IvyB800566150 at 01:54, 26 January 2026

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{{Infobox religious group
|group=Surinamese Hindus |image=|image_caption=|flag=[[File:Om symbol.svg|75px|link=Om]]|pop='''129,440 (2015)''' constituting '''23.15%''' of the population.|regions='''[[Suriname]]''' [[Netherlands]]{{·}}[[Guyana]] {{·}}[[Dutch Caribbean]]{{·}}[[French Guiana]]
|rels= '''[[Hinduism]]''' ([[Sanātana Dharma]]) '''Majority sect''' [[Sanātanī#Sanātanī as a denomination|Sanātanī]] (80.58%) '''Minority sects''' [[Arya Samaj in Suriname|Arya Samaj]] (13.81%){{·}}[[Sathya Sai Baba movement]]{{·}}[[Kabir panth|Kabir Panth]]{{·}}[[Hindu atheism]]{{·}}Others
|scriptures=[[Vedas]]{{·}}[[Puranas]]{{·}}[[Upanishads]] {{·}}''[[Ramayana]]'' (incl. ''[[Ramcharitmanas]]'' version){{·}}''[[Mahabharata]]'' (incl. ''[[Bhagavad Gita]]''){{·}}[[Hindu texts|other Hindu texts]]
|related-c=[[Hinduism in the Netherlands|Dutch Hindus]]{{·}}[[Hinduism in Guyana|Guyanese Hindus]]{{·}}[[Hinduism in Trinidad and Tobago|Trinidadian and Tobagonian Hindus]]{{·}}[[Hinduism in Jamaica|Jamaican Hindus]]{{·}}[[Hinduism in the West Indies|other Caribbean Hindus]]
|langs=[[Sanskrit]] (''[[liturgical language]]'') [[Sarnami Hindustani]]{{·}}[[Surinamese Dutch]]{{·}}[[Javanese language#Surinamese-Javanese|Surinamese-Javanese]]}}
{{Hinduism by country}}
[[File:Arya Dewaker, exterior5.jpg|thumb|[[Arya Diwaker]] Hindu temple in [[Paramaribo]]]]
'''[[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.<ref name="thearda.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.thearda.com/internationaldata/countries/Country_212_2.asp|title=Suriname, Religion And Social Profile|website=thearda.com|access-date=2021-10-15|archive-date=2021-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210617011604/https://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_212_2.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statistics-suriname.org/images/Presentatie.pdf |title=Microsoft PowerPoint - DEFINITIEF-VOL-I.ppt |access-date=2018-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924105905/http://www.statistics-suriname.org/images/Presentatie.pdf |archive-date=2015-09-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Suriname has the second largest percentage of Hindus in the [[Western Hemisphere]], after [[Guyana]] (24.8%).

==History==
[[File:KITLV - 33936 - Hindu woman, festively dressed, in Surinam - circa 1900.tif|thumb|Hindu woman festively dressed in Suriname in 1900]]
The story of [[Hindus]] in Suriname is broadly parallel to that in [[Guyana]] and [[Trinidad and Tobago]]. [[Indian indenture system|Indian indentured labourers]] were sent to colonial [[Surinam (Dutch colony)|Dutch Guiana]] by special arrangement between the Dutch and British.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gopio.net/publications_articles/Immigration_lecture_Sandew_Hira.pdf |title=The legacy of 135 years of Indian Immigration in Suriname |author=Sandew Hira |date=2008 }}</ref> The difference is that the Netherlands' more liberal policy toward Hinduism allowed a stronger culture to develop. Example is the almost universal reading of the ''[[Bhagavad Gita]]'', the ''[[Ramcharitmanas]]'', and the ''[[Ramayana]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guyanaundersiege.com/cultural/hindus%20of%20south%20america.htm |title=Hindus of South America |publisher=Guyanaundersiege.com |access-date=2018-09-20 |archive-date=2018-07-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718204200/http://www.guyanaundersiege.com/Cultural/Hindus |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xDO0BAAAQBAJ |title = The Dutch Slave Trade, 1500-1850|isbn = 9781845450311|last1 = Emmer|first1 = Pieter Cornelis|last2 = Ulijaszek|first2 = Stanley|year = 2006| publisher=Berghahn Books }}</ref>

==Demographics==
According to [[Association of Religion Data Archives|ARDA]], there are 129,440 Hindus in Suriname as of 2015, constituting 23.15% of the population.<ref name="thearda.com"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.statistics-suriname.org/images/Presentatie.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2018-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924105905/http://www.statistics-suriname.org/images/Presentatie.pdf |archive-date=2015-09-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Population by year===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! '''Year'''
! '''Percent of Hindus'''
! '''Change'''
|-
| '''1900'''
| '''16.4%'''
| '''-'''
|-
| '''1916'''
| '''19.8%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" | '''+3.4%'''
|-
| '''1936'''
| '''21.8%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" | '''+2.0%'''
|-
| '''1946'''
| '''19.5%'''
| style="background: Red" | '''-2.3%'''
|-
| '''1964'''
| '''27%'''
| style="background: Green" | '''+7.5%'''
|-
| '''1971'''
| '''29.5%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" | '''+2.5%'''
|-
| '''1980'''
| '''27.4%'''
| style="background: Red" | '''-2.1%'''
|-
| '''2004'''
| '''19.9%'''
| style="background: Red" | '''-7.4%'''
|-
| '''2012'''
| '''22.3%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" | '''+2.4%'''
|-
| '''2015'''
| '''23.1%'''
| style="background: lightgreen" | '''+0.8%'''
|}

The percentage of Hindus increased initially (1900 – 1930s), fluctuated slightly between the 1930s and 1980s, and remained stable in the 20s (20%).The demographic changes in the religious population in the first half of the 20th century can be explained by migration. In the second half of the 20th century, in particular after 1970s the decline of Hindus might be explained by large migration to the Netherlands during the independence (1975) and the military regime in the 1980-1987.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310188560 |doi=10.13140/RG.2.2.29120.53761 |via=[[ResearchGate]]|year=2016 |author1=Kirtie Algoe |title=Colonial Christian Dominance and Religious Diversity in Suriname }}</ref>

===Population by districts===
[[File:Suriname Hindu.PNG|thumb|Distribution of Hindus by district]]
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! District !! Percent of Hindus
|-
| [[Saramacca District|Saramacca]] || 44.6%
|-
| [[Nickerie District|Nickerie]] || 43.2%
|-
| [[Wanica]] || 39.9%
|-
| [[Commewijne District]] || 24.5%
|-
| [[Paramaribo District|Paramaribo]] || 13.8%
|-
| [[Para District|Para]] || 4.9%
|-
| [[Coronie]] || 2.2%
|-
| [[Marowijne District|Marowijne]] || 0.9%
|-
| [[Brokopondo District|Brokopondo]] || 0.4%
|-
| [[Sipaliwini District|Sipaliwini]] || 0.3%
|}

==Hindu denominations==
{{See also|Arya Samaj in Suriname}}
[[File:Hindoe temple in Nickerie (31125297781).jpg|thumb|Hindu temple in [[Nickerie District|Nickerie]]]]
According to the 2012 census, 18% of Surinamese are [[Sanatani]] Hindus, 3.1% are [[Arya Samaj]], and the remaining 1.2% followed other forms of Hinduism.

[[ISKCON]] also have a presence in Suriname. The first Hare Krishna devotees to visit Suriname were devotees from Guyana way back in the early 1980s. The first Center was established about two decades ago, and now there is a vibrant preaching center in the country’s second city, New Nickerie.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://iskconnews.org/iskcon-suriname-holds-first-ratha-yatra,5834/|title = ISKCON Suriname Holds First Ratha-yatra|date = 30 September 2016|access-date = 30 November 2018|archive-date = 30 November 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181130202032/https://iskconnews.org/iskcon-suriname-holds-first-ratha-yatra,5834/|url-status = dead}}</ref>

==Ethnicity==
{{Bar box
|title=Ethnicity<ref name="Census2012-vol1">{{cite web |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sources/census/wphc/Suriname/SUR-Census2012-vol1.pdf |title=Suriname census 2012, Volume 1 |via=[[United Nations Statistics Division]]}}</ref>
|titlebar=#fcd116
|float=right
|left1=Ethnicity
|right1=Percent
|bars=
{{bar percent|Indian|Yellow|95.7}}
{{bar percent|Mixed|Blue|2.6}}
{{Bar percent|Javanese|Red|0.75}}
{{Bar percent|Creole|green|0.14}}
{{Bar percent|Chinese|green|0.13}}
{{Bar percent|Others|grey|0.2}}
}}

Majority of the Hindus in Suriname are [[Indo-Surinamese|East Indians]], both in absolute terms and in percentage. Hinduism has a considerable following among Mixed ethnic people (3,210 people) and [[Javanese Surinamese]] (915 people). Hinduism is also practised among [[Chinese Surinamese]] (157 people), Creole (142 people), [[Maroon (people)|Maroon]] (84 people), [[Indigenous peoples in Suriname|Indigenous people]] (83 people) and [[Afro-Surinamese]] (59 people).<ref name="Census2012-vol1" />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Ethnic group !! Percent of Ethnic group practising Hinduism
|-
| [[Indo-Surinamese]] || 78%
|-
| Mixed || 2.4%
|-
| [[Chinese Surinamese|Chinese]] || 1%
|-
| [[Afro-Surinamese]] || 0.5%
|-
| [[Javanese Surinamese|Javanese]] || 1.2%
|-
| [[Indigenous peoples in Suriname|Indigenous people]] || 0.04%
|-
| Creole || 0.017%
|-
| [[Maroon (people)|Maroon]] || 0.007%
|}

==Contemporary Society==
[[File:Paramaribo, Hindu Temple.JPG|thumbnail|Shri Vishnu mandir, [[Paramaribo]]]]

===Language===
In contrast to the neighbouring Guyanese Hindus who speak English, most of the Surinamese Hindus speak [[Sarnami Hindustani]]. This is largely because the Dutch did not force the Indo-Caribbean population to abandon their native languages, unlike in British colonies like [[Trinidad]] and [[Guyana]], where English was imposed as a means of attempting to erase cultural and religious traditions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_7222082|title=Surinamese Hinduism's Enduring Practice|date=6 May 2015}}</ref>

===Festivals===
[[Diwali]] and [[Holi]] are national holidays in Suriname.

==See also==
{{Portal|Hinduism|Suriname}}
*[[Hinduism in Trinidad and Tobago]]
*[[Hinduism in Belize]]
*[[Hinduism in the Netherlands]]
*[[Hinduism in Guyana]]
*[[Hinduism in Guadeloupe]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [[doi:10.1007/978-3-319-08956-0 153-1|Hinduism in Suriname, Research Paper]]

{{South America topic|Hinduism in}}

{{Commons category}}

[[Category:Hinduism in Suriname| ]]

Hinduism in Suriname - Revision history

IvyB800566150 at 01:54, 26 January 2026