the citizenship was stripped from him for not being [[White Americans|White]]/[[Caucasian race|Caucasian]].<ref>[[Indian American#Timeline]]</ref> According to the 2006 census, there were around 33,400 Bengali Hindus of Indian origin in the United States.<ref name="mpi">{{cite web|url=http://www.migrationinformation.org/usfocus/display.cfm?ID=687|title=Indian Immigrants in the United States|last=Terrazas|first=Aaron|date=July 2008|publisher=Migration Policy Institute|access-date=9 June 2013}}</ref>

===Asia===
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2025}}
The Bengali Hindu diaspora in Asia is distributed in two major regions, [[South East Asia]] and the Middle East. India had developed [[Greater India#Indianised kingdoms|religious and economic ties with South East Asia since the ancient times]]. This cultural cross exchange took place through the port of [[Tamralipta]] in [[Bengal]]. In the modern age, the emigration of Bengali Hindus to South East Asia has taken place since the colonial times. Famous Bengali Hindus from [[Myanmar]] include [[H. N. Goshal]] and [[Dr. Amar Nag (Yebaw Tun Maung)|Amar Nath]], both of whom were foremost and important leaders of the [[Communist Party of Burma]].

Bengali Hindus settled in present-day Myanmar, Singapore and [[Malaysia]] since the beginning of the 20th century. A small community of Bengali Hindus numbering around 1,600 live in [[Thailand]]. The annual Durga Puja festival is celebrated in [[Bangkok]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Durga Puja in Bangkok / Thailand |url=https://bharatithailand.org/durga-puja-in-bangkok-thailand/ |access-date=2026-01-12 |website=Bharati Thailand |language=en-US}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[States of India by Bengali speakers]]
* [[East Bengali refugees]]
* [[Hindu diaspora]]
* [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin]]
* [[Bangladeshi diaspora]]
* [[Bengali Hindus in Myanmar]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Overseas Asians}}
{{Indian diaspora}}
{{Bengali Hindu people}}

[[Category:Bengali Hindus]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in India]]
[[Category:Indian diaspora by ethnic group]]

Bengali Hindu diaspora - Revision history

Filmeekeeda at 18:12, 2 March 2026