Hinduism in Canada

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Hindus in Canada generally come from one of three groups. The first is primarily made up of Indian immigrants who began arriving in British Columbia about 100 years ago and continue to immigrate today (Hindus from all over India immigrate to Canada today, but the largest Indian subgroups are the Gujaratis and Punjabis). The second major group of Hindus immigrated from Sri Lanka, going back to the 1940s, when a few hundred Sri Lankan Tamils migrated to Canada. The 1983 communal riots in Sri Lanka precipitated the mass exodus of Tamils with over 500,000 finding refuge in countries such as Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, France and Switzerland from then Sri Lankan Tamils have been immigrating to Canada in particular around Toronto and Greater Toronto Area. A third group is made up of Canadian converts to the various sects of Hinduism through the efforts of the Hare Krishna movement, the Gurus during the last 50 years, and other organizations.

According to the 2011 Census of Canada, there were 497,200 practitioners of Hinduism.^[1] Have significant populations.^[1]

Hindu population

The Hindu Population in Canada according to the 2011 National Household Survey.^[2]

Province	Hindus 2001	% 2001	Hindus 2011	% 2011
Ontario	217,560	1.9%	366,720	2.9%
British Columbia	31,495	0.8%	45,795	1.0%
Alberta	15,965	0.5%	36,845	1.0%
Quebec	24,525	0.3%	33,540	0.4%
Manitoba	3,835	0.3%	7,720	0.6%
Saskatchewan	1,590	0.2%	3,570	0.3%
Nova Scotia	1,235	0.1%	1,850	0.2%
New Brunswick	470	0.1%	820	0.1%
Newfoundland and Labrador	400	0.1%	635	0.1%
Prince Edward Island	30	0.0%	205	0.1%
Yukon	10	0.0%	165	0.5%
Northwest Territories	60	0.2%	70	0.2%
Nunavut	10	0.0%	30	0.1%
Canada	297,200	1.0%	497,965	1.5%

Early Hindus

Early Hindus maintained their religious traditions in mostly hostile environment which viewed the so-called colored immigrants as a threat to the British culture and way of life of the time. These male pioneers could not marry brides from India up until the 1930s, and did not have the right to vote in Federal elections until 1947. Religious life was centered around homes and Bhajans organized by community members.^{[citation needed]}

Hindu converts

Hindu Temple of Ottawa-Carleton

Varasidhi vinayakar temple

Since the 1960s many westerners attracted by the world view presented in Asian religious systems including Hinduism have converted to Hinduism. Canada was no exception. Many native born Canadians of various ethnicities have converted during the last 50 years through the actions of ISKCON, Arya Samaj and other missionary organizations as well as due to the visits and guidance of Indian Gurus such as Guru Maharaj, Sai Baba, the controversial Rajneesh and others.^{[citation needed]}

Later immigrant Hindus

Due to the liberalization of Canadian immigration policies many Hindus from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Fiji, Trinidad, Guyana and Eastern African nations such as Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania along with South Africa have arrived in the metropolises of Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.^{[citation needed]}. In last 20 years many Hindus from Nepal have migrated to Canada. It is estimated that approximately 8000 to 10000 Nepalese Hindus are residing in Canada with their main concentration in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton and Montreal. Canada government has pledged to resettle 5000 Bhutanese Refugees of Nepalese ethnicity by 2012. 2404 Bhutanese Nepali, also called lhotshampa have already settled in Canada by January 2011. Majority of Bhutanese Nepali are Hindus.

Temple societies

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto

These communities have formed over 1000 temple societies across the country that essentially functions community organizations. Some of these associations also have established private schools in Tamil to compete with non-religious and Catholic school boards that most Hindu students go to.^{[citation needed]}

The largest Hindu temple in Canada is BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto . It consists of two separate buildings, one of them being the mandir itself and the other being the Haveli, home to a large Sabha Hall, several religious bookstores, a small prayer room, the country's largest Indo-Canadian museum, a water fountain and a large gymnasium. It is the only Mandir built using Hindu traditions. It took $40 million to build and opened in 2007, surpassing Hindu Sabha Temple in nearby Brampton, which held the old record. The entire mandir is 32,000 sq ft (3,000 m²).^{[citation needed]}

Organizations

There are several organizations representing the Hindu community in Canada. Among them the Hindu Canadian Network^[3][4][5] is the most prominent umbrella organization. Hindu Youth Network is currently the largest Hindu youth movement in Canada with 6000+ registered members and over 80% of the Hindu student groups in the country under its umbrella.^[6] Others include the Hindu Sabha temple, and the World Maha Hindu Organization, a cultural organization.

See also

• Hinduism by country
• List of Hindu temples in Canada

References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Selected Religions, for Canada, Provinces and Territories - 20% Sample Data". Religions in Canada: Highlight Tables, 2001 Census. Statistics Canada. 2004. Retrieved May 23, 2006. 
2. ↑ http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=7&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=R&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=0&PID=105399&PRID=0&PTYPE=105277&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2013&THEME=0&VID=0&VNAMEE=Religion%20%28108%29&VNAMEF=Religion%20%28108%29
3. ↑ http://www.hinducanadian.com
4. ↑ "THE BELINDA STRONACH FOUNDATION | Tony Blair and Belinda Stronach Join in collaboration with Canadian faith and belief leaders". Newswire.ca. 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2012-07-26. 
5. ↑
6. ↑ "globeandmail.com: National". Toronto. 

External links

• List of Hindu temples in Canada
• Background of Hindus in Canada
• Hindu temples in Canada

Major national Hindu organizations

• Hindu Canadian Network - Umbrella Organization
• Hindu Youth Network - the largest Hindu youth movement in Canada

v t e Hindu temples in Canada BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto Hindu Samaj Temple Hindu Temple of Ottawa-Carleton St. John's Hindu Temple Vishva Shakti Durga Mandir Sringeri Temple of Toronto List of Hindu temples in Canada