Hinduism in Lithuania

Hare Krishna devotees in Lithuania

Hinduism is a minority religion and a fairly recent development in Lithuania. It is spread in Lithuania by Hindu organizations: ISKCON, Sathya Sai Baba, Art of Living Foundation and Osho Rajneesh.[1][2] As of 2021, there were 248 (0.01%) Hindus in Lithuania.

ISKCON (Krišnos sąmonės judėjimas) the largest movement and oldest movement as the first Krishna followers date to 1979[3] and has three centres in Lithuania in Vilnius, Klaipėda and Kaunas.

Brahma Kumaris maintains the Centre Brahma Kumaris in Antakalnis, Vilnius.

History

Vilhelmas Storost (1868-1953) was a Lithuanian scholar who was heavily influenced by Indian philosophy and created a philosophical system based on Vedanta. He argued that the ancient Lithuanian belief system had a lot of similarities with Hinduism like concept of Trinity.[4] He was a member of Lithuanian Hinduism movement.[5] The Ricardas Mironas also translated 13 hymns of the Rig Veda into the Lithuanian.[4][6]

Douglas Spitz and William Urban note that RSS author, G.S. Hiranyappa, asserts that until 1410 Lithuania was a 'Hindu-Buddhist region'. They note that Hiranyappa presents a Hindu nationalist view which 'modern western scholars' view as 'old controversies as false trails leading nowhere'.[7]

The Hare Krishna movement reached the Lithuania in 1979, but devotees faced repression and arrest by the KGB until the end of the Soviet era. A Lithuanian edition of Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is was published in 1989.[8]

Relations with Romuva

The Romuva religion is believed to share some similarities with Hinduism. The sacred texts of Lithuanian dainos are comparable with the early Hindu text of Rig Veda, though this similarity is not found in texts which originated later. [9]

Jonas Trinkūnas, a leading founder and priest of modern-day Romuva, performed marriages in the same manner as Hindu Vedic weddings. Mantras and chants were recited, and the couple took vows after doing rounds of the fire. Trinkūnas further claimed that Rajputs were the ancestors of a Romuva tribe that once ruled Lithuania for many years and some of their ancient practices are practiced today.[10]

Similarly, Ašvieniai are divine twins in the Lithuanian mythology, counterparts of Vedic Ashvins. The Ašvieniai are represented as pulling a carriage of Saulė (the Sun) through the sky. Ašvieniai, depicted as žirgeliai or little horses, are common motifs on Lithuanian rooftops.[11]

A Hindu priest officiating a Romuva ritual

Romuva and Hindu groups have come together on numerous occasions to share prayers and participate in dialogue. These events have taken place in Lithuania, Atlantic City, New Jersey,[12] Boston, Massachusetts,[13] Epping, New Hampshire,[13] and elsewhere.

Similarities between Romuva flag (left) and Hindu Swastika symbol (right)

Demographics

Historical Population
YearPop.±%
2001384—    
2011344−10.4%
2021248−27.9%
Source: [14][15][16]
Year Percent Change
2001 0.001% -
2011 0.001% -
2021 0.001% -

According to a census in 2001, there were 384 Hindus in Lithuania with 265 people identified themselves as followers of Hare Krishna movement, 107 identified as Shri Sathya Sai Baba followers, and 12 identified as Osho Rajneesh movement.[17] In the 2011 and 2021 Census, only Hare Krishna population were counted which stood at 344 in 2011[18] decreasing to 248 in 2021. The population of other Hindu denominations are not clear as they are clubbed under "Other" category in Census[19]

Lithuanian Hindus

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jacobsen, Knut A.; Sardella, Ferdinando (2020-07-23). Handbook of Hinduism in Europe (2 vols). BRILL. p. 1174. doi:10.1163/9789004432284_048. ISBN 978-90-04-43228-4.
  2. ↑ CSP (2019-04-19). "Lithuania discovers Hinduism". Center for Soft Power. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  3. ↑ Navickas, Andrius (2005-04-11). "Krišnos sąmonės judėjimas" [Krishna Consciousness Movement]. religija.lt (in Lithuanian). Archived from the original on 2008-10-20. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  4. 1 2 "Embassy of India, Poland : India and Lithuania". www.indianembassywarsaw.gov.in. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
  5. ↑ Rudling, Odeta (2017-01-01). "The Cult of the Balts: Mythological Impulses and Neo-Pagan Practices in the Touristic Clubs of the Lithuanian SSR of the 1960s and 1970s". Region: Regional Studies of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. 6: 98. doi:10.1353/reg.2017.0004.
  6. ↑ Mironas, Ričardas (1969-09-29). "Kas yra Vėdai". Problemos (in Lithuanian). 3: 77–84. doi:10.15388/Problemos.1969.3.5747. ISSN 2424-6158.
  7. ↑ Spitz, Douglas R.; Urban, William (1993). "A Hindu Nationalist View of Baltic History". Journal of Baltic Studies. 24 (3): 295–298. ISSN 0162-9778.
  8. ↑ Pranskevičiūtė, Rasa; Juras, Tadas (2014-12-31). "Acting in the underground: Life as a Hare Krishna Devotee in the Soviet Republic of Lithuania (1979–1989)". Religion and Society in Central and Eastern Europe. 7 (1): 5, 15, 16. ISSN 1553-9962.
  9. ↑ Strmiska, Michael (2012-01-01), Romuva looks east: Indian inspiration in Lithuanian Paganism, p. 37, retrieved 2026-07-14
  10. ↑ Sharm, Saurabh (12 September 2013). "Lithuanian tribe traces Rajput roots". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  11. ↑ Hamacher, Duane W. "The Sumerians and Gemini: Sumerian Astronomical Interpretations as Origins of the Divine Horse Twins and Solar Chariots in Indo-European Mythology (Unpublished manuscript)" (PDF). p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-14.
  12. ↑ "Indo Romuva Culture Conference Announced". Hinduism Today. 12 June 2003.
  13. 1 2 Dundzila (2007), p. 288.
  14. ↑ "religija.lt – information about new religious movements in Lithuania and the Baltics". July 23, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23.
  15. ↑ Lietuvos Respublikos 2011 metų visuotinio gyventojų ir būstų surašymo rezultatai. stat.gov.lt (2013)
  16. ↑ "Lithuania, Religion And Social Profile". Archived from the original on 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  17. ↑ "religija.lt – information about new religious movements in Lithuania and the Baltics". July 23, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23.
  18. ↑ Gyventojai Pagal Tautybę, Gimtąją Kalbą Ir Tikybą [Population by Nationality, Native Language and Religion] (PDF) (in Lithuanian). Vilnius, Lithuania: State Data Agency. 2023-05-15. p. 13.
  19. ↑ "Rodiklių duomenų bazė - Oficialiosios statistikos portalas". osp.stat.gov.lt. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
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