Hinduism in the United States
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Hinduism is a minority religion in the United States, American Hindus accounting for an estimated 0.4% of total US population.[1]The vast majority of American Hindus are Indian Americans, immigrants from India and Nepal and their descendants, besides a much smaller number of converts.
While there were isolated sojourns by Hindus in the United States during the 19th century, Hindu presence in the United States was virtually non-existent before the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Services (INS) Act of 1965.
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[edit] Demographics
The ARIS study of 2001 found some 1.1 million adherents of Hinduism in the United States ("American Hindus"), corresponding to 0.4% of US population. The United States Department of State's International Religious Freedom Report 2004 cites a slightly larger number of 1,478,670, or 0.5 % of the total population.
[edit] History
Swami Vivekananda addressed the World's Parliament of Religions in 1893 in Chicago. He spent two years in the United States lecturing in several cities including Chicago, Detroit, Boston and New York. In 1902 Swami Rama Tirtha visited the US for about two years lecturing on the philosophy of Vedanta.[2] In 1920 Paramahansa Yogananda was India's delegate at the International Congress of Religious Liberals held in Boston.
Prior to 1965, Hindu immigration to the U.S. was minuscule and isolated. In those earlier days, visitors, students and some traders were primarily the only ones who bothered to set foot in the USA. The Bellingham Riots in Bellingham, Washington on September 5, 1907 epitomized the low tolerance in the USA for Indians and Hindus. Despite such events, some people including professionals stayed and worked until the Immigration and Nationality Services (INS) Act of 1965 was passed. This opened the doors to Hindu immigrants who wished to work and start families in the United States. It included Hindu preachers as well, who spread awareness of the religion among a people that had little contact with it.
Also during the 1960s, Hindu teachers found resonance in the UScounter-culture, leading to the formation of a number of Neo-Hindu[disambiguation needed 
] movements such as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness founded by Swami Prabhupada. Other influential Indians of a Hindu faith are Chinmoy and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
A joint session of the United States Congress was opened with a prayer in Sanskrit (with some Hindi and English added), read by Venkatachalapathi Samudrala, in September 2000, to honour the visit of Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The historic gesture was an initiative by Ohio Congressman Sherrod Brown who requested the US Congress House Chaplain to invite the Hindu priest from the Shiva Vishnu Hindu Temple in Parma, Ohio.[3] Another Hindu prayer was read in the United States Senate on July 12, 2007, by Rajan Zed, a Hindu chaplain from Nevada.[4] His prayer was interrupted by a couple and their daughter who claimed to be "Christian patriots", which prompted a criticism of candidates in the upcoming presidential election for not criticizing the remarks.[5] In October 2009, President Barack Obama lit a ceremonial Diwali lamp at the White House to symbolise victory of light over darkness.
[edit] Hindu temples in the U.S.
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Shiva-Vishnu Temple, at Livermore, California
The first Hindu temple is located in Northern California. Another earliest Hindu temple in the United States is the Maha Vallabha Ganapathi Devastanam owned by the Hindu Temple Society of North America in Flushing, New York City. It was consecrated on July 4, 1977. This temple recently underwent significant expansion and renovation.[6]
Other prominent temples include the Malibu Hindu Temple, built in 1981 and located in Calabasas, is owned and operated by the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California. The temple is near Malibu, California. Apart from these, Swaminarayan temples exist in several cities across the country with a sizable following.[citation needed]
The oldest Hindu Temple in Texas is the Shree Raseshwari Radha Rani temple at Radha Madhav Dham, Austin.[7] The temple, established by Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj is one of the largest Hindu Temple complexes in the Western Hemisphere[8], and the largest in North America.[9][10][11]
[edit] See also
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Practices
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- Californian Hindu textbook controversy
- List of Hindu temples in the United States
- Hindu American Foundation
- Hindu University of America
- Hindu denominations
- Category:Converts to Hinduism
[edit] References
- ^ http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/report-religious-landscape-study-full.pdf
- ^ Arora, R.K. (1978), Swami Ram Tirath, his life and works, page 56, Rajesh Publications, New Delhi, India
- ^ For the first time, a Hindu priest will pray before US Congress, rediff.com, 14 September 2000.
- ^ "California Senate opened with Hindu prayer for first time". Asian Tribune. 2007-08-29. http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/7163. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^ Boorstein, Michelle (2007-07-27). "Hindu Groups Ask '08 Hopefuls to Criticize Protest". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/27/AR2007072700206.html.
- ^ Official website of the Flushing temple.
- ^ India today international. Volume 1, Issues 1-8. Living Media International. 2002.
- ^ Vedic Foundation Inaugurated at Barsana Dham, Austin. Retrieved Dec 15th, 2011.
- ^ Ciment, J. 2001. Encyclopedia of American Immigration. Michigan: M.E. Sharpe
- ^ Hylton, H. & Rosie, C. 2006. Insiders' Guide to Austin. Globe Pequot Press.
- ^ Mugno, M. & Rafferty, R.R. 1998. Texas Monthly Guidebook to Texas. Gulf Pub. Co.
[edit] Further reading
- Bhatia, Sunill. (2007). American Karma: Race, Culture, and Identity in the Indian Diaspora. ISBN 0814799590.
[edit] External links
- The Council of Hindu Temples of North America
- Hindu Youth Network
- Hindu Temples in USA
- Vivekananda Vedanta Society-Chicago
- State-wise list of Hindu Temples in USA with photos and addresses
- South Asian Pioneers in California, 1899-1965
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