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Hinduism is a minority religion practised by 0.3% of the population of Botswana. [1] The practice of Hinduism in Botswana is concentrated in and around Gaborone and Selebi-Phikwe. The community of Hindus began to form in the early 20th century with the beginning of immigration from India to Botswana. Most Hindus in Botswana are of Indian descent.
The 2001 census of Botswana listed approximately 3,000 Hindus. Members of Hindu community estimated that these figures significantly understated their respective numbers. [2] The 2011 census stated about 3353 Hindus in Botswana. Among these 3230 are non-migrants and 123 are migrants. Hinduism constituted 0.3% of the total population of Botswana in 2001 which remain constant in 2011 census. [3] Hinduism constituted 0.3% of the Non-migrant population and 0.1% of the migrant population. [4]
As of January 2016, there are five Hindu temples in Botswana, including the Sai Temple and ISKCON Temple in Gaborone. [5] With the growth of the community, a number of region-based community associations have sprung up. There is already a Hindu temple in Gaborone, and another in Selebi-Phikwe. A gurudwara is also been built in the capital city. Plans have been made for the construction of a Swaminarayan temple, a Sai Baba Centre, a Venkateswara Temple and an ISKCON Centre at various sites in Botswana. [6]
The following are the major Hindu temples in Botswana:
The ISKCON Botswana temple is situated in Gaborone West Phase 2, opposite Baobab Primary School. It is a magnificent temple orange and maroon in colour that has attracted many people from all parts of the country to see its magnificent art work that can be seen on the outside and especially on the inside. It is the home of Sri Sri Kirishna & Balarama.
The Hindu Hall in Gaborone is situated behind the "Caltex" filling station, located in the area adjacent to the "Maru-a-Pula Robots" (traffic lights). All the major Hindu festivals (Maha Shivaratri, Rama Navami, Dussehra, Diwali etc.) are observed in this temple.
At the entrance to the Hindu Hall, is located the 'Navagraha Temple', with the deities of the 9 planets. Immediately adjoining thereto, is the 'Lord Shiva Temple' with a 'Shiva Lingam' at the centre, which is surrounded on the sides by the idols of Lord Subrahmanya, Goddess Mother Parvati, and Lord Ganesha.
On the inside of the wall of the Shiva Temple, there is a small cavern, which couches one idol of Lord Shiva, Mother Parvati, with Lord Baby Ganesh and Lord Baby Subrahmanya on their laps.
There is also a 'Nandi' facing the Shiva Lingam.
Inside there is a big hall from which the temple draws its name. Upon the dais, there are idols of Lord Rama, Mother Sita, Lakshmana and Lord Hanuman. There is also an idol of Lord Shiva.
The Botswana Hindu Charities Trust built the Sri Balaji Temple in Gaborone in the classical Dravidian architectural style. The temple is one of its kind in the Southern African region and become a cultural attraction in Gaborone, after earning the people's admiration for the architectural and the sculptural beauty. The temple has cost over Rs. 2 crores to build.
The temple has 10 sanctum sanctora to house Lord Balaji and his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi as the presiding deity, Lord Ganesha, Lord Anjaneya (Hanuman), Lord Shiva, Mata Vaishnodevi, Lord Ayyapa, Lord Muruga and the Navagrahas. All Mulavar Vigrahas and Utsav Murthies were imported from India. The doors for the Maha Mandap and the Rajagopuram were imported from Kerala. The doors of Maha Mandap depict the scenes from Krishna Leela whereas the doors of Raja Gopuram depict the Dasa Avathars.
Hinduism is the third largest religion in Australia consisting of more than 684,002 followers, making up 2.7% of the population as of the 2021 census. Hinduism is the fastest growing religion in Australia mostly through immigration. Hinduism is also one of the most youthful religions in Australia, with 34% and 66% of Hindus being under the age of 14 and 34 respectively.
The Vadakkumnathan Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva in Thrissur, in the Thrissur district of Kerala, India. The temple is a classical example of the architectural style of Kerala and has one monumental tower on each of the four sides in addition to a koothambalam. Mural paintings depicting various scenes from the Mahabharata can be seen inside the temple. The shrines and the Kuttambalam display vignettes carved in wood. The temple, along with the mural paintings, has been declared as a National Monument by India under the AMASR Act. According to popular local lore, this is the first temple built by Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu. Thekkinkadu Maidan, encircling the Vadakkumnathan Temple, is the main venue of the renowned Thrissur Pooram festival.
Hindu Temple of Ottawa-Carleton is a significant Hindu temple in the Gloucester section of Ottawa.
Kundrathur is a town located in the Chennai Metropolitan Area and the headquarters of Kundrathur taluk in Kanchipuram District. It is the birthplace of Sekkizhar, a well-known poet-saint who authored the Periyapuranam.
Ravishwarar Temple is a Hindu temple in Chennai, India. Built during the Chola period, the temple is dedicated to Shiva. It is located at Murthy Iyengar Street in the northern neighbourhood of Vyasarpadi.
Anandavalleeswaram Sri Mahadevar Temple in Kollam city is one of the ancient Hindu temples in Kerala, India. Lord Siva and Goddess Anandavally are the main deities of the temple. According to folklore, sage Parashurama has installed the idol of Lord Shiva. The temple is a part of the 108 famous Shiva temples in Kerala. It is located at Anandavalleeswaram, a major neighborhood of Kollam city, that comes to the west side of Kollam Collectorate.
Gudimalkapur is a major suburban neighbourhood of Hyderabad, India. It is one of the oldest parts of the city, 2 km from Mehdipatnam, another famous suburb. The area has a small-town environment, as it has seen very little development being an interior location away from the mainstream city. It is very famous for the Gudimalkapur Vegetable Mandi and flower market. There is a very old huge Lord Venkateswara Temple called "Jhamsing Venkateswara Temple" just beside the market.
Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, also known as Maha Uma Devi Temple (Thai: วัดพระศรีมหาอุมาเทวี; RTGS: Wat Phra Si Maha Umathewi and Wat Khaek in Thai, is a South Indian architecture style Hindu temple on Si Lom Road in Bangkok, Thailand. It was built in 1879 by Vaithi Padayatchi, a Tamil Hindu immigrant.
The Mahabaleshwar Temple, Gokarna is a 4th-century CE Hindu temple located in Gokarna, Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka state, India which is built in the classical Dravidian architectural style. It is a site of religious pilgrimage. The temple faces the Gokarna beach on the Arabian Sea. The temple deifies the Pranalinga also called Atmalinga or Shiva Linga In legend, it is said that the deity of the temple will bestow immense blessings to devotees, even to those who only glimpse it. Currently the administrative charge of the temple is with an Overseeing Committee under the Chairmanship of Justice BN Srikrishna, a Retired Justice of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India. It is one of the 275 paadal petra sthalams expounded in the Tevaram, a sacred Tamil Shaivite text written during the 6th and 7th centuries by 63 saints called Nayanars.
Ernakulam Shiva Temple, also known as Ernakulathappan Temple, is one of the major temples of Kerala, located in heart of Ernakulam, Kochi,Kerala, India. The temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is considered as the city temple, with the presiding deity as the protector of the city, as per local Hindu faiths and traditions. As per the common practice in Kerala, the deity is reverently called Ernakulathappan, which means Lord of Ernakulam. The temple is located within the Durbar Hall Ground. The temple history itself has deep association with history of the city and was one of the 7 royal temples of Kochi Maharajas. The temple is now under administration of Cochin Devaswam Board. The temple in its current form was built under active patronage of Diwan Sri Edakkunni Sankara Warrier in year 1846 and raised it level of a Royal temple in the Kochi Kingdom. The temple is built on 1-acre (4,000 m2) land. The temple is one of the major Shiva temples in Kerala counted along with the Ettumanoor Mahadevar Temple, Kaduthruthy Mahadeva Temple, Vaikom Temple, Chengannur Mahadeva Temple, Vadakkunathan temple, and Sreekanteswaram Mahadeva Temple, Thiruvananthapuram.
Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple or Srisailam Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deities Shiva and Parvati, located at Srisailam in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is significant to the Hindu sects of both Shaivism and Shaktism as this temple is referred to as one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva and as one of the eighteen Shakti Pithas, centres of the Hindu Goddess. Shiva is worshiped as Mallikarjuna, and is represented by the lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as Bhramaramba.
Mumba Devi Mandir is an old temple in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India dedicated to the goddess Mumbā, the local incarnation of the Devi. Mumba Devi is the goddess of the city of Mumbai. The name Mumbai is derived from Mumba Devi. While Hindu sects devoted to the goddess Mumbadevi are attested to as far back as the 15th century, it is said that the temple was built in 1675 near the main landing site of the former Bori Bunder creek against the north wall of the English Fort Saint George by a Hindu woman also named Mumba. The creek and fort are now deteriorated to a point at which they are but derelict reminders of the city's past. The temple, on the other hand, is still active.
The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago (HTGC) is a Hindu temple complex in Lemont, Illinois. It was inaugurated and opened to the public in 1986. It includes a Rama temple and a temple dedicated to Ganesha, Shiva, and Durga.
Iconography of Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu is governed by the Shaiva Agamas (IAST:Āgama) that revere the ultimate reality as the Hindu deity, Shiva. Āgama in the Hindu religious context means a traditional doctrine or system which commands faith. Temple worship according to Āgamic rules can be said to have started during the Pallava dynasty in South India, but they were fully under establishment during the Chola dynasty The temples during the Chola period expanded to Sri Lanka and islands in South East Asia. The temple complex was expanding with niches for various deities on the stipulated sides of the sanctum. Lingam was universalised and prakarams (precincts) with subsequent deities came up. The temple parivara expanded considerably during the Chola period. The niches of following Āgamic rules for building Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu, a South Indian state continues even in the modern era. Some of the prime images like that of lingam, Vinayagar and Parvati are present in all the Shiva temples. Almost all the temples follow the same custom during festivals and worship methods with minor exceptions. Most of the Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka are built in Dravidian architecture.
The Hindu Temple Society of North America is a nonprofit organization that manages the Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam temple in Flushing, Queens, in New York City. It is known as the Ganesha Temple after its main deity, Ganesha, and is the second-oldest Hindu temple in the United States built by Indian immigrants. Uma Mysorekar has served as the society's president since 1994.
Chennai Om Sri Skandashramam is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Murugan in Chennai, India. It is located at Selaiyur, Tambaram, a southern neighbourhood of Chennai. The temple is known of its huge idols of several deities, including Kamala Siddhi Vinayakar, Panchamukha Heramba Ganapathy, Dattatreya, Panchamukha Hanuman, Shaniswara, Ayyapan, goddess Ashtadashabhuja Durga Parameswari, Sarabeswara, goddess Prathiyankira, goddess Bhuvaneshwari, Swaminathaswamy, Sudarshanachakathalwar, Lakshmi Narasimhar, Maha Sahasralingamurthy, Nandikeswarar, goddess Annapurani and Chakra Poorna Maha Meru. There is also an idol of Saint Sathguru Santhananda Swamigal, who built the temple.
Veerabhadra Temple is located on Devakuta Parvatham, a hillock on an islet amidst the Godavari River near Pattiseema in West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh. The temple is dedicated to Shiva and the namesake is Veerabhadra.
Kilimarathukavu Siva Parvathy Temple is a Hindu temple located in Kadakkal, Kollam, Kerala, India. It contains the largest cult image of 'Dharma Sastha', an epithet of Ayyappan.
Hinduism is the dominant religion practised in the state of Assam. According to some scholars, it is home to some of the most complex and poorly understood traditions in Hinduism. People follow traditions belonging to Shaivism, Shaktism, Tantra, and an indigenous form of Vaishnavism called Ekasarana Dharma; taken together the practitioners constitute around 61% of the state population as per the 2011 Census. Hindus form a majority in 17 out of the 29 districts of Assam. By region, there is a significant diversity among the ethnic groups that profess the Hindu faith, traditions, and customs. As per as 2011 Census, In Brahmaputra valley of Assam, Hindus constitute 62% of the population, the majority being ethnic Assamese. In the autonomous Bodoland region of Assam, Hindus constitute 71.3% of the region's population, most being of the Bodo tribe. In the Barak valley region of southern Assam, Hindus constitute 50% of the region's population, most being ethnic Bengalis. The Hill Tribes of Assam, particularly the Karbi people of Karbi Anglong and Dimasa people of Dima Hasao, are mainly Animism.
Matshelagabedi is a town in eastern Botswana, 17 kilometers from Francistown with a population of 3,488 in 2011: 1,706 males and 1,782 females. The town is hometown to retired middle-distance runner Glody Dube.
