Indian settlement in the Philippines
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| Total population | ||||
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| 150,000[1] | ||||
| Regions with significant populations | ||||
| Metro Manila · Cainta · Cebu City · Davao | ||||
| Languages | ||||
| Religion | ||||
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Hinduism · Catholicism · Sikhism · Islam |
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| Related ethnic groups | ||||
Indian Filipinos are Philippine citizens of Indian descent. This also refers to Filipino citizens of either pure or mixed Indian descent currently residing in the country, the latter a result of intermarriages between the Indians and local populations. Iron Age finds in Philippines also point to the existence of trade between Tamil Nadu and the Philippine Islands during the ninth and tenth centuries B.C.[2] [3] The average Filipino is reportedly of 5% Indian ancestry. [4] [5]
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History [edit]
Ancient History [edit]
India had greatly influenced the many different cultures of the Philippines through the Indianized kingdom of the Hindu Majapahit, Khmer Empire and the Buddhist Srivijaya.[6] Indian presence in the Philippines has been ongoing since prehistoric times along with the Japanese people,and the Han Chinese, predating even the coming of the Europeans by at least two millennium.Indian people,together with the natives of the Indonesian Archipelago and the Malay Peninsula, traded with natives and introduced and passed Hinduism to the natives of the Philippines. It were the Indian Baniyas converts to Islam who brought Sunni Islam in the Philippine islands.[7]
Colonial Period [edit]
Sepoy troops from Madras (now Chennai, Tamil Nadu), British India also arrived with the British expedition and occupation between 1762 and 1764 during the Seven Years' War. When the British withdrew, many of the Sepoys (Army privates) mutinied and refused to leave. Virtually all had taken Filipina brides (or soon did so). They settled in what is now Cainta, Rizal, just east of Metro Manila.[8] As of 2006, between 70 and 75 percent of Indians in the Philippines lived in Metro Manila, with the largest community outside of Manila being in Isabela province.[9] The region in and around Cainta still has many Sepoy descendants.
During the 1930s and 1940s, many Indians and Indian Filipinos lived in Filipino provinces, including Davao. When the economy of the Philippines were based in Manila, many moved there, which explains why today half of the Indian and Indian Filipino community are now based there. The longest serving Mayor of Manila, Ramon Bagatsing, is of Indian-Punjabi descent, having moved to the big city Manila from Fabrica, Negros Occidental before the war.
Present [edit]
Most of the Indians and Indian Filipinos in the Philippines are Sindhi and Punjabi as well as a large Tamil population. Many are fluent in Tagalog and English as well as local languages of the provinces and islands. Many are prosperous middle and higher class with their main occupations in clothing sales and marketing. Sikhs are involved largely in finance, and sales and marketing.
Most of the Indian Filipinos and Indian expatriates are Hindu and Sikh, but have assimilated into Filipino culture and some are Catholic. Most Indians congregate for socio-cultural and religious activities at the Hindu Temple (Mahatma Gandhi Street, Paco, Manila), the Indian Sikh Temple (United Nations Avenue, Paco, Manila), and the Radha Soami Satsang Beas center (Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila). The late "priest" (scripture reader in Sindhi and Gurumukhi) of the Hindu Temple, Giani Joginder Singh Sethi, was active in interfaith affairs, accepted visits by school students, and organised the first major translation of Guru Nanak's Jap Ji into Filipino (Tagalog), translated by Usha Ramchandani and edited by Samuel Salter (published 2001).
Many Indians have intermarried with Filipinos, more so than in neighboring countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, mainly because their populations are largely Muslim, and the Indians there (with the exception of Indian-Muslims) are averse to marrying Muslims in those host countries.[10]
Notable Filipino people of Indian descent [edit]
- Sharmaine Arnaiz - Filipina actress
- Ramon Bagatsing - longest serving Mayor of Manila
- Sanjay Beach - American football player
- Juan Cailles - Commander who served during the Philippine Revolution and Philippine-American War
- Samir Gogna - Radio DJ personality
- Khasim Mirza - Filipino professional basketball player
- Venus Raj - Filipina Beauty Queen
- Janina San Miguel - Filipina beauty queen
- Gardo Versoza - Filipino actor
- Dawn Zulueta -Filipina Actress link to Richard Gomez
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- Mansingh, Lalit (2000), "20. Southeast Asia", Report of the High Level Committee On Indian Diaspora
- Rye, Ajit Singh (2006), "The Indian Community in the Philippines", in Sandhu, Kernial Singh, Indian Communities in Southeast Asia, Institute of SoutheastAsian Studies, pp. 707–773, ISBN 981-230-418-5
- Sharma, Jagdish Chandra (1997), Hindu Temples in Vietnam, The Offsetters, ISBN 81-7123-067-9, retrieved 2008-01-28 More than one of
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External links [edit]
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