Anthony at 13:13, 19 January 2026

2026-01-19T13:13:48Z

New page

{{Short description|none}} 
{{Infobox religious group
|group = Trinidadian and Tobagonian Hindus
|image = Om symbol.svg
|image_size = 80px
|image_caption =
|pop = '''240,100''' (2011) {{nowrap|'''18.15%''' of the Trinidad and Tobago population (2011)}} {{increase}} '''24.33%''' of the population (2020 est.)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?REGION=0&u=224c&u=23r|title=National Profiles; World Religion|website=www.thearda.com}}</ref>
|regions = [[Trinidad and Tobago]]{{·}}[[United States]] {{·}}[[Canada]]{{·}}[[United Kingdom]]
|related-c=[[Hinduism in Guyana|Guyanese Hindus]]{{·}}[[Hinduism in Suriname|Surinamese Hindus]]{{·}}[[Hinduism in Jamaica|Jamaican Hindus]]{{·}}[[Hinduism in the West Indies|other Caribbean Hindus]]
|scriptures = [[Vedas]]{{·}}[[Puranas]]{{·}}[[Upanishads]] {{·}}''[[Ramayana]]'' (incl. ''[[Ramcharitmanas]]'' version){{·}}''[[Mahabharata]]'' (incl. ''[[Bhagavad Gita]]''){{·}}[[Hindu texts|other Hindu texts]]
|langs = [[Sanskrit]] {{·}} [[Tamil language|Tamil]] (''[[liturgical languages]]'') [[Trinidadian and Tobagonian English]]{{·}}[[Caribbean Hindustani#Trinidadian Hindustani|Trinidadian Hindustani]]{{·}}[[Hinglish]]{{·}}[[Languages of South Asia|other Indian Languages]]
|rels = '''[[Hinduism]]''' ([[Sanātana Dharma]]) '''Majority sect''' [[Sanātanī#Sanātanī as a denomination|Sanātanī]] '''Minority sects''' [[Arya Samaj in Trinidad and Tobago|Arya Samaj]]{{·}}[[Kabir Panth]]{{·}}[[Caribbean Shaktism|Caribbean Shaktism (Kali Mai Dharam/Madrasi Hinduism)]]{{·}}[[Sathya Sai Baba movement]]{{·}}Sieunarini (Shiv Narayani) Panth/Shiva Dharam{{·}}[[Hindu atheism]]{{·}}[[#Sects, denominations, and organizations|others]]
}}
{{Hinduism by country}}
[[File:Waterloo Temple, Trinidad.jpg|thumb|right|[[Temple in the Sea]]]]
[[File:TnT Hanuman Statue 1.jpg|thumb|right|Karyasiddhi Hanuman statue at the Dattatreya Mandir in Orange Field Village, [[Carapichaima]], [[Caroni County]], [[Couva–Tabaquite–Talparo]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]]]]
[[File:STAPP 079 South Oropouche Mosquito Creek Cremation Ground.jpg|thumb|Mosquito Creek Cremation Ground (South Oropouche)]]

'''Hinduism in Trinidad and Tobago''' is the second largest religion. [[Hindu culture]] arrived to [[Trinidad and Tobago]] in 1845, with the arrival of the first [[Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian|Indian]] [[Indian indenture system|indentured laborers]], the overwhelming majority of which were Hindu.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Latin American Herald Tribune - Trinidad and Tobago Marks 170 Years Since 1st East Indian Arrivals|url=http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2389343&CategoryId=14092|access-date=2021-05-02|website=www.laht.com|archive-date=2020-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809030302/http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2389343&CategoryId=14092|url-status=dead}}</ref> According to the 2011 census there were 240,100 declared [[Hindu]]s in Trinidad and Tobago.

==History==
[[File:Hindu temple near Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, 1945.jpg|thumb|Mandir near [[Port of Spain]], 1945]]
[[File:Hindu Holy Man makes purchases at produce market, Debe, Trinidad and Tobago..JPG|thumb|A [[sadhu]] at [[Debe]] Market]]
A decade after slavery was abolished in 1834, the British government gave permission for the colonists to import indentured labor from [[India]] to work on the estates. Throughout the remainder of the century, Trinidad's population growth came primarily from [[Indo-Trinidadian|Indian]] laborers. By 1871, there were 27,425 Indians, approximately 22 percent of the population of Trinidad and Tobago; by 1911 that figure had grown to 110,911, or about 33 percent of all residents of the islands.

During the initial decades of [[Indian indenture system|Indian indenture]], [[Culture of India|Indian cultural forms]] were met with either contempt or indifference by the non-Hindu majority.<ref name="Singh">Singh, Sherry-Ann, Hinduism and the State in Trinidad, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, Volume 6, Number 3, September 2005, pp. 353-365(13)</ref> Hindus have made many contributions to Trinidad history and culture even though the state historically regarded Hindus as second class citizens. Hindus in Trinidad struggled over the granting of adult franchise, the Hindu marriage bill, the divorce bill, cremation ordinance, and others.<ref name="Singh"/> Cremation was allowed in 1953.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://rgd.legalaffairs.gov.tt/laws2/alphabetical_list/lawspdfs/30.51.pdf | title=Cremation act | publisher=Ministry of Legal Affairs | access-date=2016-12-30}}</ref>

There has been persistent discontent among the Hindus with their marginalization. Many groups portray Hindus as "clannish, backward and miserly". During the [[Trinidad and Tobago general election, 1986|General Elections of 1986]], the absence of the [[Bhagvad Gita]] and the [[Quran]] at polling stations for required oath-taking was interpreted as a gross insult to Hindus and [[Muslims]]. The absence of any Hindu religious texts at the official residence of the President of Trinidad and Tobago during the swearing in of the new Government in 1986 was perceived as another insult to the minority communities since they were represented in the government. The national education system and curriculum have been repeatedly accused of such majority-oriented symbolism. The use of discernibly oriented prayers at Government schools, the non-representation of Hinduism in approved school textbooks, and the lack of emphasis on Hindu religious observance evoked deep resentment from the Hindu community. Intensified protests over the course of the 1980s led to an improvement in the state's attitudes towards Hindus.<ref name="Singh"/>

The divergence of some of the fundamental aspects of local [[Hindu culture]], the segregation of the Hindu community from Trinidad, and the disinclination to risk erasing the more fundamental aspects of what had been constructed as "Trinidad Hinduism" in which the identity of the group had been rooted, would often generate dissension when certain dimensions of Hindu culture came into contact with the State. While the incongruousness continue to generate debate, and often conflict, it is now tempered with growing awareness and consideration on the part of the state to the Hindu minority.<ref name="Singh"/> Hindus have been also been subjected to conversions by Christian missionaries, specifically the evangelical and Pentecostal Christians. Such activities reflect racial tensions that at times arise between the Afro-Trinidadian and Indo-Trinidadian communities.<ref>[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2002/14060.htm Trinidad and Tobago] International Religious Freedom Report 2002. U.S. Department of State. Accessed 2008-05-18.</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|type =
|footnote =
|1990 | 292,786
|2000 | 285,517
|2011 | 240,100
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! '''Year'''
! '''Percent'''
! '''Decrease'''
|-
| '''1962'''
| '''23.8%'''
| '''-'''
|-
| '''2000'''
| '''22.5%'''
| style="background: Red" | '''-1.03%'''
|-
| '''2011'''
| '''18.15%'''
| style="background: Red" | '''-4.35%'''
|-
| '''2021'''
| '''24.33%'''
| style="background: green" | '''+6.20%'''
|}

As per the 2011 Census, there were 240,100 Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago. Out of this, 232,104 were Indian, 2,738 were Dougla (mixed African/Indian), 2,466 were Mixed/Other, 1,887 Unknown ethnicity, 346 African, 175 Chinese, 27 European, 302 Indigenous Amerindian, 46 Other, and 8 Portuguese. Talking about the proportion within the ethnic groups, 49.54% of the East Indians and 21.66% of the Indigenous were Hindu. So were 4.37% of the Chinese, 2.70% of Douglas (mixed African/East Indian), 1.23% of the Mixed/Other and 0.08% of the Africans.<ref name="web.archive.org">{{cite web |url=https://guardian.co.tt/sites/default/files/story/2011_DemographicReport.pdf |title=Archived copy |website=guardian.co.tt |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019211618/https://guardian.co.tt/sites/default/files/story/2011_DemographicReport.pdf |archive-date=19 October 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Hindu population according to the administrative division is as follows: Port of Spain- 1.45%, San Fernando- 10.70%, Arima- 4.39%, Chaguanas- 30.04%, Point Fortin- 3.87%, Couva- 31.26%, Diego Martin- 1.83%, Mayaro- 22.46%, Penal- 42.98%, Princes Town- 26.99%, San Juan- 8.35%, Sangre Grande- 15.41%, Siparia-23.37%, Tunapuna- 14.07%, and Tobago- 0.67%.<ref name="web.archive.org"/>

==Sects, denominations, and organizations==
{{see also|Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha|Arya Samaj in Trinidad and Tobago}}
*[[Sanātanī]], the orthodox sect being the largest and most dominant Hindu sect in Trinidad and Tobago, with notable influence from [[Ramanandi Sampradaya|Ramanandi]] [[Vaishnavism]], [[Shaivism]] ([[Daśanāmi Sampradaya]] ([[Gossain|Gosine]]s)/[[Aghor Yoga|Aghoras]]), [[Smarta tradition|Smartism]], [[Shaktism]], Sauraism, [[Vedanta]] (incl. [[Vishishtadvaita]]), and other Hindu traditions
**[[Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha]], the major Sanātanī group in [[Trinidad and Tobago]]
**SWAHA International, a smaller Sanātanī group
*[[Arya Samaj in Trinidad and Tobago|Arya Samaj]]
**Arya Pratinidhi Sabha
**Vedic Mission
*[[Kabir panth|Kabir Panth]]
*Seunariani (Sieunarini/Siewnaraini/Shiv Narayani)
**Shiva Dharam Sabha, formerly known as the Seunarine Dharam Sabha
*[[Aghor Yoga|Aughar (Aghor/Owghur)]]
*[[Ravidassia religion|Ravidas Panth]]
*[[Caribbean Shaktism|Kali Mai (Madrasi)]]
*[[Kaumaram|Murugan (Kaumaram)]]
*[[Chinmaya Mission]]
*[[Bharat Sevashram Sangha]]
*[[Sathya Sai Baba movement]]/[[Sathya Sai Organization]]
*Shirdi Sai Baba movement
*[[Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat|Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (Radha Madhav)]]
*[[International Society for Krishna Consciousness|ISKCON]]
*[[Ganapathi Sachchidananda|Ganapathi Sachchidananda movement]]
*[[Divine Life Society]]
*[[Brahma Kumaris]]
*Blue Star
Source:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://indocaribbeanpublications.com/2010/11/21/divali-festival-souvenir-magazine-2010/ |title = Hindu sects in Trinidad and Tobago – Indo-Caribbean Publications}}</ref>

==Culture==
===Mandirs===
{{see also|List of Hindu temples in Trinidad and Tobago}}

===Hindu organisations and holidays===
[[File:Divalinagar.jpg|thumb|[[Divali Nagar]] in [[Chaguanas]], Trinidad and Tobago.]]
The major Hindu organisation in Trinidad and Tobago is the [[Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha]] founded by [[Bhadase Sagan Maraj]], and formerly led by his son-in-law Secretary General [[Satnarayan Maharaj]], is led by his grandson, Secretary General Vijay Maharaj. The [[List of Hindu festivals|Hindu festival]] of [[Diwali]] is a public holidays in [[Trinidad and Tobago]], and along with [[Phagwah]], it is widely celebrated in Trinidad and Tobago by people of all races, ethnicities, cultures, and religions. Others [[List of Hindu festivals|Hindu festivas]] such as: [[Ram Navami]], [[Sita|Sita Navami]], [[Vivaha Panchami]], [[Maha Shivaratri]], [[Navaratri]], [[Chhath Puja]], [[Krishna Janmaashtami]], [[Radhastami]], [[Dussehra]], [[Kartik Purnima]], [[Guru Purnima]], [[Karakattam#In Caribbean Shaktism|Karagam Puja]], [[Tulsi Vivah]], [[Makar Sankranti]], [[Ratha Saptami]], [[Ahoi Ashtami]], [[Pitru Paksha]], [[Hanuman Jayanti]], [[Ganesh Chaturthi]], [[Raksha Bandhan]], [[Gandhi Jayanti]], [[Vasant Panchami]], and are also celebrated.

===Caste===
Many indentured labourers taken from British India came from marginalised and lower-caste backgrounds, including a significant number from the [[Chamar]] caste. Facing entrenched discrimination, poverty, and limited opportunities in India, they were often drawn by misleading promises of better livelihoods abroad. As a result, they formed an important yet frequently overlooked segment of the indentured workforce in Trinidad and Tobago.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Origins of Girmityas |url=https://press.anu.edu.au//downloads/press/p212781/pdf/5.-Origins-of-the-Girmitiyas.pdf |access-date=4 January 2026}}</ref>

As in other parts of the [[Caribbean]], [[South Africa]], [[Fiji]], and [[Mauritius]], [[caste]] distinctions are all but forgotten among Trinidadian Hindus. Considerations of caste became less important in choosing a spouse largely because there were so few women among the Indian indentured workers.

===Impact of Girmit System on Caste Dynamics===
Although the Girmit system subjected all labourers, regardless of caste, to harsh and exploitative conditions, migration nonetheless offered many Chamars and other oppressed groups an opportunity to escape rigid caste hierarchies. Over time, they established new communities across the globe, reshaping social identities and forging resilience in diaspora.<ref name=":1" />

===Cremation===
Cremation is permitted at five cremation sites in Mafeking (Mayaro-Rio Claro), South Oropouche (Siparia), Waterloo (Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo), Felicity (Chaguanas) and Caroni (Tunapuna-Piarco).

==See also==
{{Portal|Hinduism|Trinidad and Tobago}}
* [[Indo-Caribbean]]
*[[List of Hindu temples in Trinidad and Tobago]]
* [[Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian]]
* [[Hinduism in Suriname]]
* [[Hinduism in Guyana]]
* [[Hinduism in the West Indies]]
* [[Caribbean Shaktism]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Hinduism in Trinidad and Tobago}}

{{Religion in Trinidad and Tobago}}
{{North America in topic|Hinduism in}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hinduism In Trinidad and Tobago}}
[[Category:Hinduism in Trinidad and Tobago| ]]
[[Category:Indo-Caribbean religion]]
[[Category:Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian culture]]

Hinduism in Trinidad and Tobago - Revision history

Anthony at 13:13, 19 January 2026