Hinduism in Guyana

Guyanese Hindus
Total population
185,000 (2012)
Decrease24.8% of the population
Regions with significant populations
Religions
Hinduism
(Sanātana Dharma)
Majority sect
Sanātanī
Minority sects
Arya Samaj · Caribbean Shaktism (Kali Mai Dharam/Madrasi Hinduism) · Sathya Sai Baba movement · Sieunarini (Sir Narain/Shiv Narayani) Panth · Hindu atheism · others
Scriptures
Vedas · Puranas · Upanishads  · Ramayana (incl. Ramcharitmanas version) · Mahabharata (incl. Bhagavad Gita) · other Hindu texts
Languages
Sanskrit  · Tamil (liturgical languages)
English (Guyanese English Creole) · Guyanese Hindustani
Related ethnic groups
Trinidadian and Tobagonian Hindus · Surinamese Hindus · Jamaican Hindus · other Caribbean Hindus

Hinduism in Guyana is the religion of about 31.0% of the population in 2021.[1] This makes Guyana the country with the highest percentage of Hindu residents in the Western Hemisphere.[2]

History

After the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act in the British Empire, the need for labour led to the recruitment of Indians in Guyana and other British West Indian territories. Upon arrival, the new workers had to adapt to the extreme tropical conditions, along with their new contracts and working conditions. Between 1835 and 1918, 341,600 indentured labourers were imported into British Guyana from India.[3]

From 1852, Christian missionaries attempted to convert East Indians during the indentured servitude period, but this was met with little success. In response to Christian proselytizing, Hindu priests, called pandits, began administering spiritual rites to all Hindus. During this time, there was a lack of a central place to practice Hinduism. Thus, many Hindus would carry on tradition through, singing bhajans, and the retelling of scriptures, such as the Ramcharitmanas.[4]

As Indians came to Guyana from many parts of India, many languages came with them. However, over time, this morphed in to a common dialect, known as Guyanese Creole, with many words from the Indian languages that influenced the common dialect. However, now, during Hindu practices, such as in mandirs, Sanskrit is often spoken during prayer.[5]

In the late 1940s, reform movements caught the attention of many Guyanese Hindus. In 1910, Arya Samaj arrived in Guyana. Other notable Hindu groups in Guyana include the South Indian-rooted Kali followers,[4] the Bramha Kumaris, and the followers of the Śiva Nārāyaṇa movement. The most widely followed form of Hindu worship, based on North Indian practices, is Sanathana Dharma.[4]

Demographics

Hinduism had been slowly decreasing for many decades. In 1991, 35.0% of the Guyanese population adhered to Hinduism, decreasing to 28.4% in 2002,[6] 24.8% in 2012.[7]

Year Percent Decrease
1980 35.7% -
1991 35.0% -0.7%
2002 28.4% -6.6%
2012 24.8% -3.6%

Geographical distribution of Hindus

RegionPercent of Hindus (2002)Percent of Hindus (2012)
Barima-Waini8.1%0.4%
Pomeroon-Supenaam37.3%33.2%
Essequibo Islands-West Demerara46.5%37.7%
Demerara-Mahaica24.4%20.8%
Mahaica-Berbice39.0%34.1%
East Berbice-Corentyne46.4%42.1%
Cuyuni-Mazaruni5.6%3.5%
Potaro-Siparuni6.4%1.0%
Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo0.5%0.4%
Upper Demerara-Berbice4.7%0.8%
Guyana28.4%24.8%

Tamil (Madrasi) Hindus forms the majority in East Berbice-Corentyne region and practice Caribbean Shaktism.[8]

According to the 2012 census, 39.8% of the Guyana's population is of East Indian origin and 24.8% are Hindus.[7] The remainder is mostly Muslim (6.8%) or Christian (62.7%). according to new census The Hindu population in Guyana has been steadily increasing over the years. According to the 2012 Census, Hindus constitute approximately 24% of the total population, showing growth in both absolute numbers and as a percentage of the population.[9] However, there are concerns regarding Christian proselytization among Hindus and the overall decline in the Hindu population.[10][11][12]

Public Holidays

Holi-Phagwah and Deepavali are National Holidays in Guyana.[13] Other notable holidays include Maha Shivaratri, where all-night worship is common to the Lord Shiva, and Ramnavmi, the worship to Lord Rama.[14]

Practices

A common practice by Hindus in Guyana includes puja done at the home or at temples. At the home, a jhandi (Hindu prayer flag), is often placed outside the home. Jhandi is also often used as the name for the puja done at the home.[15] At the temples, puja often consists of prayer or mantra reading, scripture reading, the singing of bhajans with a kirtan group consisting of many instruments and singers, the completion of the ritual of worship to the fire called havan, the completion of arti, the giving of prasad, which is often fruits or other sweets, and more.[5]

Temples

Temples or mandirs are the main place of worship for Hindus in Guyana. These were built around twenty to thirty years after Indian arrival.[4]

  • Tain Hindu Mandir
  • Central Vaidik Mandir
  • Sita Ram Toolsie Vade Ganesh Mandir
  • Shree Maha Kali Devi Temple
  • Edinburgh Shree Krishna Mandir
  • Hampton Court Mandir
  • D'Edward Vighneshwar Mandir
  • Ogle Sanathan Dharma Sabha (pictured below)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Religions in Guyana". globalreligiousfutures.org. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  2. ↑ "Percent Hindu – country rankings". the Global Economy. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  3. ↑ Despres, Leo, "Differential Adaptions and Micro-Cultural Evolution in Guyana," Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, 25:1, 22.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Bakker, Freek L. "Hinduism." In Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado, ed., The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Religions, Oxford University Press, 2024, pp. 122–139.
  5. 1 2 Persaud, Prea Kamane. Hyphenated Hindus: A Study of the Relationship between the Formation of an Indo-Caribbean Hindu Identity and the Development of the West Indian Temple in Trinidad and in the United States. Syracuse University, 2013. SURFACE, https://surface.syr.edu/rel_thesis/2.
  6. ↑ "Chapter Ii" (PDF). Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Organization" (PDF). www.state.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 August 2017.
  8. ↑ Stephanides, Stephanos; Singh, Karna Bahadur (3 November 2018). Translating Kali's Feast: The Goddess in Indo-Caribbean Ritual and Fiction. Rodopi. ISBN 978-9042013711 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ Guyana Bureau of Statistics. 2012 Population Census. Retrieved from https://www.statisticsguyana.gov.gy
  10. ↑ Allard, Syama (3 September 2021). "Hinduism beyond India: Guyana". Hindu American Foundation. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  11. ↑ Reporter, Staff (11 March 2023). "Hergash: Conversion to Christianity through education was the focus of the Canadian Mission in Guyana". Indo Caribbean Diaspora News. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Algoe, Kirtie (June 2020). "Evangelicals in the Caribbean religious landscape: a case study of Suriname and Guyana, 1950-2014". Olhares Amazonicos – via ResearchGate.
  13. ↑ "Guyana".
  14. ↑ Algoe, Kirtie. Religious Diversity and Nation in Guyana and Suriname: Decision Making of Hindu and Islamic Public Holidays in 20th Century. 2016. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.25240.80645.
  15. ↑ Singh, Odaipaul (1993). Hinduism in Guyana: A Study in Traditions of Worship (Volume 2 ed.). University of Wisconsin--Madison. p. 199.

[1][2]

[3][4]

  1. ↑ Persaud, Prea (1 January 2013). "Hyphenated Hindus: A Study of the Relationship between the Formation of a Indo-Caribbean Hindu Identity and the Development of the West Indian Temple in Trinidad and in the United States". Syracuse University. SURFACE. – via SURFACE.
  2. ↑ Singh, Odaipaul (1993). "Hinduism in Guyana: A Study in Traditions of Worship". Retrieved 29 April 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ Kirtie Algoe (2016), Religious Diversity and Nation in Guyana and Suriname. Decision making of Hindu and Islamic Public Holidays in 20th Century, Unpublished, doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.25240.80645, retrieved 29 April 2026
  4. ↑ Bakker, Freek L. (21 March 2024), "Hinduism", in Gonzalez Maldonado, Michelle (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Religions (1 ed.), Oxford University Press, pp. 122–139, doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190916961.013.10, ISBN 978-0-19-091696-1, retrieved 29 April 2026
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