Hinduism in Afghanistan

Hinduism in Afghanistan has existed for almost as long as Hinduism itself. The religion was widespread in the region until the Islamic conquest of Afghanistan. It has been documented in recent years that thousands of Hindus live in Afghanistan, mostly in major cities such as Kabul, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and others.

History

Gold coin of Vasudeva I (191–225).

Coin of Shahi Kings of Kabul & Gandhara : Spalapati Deva, circa 750-900.
Obv: Recumbent bull facing left, trishula on bulls rump, Devnagari Legends : Sri Spalapati Deva. Rev: Rider bearing lance on caparisoned horse facing right.

Hinduism in Afghanistan dates back to the Vedic periods when areas of the country shared a common culture with India. Along with Buddhism and Zoroastrianism, Hinduism was practiced. Afghanistan gradually converted to Islam with the advent of Islam. The Mahabharata, a sacred text amongst the Hindus, mentions about King Shakuni who was the ruler of Kandahar region in Afghanistan. The Kushanas worshipped Hindu gods as well as Buddha and local deities. Some of them like Vasudeva were named after Hindu gods and heroes.

The Shahi rulers of Afghanistan followed Hinduism and also supported Buddhism. The Shahi king Khingala installed one of the earliest Ganesha images, which was found in Gerdez. There are Hindu populations in major cities of Afghanistan.

Shiva worship

In Airtam near Termez, a stone slab has been found with a Bactrian inscription and a carved image of Shiva. In Soazama-kala, near Balkh a stone was discovered bearing the image of a three headed standing Shiva with a trident and other attributes, which strongly resemble Hercules. A wall painting still to be seen in the temple of Dilberjin has a central group depicting Shiva and Parvati mounted on the recumbent bull Nandi which can not be earlier than the fifth century. Many works of Shivaite art and Hindu art in general, dating back to between the fifth and the eighth century, have been discovered in Afghanistan. These include some 25 marble sculptures and other works of art. Recent excavations in Panjikent have yielded a large sculptural group of Shiva-Parvati. Brahmanism played an important role in the religious life of Afghanistan in early medevial times; individual brahmanic images even penetrated into Buddhist circles such as Tepe Sardar.

Ancient Hindu temples

Place	Description	Other Information
Sakawand Temple	Logar	Mentioned in several Muslim sources
Polusha	Bhima Devi (Durga) and temple of Maheshvera	Visited by Houen Tsang

5th century marble Ganesha found at Gardez, Afghanistan now at Dargah Pir Rattan Nath, Kabul. The inscription says that this "great and beautiful image of Mahāvināyaka" was consecrated by the Shahi King Khingala.

Kushans and Buddhism

During the Kushan rule, Afghanistan became the center of Buddhist culture and learning.

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The Kushan empire reached its zenith in the reign of Kanishka the Great (AD 78-144) who was responsible for the preservation, development and propagation of the Buddhist religion and arts in the Far East.

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3rd to 9th century -Buddhist Turk and Hindu Shahis

The Shahi (Devanagari शाही), Sahi, also called Shahiya dynasties ruled portions of the Kabul Valley (in eastern Afghanistan) and the old province of Gandhara (northern Pakistan and Kashmir) from the decline of the Kushan Empire in third century to the early ninth century.The Shahis continued to rule eastern Afghanistan until the late 9th century till the Ghaznavid invasions.

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During the eighth and ninth centuries AD the eastern parts of modern Afghanistan were still in the hands of non-Muslim rulers. The Muslims tended to regard them as Indians, although many of the local rulers were apparently of Hunnic or Turkic descent. Yet, the Muslims were right in so far as the non Muslim population of Eastern Afghanistan was, culturally, strongly linked to the Indian sub-continent. Most of them were either Hindus or Buddhists. By Willem Vogelsang

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Al Beruni mentions the Afghans once (ed Sachau, I 208) saying that in the western mountains of India live various tribes of Afghans who extend to the neighborhood of the Sindh (i.e., Indus) valley. Thus in the eleventh century when the Afghans are first mentioned, they are found occupying the Sulaiman Mountains now occupied by their descendants, the very tribes which the advocates of the exclusive claims of the Durannis will not admit to be true Afghans. Al Beruni no doubt also alludes to them in the passage (loc. Cit. p 199) where he says that rebellious savage races, tribes of Hindus, or akin to them inhabit the mountains which form the frontier of India towards the west.

—H.A. Rose, 1997

Various historical sources such as Martin Ewans, E.J. Brill and Farishta have recorded that the complete conversion of Afghanistan, Pakistan to Islam was during the rule of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni.

Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni

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He encouraged mass conversions to Islam, in India as well as in Afghanistan.

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The Arabs advanced through Sistan and conquered Sindh early in the eighth century. Elsewhere however their incursions were no more than temporary, and it was not until the rise of the Saffarid dynasty in the ninth century that the frontiers of Islam effectively reached Ghazni and Kabul. Even then a Hindu dynasty the Hindu Shahis, held Gandhara and eastern borders. From the tenth century onwards as Persian language and culture continued to spread into Afghanistan, the focus of power shifted to Ghazni, where a Turkish dynasty, who started by ruling the town for the Samanid dynasty of Bokhara, proceeded to create an empire in their own right. The greatest of the Ghaznavids was Muhmad who ruled between 998 and 1030. He expelled the Hindus from Ghandhara, made no fewer than 17 raids into India. He encouraged mass conversions to Islam, in Pakistan as well as in Afghanistan.

—Martin Ewans, 2002

Al-Idirisi testifies that until as late as the 12th century, a contract of investiture for every Shahi king was performed at Kabul and that here he was obliged to agree to certain ancient conditions which completed the contract. The Ghaznavid military incursions assured the domination of Sunni Islam in what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Al-Idirisi (1100 AD -1165/1166 AD) testifies that until as late as the 12th century, a contract of investiture for every Shahi king was performed at Kabul and that here he was obliged to agree to certain ancient conditions which completed the contract.

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In 588 (1192) according to Farishta the army assembled by Muizz al din Muhammed b Sam consisted of Turks, Tadjiks and Afghans, and his opponent Pithorai (Prithoi Rai) assembled a force of Rajput and Afghan horsemen. Thus, in this great war Mussulmans and Hindus, the Afghans are represented as fighting on both sides, which probably indicates that they were not yet completely converted to Islam.

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The Hindu-Sikh population in Afghanistan in 1990 was estimated to number around 200,000. Afghan Hindus and Afghan Sikhs often share places of worship. The main ethnic groups in Afghanistan which practice Hinduism are the Punjabis, and Sindhis who came as merchants to the region within the last few centuries. Along with Sikhs, they are all collectively known as the Hindki. Linguistic demographics among the Hindu community are diverse and generally follow regional origins: those hailing from Punjab generally speak Punjabi, Sindhis speak Sindhi, Kabulis and Kandharis speak both Pashto and the northern and southern dialects of Hindko. The Afghan Hindu community in Afghanistan is mostly based in the cities of Kabul and Kandahar. The Loya Jirga has two seats reserved for Hindus. More so than other ethnic groups, Afghan Hindus have fled to Pakistan and the West to escape religious mistreatment from the Taliban or to improve their economic well-being.

Mistreatment under Taliban

During the Taliban regime, which ran from 1996 to late 2001, Hindus were forced to wear yellow badges in public to identify themselves as non-Muslims so they would not be punished for not going to mosques during prayer times. Hindu women were forced to wear burqas, ostensibly a measure to "protect" them from harassment. This was part of the Taliban's plan to segregate "un-Islamic" and "idolatrous" communities from Islamic ones.

The decree was condemned by the Indian and American governments as a violation of religious freedom. Widespread protests against the Taliban regime broke out in Bhopal, India. In the United States, Abraham Foxman, chairman of the Anti-Defamation League, compared the decree to the practices of Nazi Germany, where Jews were required to wear labels identifying them as such. Several influential lawmakers in the United States wore yellow badges with the inscription "I am a Hindu", on the floor of the Senate during the debate as a demonstration of their solidarity with the Hindu minority in Afghanistan.

Indian analyst Rahul Banerjee said that this was not the first time that Hindus were singled out for state-sponsored oppression in Afghanistan. Violence against Hindus has caused a rapid depletion in the Hindu population over the years. Since the 1990s, many Afghan Hindus have fled the country, seeking asylum in countries such as India, Germany and United States.

See also

• Religion in Afghanistan
• Sikhism in Afghanistan
• Buddhism in Afghanistan
• Hindu temples of Kabul
• Muhiyals in Afghanistan History
• Pre Islamic Hindu and Buddhist heritage of Afghanistan
• Khatri
• List of Hindu temples all over the world

External links

• www.afghanhindu.info
• The Afghan Hindu Association of America
• Hindus abandon Afghanistan, Hinduism Today, 2 April 1994
• Inscription throws new light to Hindu rule in Afghanistan, Indian Express 5 January 2010