Hinduism in Germany

German Hindus
Sri Kamakshi Amman temple in Hamm
Total population
c.130,000 (2017)
Religions
Shaivism (majority)
Vaishnavism, Shaktism (minority)
Scriptures
Agamas, Bhagavad Gita and Vedas
Languages
Sanskrit (sacred)
Hindi, Tamil, Pashto, Dari, Balinese, German, English (Majority)

Hinduism is a minority religion practiced by an estimated 100,000 to 150,0000 people, or an estimated 0.12% of the population in Germany.[1]

It is the country’s fourth-largest religion after Christianity, irreligion, and Islam. The community is highly diverse, consisting primarily of Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus (refugees since the 1980s), Indian Hindus (post-1950s migrants and recent skilled workers), smaller Afghan Hindu and Balinese groups, and a number of German/European converts.[2][1]

Germany's encounter with Hinduism has a unique history. Unlike Britain's colonial relationship with India, Germany’s engagement with Hinduism grew mainly out of academic and philosophical fascination.[3]

History

German Indology and Hindu Philosophy

German interest in Hinduism first grew out of the Romantic movement's deep fascination with ancient India. Indian literature captured the imagination of writers and thinkers. In 1791, Georg Forster published the first German translation of Kālidāsa’s famous play Śākuntalā (based on William Jones's English version). This work captivated major literary figures, including Johann Gottfried Herder and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who famously wrote an epigram praising the drama.[4][5][6] In 1808 Friedrich Schlegel’s Über die Sprache und Weisheit der Indier (On the Language and Wisdom of the Indians) argued that Sanskrit was the root of a shared Indo-European language family. This theory shaped European intellectual thought and helped drive the creation of formal academic departments for Indological research.[7][8]

Friedrich Max Mueller and the translation of the Vedas

Friedrich Max Müller (1823–1900), born in Dessau, was one of the leading scholars who introduced ancient Hindu texts to European audiences.[9] After studying Sanskrit under Franz Bopp in Berlin and Eugène Burnouf in Paris, he moved to England in 1846. With patronage from the East India Company, he produced the first critical edition of the Rigveda (including Sāyaṇa's 14th-century commentary), published in six volumes between 1849 and 1874. He later edited the Sacred Books of the East (1879–1910), a 50-volume series of English translations of major religious texts from Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and other Asian traditions.[10][11]

Demographics

Indian Hindus

Hindu migration from India to Germany started picking up in the 1950s, continued at a fairly slow pace through the 1970s.[12] Most of the early arrivals were men, typically students and professionals, such as physicians and engineers.[13] They generally came from upper middle-class backgrounds and many have went on to build successful careers and businesses.[14] Even though plenty of them were financially comfortable, they did not leave much of a visible religious footprint. Most worship happened quietly in private homes, and the only Indian Hindu temple in Frankfurt at the time turned out to be short-lived.[15] By the 2000s, the Indian Hindu population in Germany had grown to an estimated 60,000–80,000.[1]

Sri Lankan Hindus

From the late 1970s, Sri Lankan Tamils formed another stream of Hindu migration to Germany. Unlike Indian migrants, much of the Sri Lankan Tamil migration came primarily from asylum seekers amid the island’s escalating ethnic conflict and civil war. Around 74% of these asylum seekers were Hindu.[16] In 1978, approximately 1,300 Sri Lankans (mainly students) were living in Germany, however after the outbreak of war in 1983, arrivals increased sharply, with 17,400 Sri Lankan refugees applying for asylum in 1985 alone.[16] By 2003, there were 64,000 Tamils living in Germany.[16] In 2023 it was estimated that around 42,000–45,000 Hindus in Germany were Sri Lankan Tamils.[1]

In the 1980s when migrant Tamil Hindus first arrived in Germany there were very few places of worship and religious institutions for Hindus were virtually non-existent. They quickly established places of worship many initially situated in cellars, flats, and former warehouses.[17] By 2011, they had founded approximately 34 Hindu temples.[18] These temples are predominantly located in North Rhine-Westphalia, where the Tamil Hindu diaspora concentrated.[18] Martin Baumann states that the establishment of religious places of worship for the Sri Lankan Hindu community allowed for integration into German society as well as the maintenance of one's own identity.[16] These temples were 'hardly known and noticed by the public'.[16]

Afghan Hindus

Afghan Hindus form a smaller refugee-origin community in Germany, the population of Afghan Hindus is approximately 7000-10000.[1] Many arrived from the 1980s onward, following the Soviet–Afghan War and later persecution under the Taliban.[15][19] Afghan Hindus established temples in Hamburg, Frankfurt, Cologne and Essen.[20] The community has faced asylum challenges. In 2005 the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom urged the U.S. to press Germany against deporting Afghan Hindu refugees due to risks of violence and persecution in Afghanistan. The USCIFR considered the Afghan Hindu population as one of the most severely persecuted groups under the Taliban[21]

Hindus of other ethnicities

Besides Indian and Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus, there are approximately 7,500 white Hindus.[1]

Temples

The presence of Hindu temples in Germany is closely associated with immigration, in particular the arrival of Sri Lankan Tamils since the 1980s. Martin Baumann, a religious studies scholar, recorded four Tamil Hindu temples in Germany in 1989, by 2009 that number had risen to twenty five.[22]

The Sri Kamadchi Ampal Temple in Hamm, founded by Sri Lankan Tamil priest Siva Sri Paskarakurukkal, was consecrated in 2002. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Kamakshi and was built largely by Sri Lankan Tamil refugees.[23] Several prominent Hindu temples are also located in Berlin. The Sri Mayurapathy Murugan Temple in Britz was consecrated in 2013, while the Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple in Neukölln was consecrated in June 2026 after more than two decades of planning.[24][25] Other notable Tamil temples include the Sri Muthumariamman Temple in Hanover, consecrated in 2009.[26]

Denominations and organizations

Germany has over 50–100 Hindu temples and worship sites, the large majority are Tamil. Many began as makeshift spaces and evolved into purpose-built structures.[27]

ISKCON

In September 1969, two German disciples were initiated by Prabhupada during his first visit to Hamburg.[28] Subsequently, the first Hare Krishna temple in Germany was built 1970 in Hamburg. Another centre was opened in Munich in 1971.[28] The ISKCON guru Sacinandana Swami translated the Bhagavad Gita into German.[29]

Balinese Hinduism

There are about 700 Balinese Hindu families living in Germany,[30] with the one temple located in Hamburg in front of the Museum of Ethnology, Hamburg and the second, Pura Tri Hita Karana located in Erholungspark Marzahn, Berlin. It is a functioning Hindu temple located in the Balinese Garden of the park and is one of the few Hindu temples of Balinese architecture built outside Indonesia.[31][32]

Cultural influence of Hindu thought in Germany

Hinduism's cultural influence in Germany has also extended beyond comtempory immigrant religious communities. From the late eighteenth century, Sanskrit literature and Hindu religious texts became important subjects in German Romanticism, comparative philology and Indology.[33]

Beyond the historical philosophical engagement with Hindu thought by German intellectuals, elements of Hindu and broader Indian culture have gained significant popularity in contemporary German society. Yoga is particularly widespread, and a nationally representative study estimated that 15.7 million Germans either practice yoga or are interested in doing so.[34] Ayurveda and meditation have also been adopted in health and alternative medicine contexts.[34] Hindu religious festivals have also gained some public visibility, for example, through Diwali events in Berlin.[35]

Germany’s older tradition of Indology remains visible in university teaching and research on Hindu and South Asian religious traditions. University's, including Heidelberg, Hamburg and Göttingen maintain programs in Indology or South Asian studies covering Sanskrit, Indian religions and philosophy.[36][37][38]

Notable German Hindus

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Mitgliederzahlen: Hinduismus - REMID" (in German). 13 March 2026. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  2. ↑ "Religionszugehörigkeiten 2023". fowid.de (in German). 28 August 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  3. ↑ McGetchin, Douglas T. (2009). Indology, Indomania, and orientalism: ancient India's rebirth in modern Germany. Madison [N.J.]: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. pp. 55–101. ISBN 978-0-8386-4208-5.
  4. ↑ Stanyon, Blake (16 March 2021). "Intoxicating Dreams: German Orientalism". Close Encounters With Music. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
  5. ↑ Marchand, Suzanne L. (2010). German orientalism in the age of empire: religion, race, and scholarship. Publications of the German Historical Institute. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 59–61. ISBN 978-0-521-16907-3.
  6. ↑ Chandra, Dr Prem Lata; Mishra, Abhay Kumar (2024). "Shakuntala, critique of eurocentrism, and the grotesque: Herder and Goethe on India". International Journal of Humanities and Arts. 6 (2): 15–21. doi:10.33545/26647699.2024.v6.i2a.84. ISSN 2664-7702.
  7. ↑ Schlegel, Friedrich von (1808). Ueber die Sprache und Weisheit der Indier: Ein Beitrag zur Begründung der Alterthumskunde. Cambridge Library Collection - Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-06786-7. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  8. ↑ Germana, Nicholas A. (2009). The Orient of Europe: the mythical image of India and competing images of German national identity. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars. pp. 122–131. ISBN 978-1-4438-0192-8.
  9. ↑ Fynes, R. C. C. (23 September 2004), "Müller, Friedrich Max (1823–1900), Sanskritist and philologist", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/18394, ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8, retrieved 17 March 2026
  10. ↑ Molendijk, Arie L. (4 August 2016). Friedrich Max Müller and the Sacred Books of the East. Oxford University Press. pp. 162–186. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198784234.003.0007. ISBN 978-0-19-878423-4.
  11. ↑ Molendijk, Arie L. (September 2016). "Forgotten Bibles: Friedrich Max Müller's Edition of the Sacred Books of the East". Publications of the English Goethe Society. 85 (2–3): 159–169. doi:10.1080/09593683.2016.1224507. ISSN 0959-3683.
  12. ↑ Kipp, David. "A Migration Miracle? Indian Migration to Germany". Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) (in German). doi:10.18449/2025RP04/#hd-d39523e705. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  13. ↑ Baumann, Martin (1 January 1998). "The Hindu Presence in Europe and Implications of Interfaith Dialogue". Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies. 11 (1). doi:10.7825/2164-6279.1181. ISSN 2164-6279.
  14. ↑ Gottschlich, Peter (2012). "CARIM-India – Developing a knowledge base for policymaking on India-EU migration".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. 1 2 "Immigrant Religions in Germany (2005)". 2005.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Baumann, Martin; Baumann, Martin (2003). Organising Hindu traditions in Europe, the case of Tamil Migrants from Sri Lanka. Schriften von Martin Baumann. Heidelberg: Bibliothek des Südasien-Institut der Universität Heidelberg. pp. 64–67. ISBN 978-3-8185-0377-2.
  17. ↑ Lucheshi, Brigitte (2004). South Asians in the Diaspora: Histories and Religious Traditions. Leiden Boston: Brill. pp. 116–133. ISBN 978-90-474-0140-7.
  18. 1 2 "Diaspora-Hinduism 2.0". ceres.rub.de. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  19. ↑ Kumar, Ruchi. "The decline of Afghanistan's Hindu and Sikh communities". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  20. ↑ Today, Hinduism (1 July 2012). "Temples: Afghan Hindus Stand Strong in Germany". Hinduism Today. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  21. ↑ "U.S. should act to prevent return of Hindu refugees to Afghanistan from Germany | USCIRF". www.uscirf.gov. 2005.
  22. ↑ Baumann, Martin (2009). "Templeisation: Continuity and Change of Hindu Traditions in Diaspora". Journal of Religion in Europe. 2 (2): 149–179. doi:10.1163/187489209X437026. ISSN 1874-8910.
  23. ↑ "Hindu-Tempel | Stadt Hamm". www.hamm.de. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  24. ↑ "Eröffnung des Hindu-Tempels in Britz: Und den Buddy-Bären gibt's obendrauf". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). ISSN 1865-2263. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  25. ↑ "Hindu temple opens: A slice of India in Berlin". www.deutschland.de. 10 June 2026. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  26. ↑ "Begegnungsstätte: Norddeutschlands größter Hindu-Tempel eingeweiht". Der Spiegel (in German). 22 March 2009. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  27. ↑ Jacobsen, Knut A.; Sardella, Ferdinando (23 July 2020). Handbook of Hinduism in Europe (2 vols). BRILL. pp. 1020–1040. doi:10.1163/9789004432284_049. ISBN 978-90-04-43228-4.
  28. 1 2 Jacobsen, Knut A.; Sardella, Ferdinando (23 July 2020). Handbook of Hinduism in Europe (2 vols). BRILL. doi:10.1163/9789004432284. ISBN 978-90-04-43228-4.
  29. ↑ "First translation of the Gita". The Hindu. 11 November 2017. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  30. ↑ "Feature: The Hindu Diaspora within Continental Europe". Hinduism Today. 1 January 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  31. ↑ Blogger, Balinese (28 September 2008). "Bali "The Truly Of Paradise": The First Temple in Hamburg Germany". Bali "The Truly Of Paradise". Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  32. ↑ "Balinese Hinduism in Germany". Bali blogs.
  33. ↑ Herling, Bradley L. (2006). The German Gītā: hermeneutics and discipline in the German reception of Indian thought, 1778 - 1831. Studies in philosophy. New York, NY London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-87114-3.
  34. 1 2 Cramer, Holger (2015). "Yoga in Deutschland - Ergebnisse einer national repräsentativen Umfrage". Complementary Medicine Research. 22 (5): 304–310. doi:10.1159/000439468. ISSN 2504-2092.
  35. ↑ "Diwali Festival". berlin.de (in German). Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  36. ↑ "South Asian Cultural and Religious History/Classical Indology - Heidelberg University". www.uni-heidelberg.de. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  37. ↑ Webmaster, A. A. I. "Indology and Tibetology (M.A.)". www.aai.uni-hamburg.de (in German). Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  38. ↑ Öffentlichkeitsarbeit, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen-. "Indology (M.A.) - Georg-August-University Göttingen". Georg-August Universität Göttingen (in German). Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  • "Hindus opposing EU swastika ban". BBC News. 17 January 2007.
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