Which Is The Only African Country Where Hinduism Is The Dominant Religion?
Tuesday, March 26, 2019 IST
In Mauritius, Hinduism is the religion of the majority.
There are more than 10,000 different religions in existence in various parts of the world. However, only 84% of the population in the world identify with one of the five major religions, which include Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, or some form of folk religion.
Hinduism
Hinduism is thought to be the oldest religion in the world. Although Hinduism has its origins in India, it has spread to several countries around the world. The religion has the third largest number of followers in the world after Christianity and Islam, and is primarily practiced in India and Asia. Hinduism is also known as the eternal way or a way of life, and is a mixture of different Indian traditions. The caste system which divided Hindus along social status was a significant practice in Hinduism, but the system has been stopped. Indians make for most of the population practicing Hinduism around the world because the religion rarely has new converts. Nepal has the highest number of Hindus in the world after India, and Mauritius which has the highest number of followers in Africa.
Hinduism in Africa
Hinduism infiltrated Africa around the 19th century with the colonization of African countries by the British. The religion was introduced by Indians who migrated as casual laborers from British India, some of who chose to remain in Africa. The ban on the slave trade in Africa made the British look for casual laborers from other continents. Most of the casual laborers were from India as the country was also a British colony. The religion has been embraced in several countries in Africa, but the majority of the followers are of Indian origin with very few African converts.
Hinduism in Mauritius
Mauritius is the only African country where Hinduism takes center stage as the religion with the highest number of followers. The country is located to the south east of Africa and has a population of about 1.3 million. A census by Statistics Mauritius in 2011 showed that 51.9% of the country’s population practice Hinduism, and 31% practice Christianity. The population is mostly made up of Indo-Mauritians which explain why Hinduism is primarily practiced in the country. Indo-Mauritians originated from the Indians who chose to stay in the country after the colonial period. The Hindus in Mauritius never practiced the caste system, and they speak Hindu, Creole, and Tamil. The three Hindu temples in the country are Triolet Mandir, Sagar Shiv Mandir, and the temple at Ganga Talao Grand Bassin. Maha Shivaratri, meaning "the Great Night of Shiva," is the most prominent Hindu festival in Mauritius and is widely celebrated in the country. The festival is four to nine days long and is marked between February and March.
Spread of Hinduism in Africa
South Africa is the second nation in Africa with a large population of Hindus. The religion is relatively new in West Africa, but it is seen to be fast growing in Ghana, this is with recent Indian immigration to this part of Africa. There are many Hindus in most of the Eastern and Southern African countries, especially countries that were British colonies. The religion, though having a few similarities with some of the African traditions, has received resistance from Christians and Muslims in some African countries.
Related Topics
Related News & Articles
• US lawmakers removed seven per cent country-cap on issuing Green Cards
• The mo...
Recently posted . 751 views . 2 min read
Mobile and fixed internet lines were cut across the country for a total of two hours, to coincide with the start of two separate school tests, journalists in Algi...
Recently posted . 745 views . 2 min read
Following protocol, Nauru`s President Baron Waqa refused to let China`s envoy speak before PM of Tuvalu at the Pacific Islands Forum. He later described him as `v...
Recently posted . 949 views . 2 min read
A report by New World Wealth places the United States on top, with China, Japan, UK and Germany making up the top 5.
Recently posted . 858 views . 1 min read
In what is being called “one of the most shocking cases of animal neglect” in South Africa, more than 100 lions and other animals were discovered in an ...
Recently posted . 737 views . 3 min read
Trending News & Articles
ALMATY: Hour upon hour, day upon day, Omir Bekali and other detainees in far western China's new indoctrination camps had to disavow the...
Recently posted . 208K views . 1 min read
If you have payed attention to the belly buttons of people on the beach or the members of your family, you have probably noticed that they have different shapes and...
Recently posted . 10K views . 2 min read
The Langya henipavirus has a place with a similar group of infections, including Nipah, which is known to kill up to 3/4 of people in extreme cases.
Recently posted . 5K views . 1 min read
Queen's death: The eldest of her four children, Charles, Prince of Wales, who at 73 was the oldest heir apparent in British history, became king immediately...
Recently posted . 5K views . 1 min read
More in Global
The US tech giant issued the statement from chief executive Sundar Pichai that one senior Google employee, Android creator Andy Rubin, received an exit package wort...
Recently posted. 756 views . 1 min read
CAPE CANAVERAL: Two Nasa astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of...
Recently posted. 634 views . 1 min read
Many states braced on Tuesday to deal with law and order problems after the Supreme Court cleared the release of controversial Bollywood film Padmaavat as protester...
Recently posted. 758 views . 1 min read
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 859 views
Recently posted . 2K views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 3K views . 67 min read
Recently posted . 3K views . 140 min read
For a whole night, the research team took 190 consecutive images of Andromeda galaxy
Recently posted. 704 views . 0 min read
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday pushed for a merit-based immigration system that could benefit high-tech professionals from countries like India.
...
Recently posted. 932 views . 17 min read