Why is Hinduism so limited to India.

[I_C_U]

This is a borderless world. But not in the minds of men. Afghanistan had Hindu kings. The Kabaa in Mecca was a Hindu shrine. The Parsi prophet Zoroaster was a Brahman priest. The whole middleast was Hindu. Hindu priests in India today sometimes claim that even Indians born in other nations are not real Hindus.

http://nitawriter.wordpress.com/2008...d-in-hinduism/

In a memorandum to Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Sri Jagannath Sevayat Sammilanee (SJSS) said only ‘Hindus by birth’ should be allowed into the temple, one of the four important ‘dhams’ for Hindus in the country…citing two recent incidents in which the priests drove out nine Indonesian nationals from the temple, Mahasuar said they were Hindus on paper. But they were converts…

So not only do some priest deny converts. Some believe that you have to be born in the present day Republic of India to be a Hindu?

Arash the archer is a great example. It's between Persians and Turanians. It all happens in central Asia, present day Kazakhstan, Kyrkyztan et c. But it's also in the vedic scriptures of hindusim.

In addition, the story of Âraŝ the Archer shows striking similarities to the story of the legendary Indian hero Arjuna of the Hindu mythology, pointing toward a common origin of the two tales which could date back to the indo-iranian era ca. 4000 BC.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arash_(mythology)

The Republic of India is made out of several nations. Khalistan, Bengal et c right? And Pakistan was a part of India until about 60 years ago with ancient Hindu sites.

Why is Hinduism so limited to India.

[devisarada]

One of the main reasons for the seemingly limited distribution of Hindus around the world is that Hinduism does not proselytize.

As of 2006, there were approxiamately 372,500 Hindus in Canada, and about 102,000 in the Greater Toronto Area.

Here is a link and a map which illustrates the distribution of Hindus around the world. To say that Hinduism is limited to India is a fallacy. When looking at this map one is looking at the 10 countries with the largest number of Hindus.


http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top...tions-map.html




Here is a list of countries with the largest percentage porportion of Hindus in the population:. The list is different because many of these countries have small populations:

Hindus
Countries with the greatest proportion of Hindus from Hinduism by country (as of 2007) from
wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...lations#Hindus:

Nepal 81%
India 80.5%
Mauritius 50%
Fiji 33%
Guyana 33%
Suriname 27.4%
Trinidad and Tobago 22.5%
United Arab Emirates 21.25%
Sri Lanka 15%
Kuwait 12%
Bangladesh 10.5%
Qatar 7.2%
Réunion 6.7%
Malaysia 6.3%
Bahrain 6.25%
Singapore 4%
Oman 3%
Belize 2.3%
Pakistan 2.02%
Indonesia 2%; Bhutan 2%; Seychelles 2%;
Canada 1%

[I_C_U]

Nepal 81%
India 80.5%
Mauritius 50%
Fiji 33%
Guyana 33%
Suriname 27.4%
Trinidad and Tobago 22.5%
United Arab Emirates 21.25%
Sri Lanka 15%
Kuwait 12%
Bangladesh 10.5%
Qatar 7.2%
Réunion 6.7%
Malaysia 6.3%
Bahrain 6.25%
Singapore 4%
Oman 3%
Belize 2.3%
Pakistan 2.02%
Indonesia 2%; Bhutan 2%; Seychelles 2%;

But those are desis none the less. People from the former British colonial India. Most of them have ancestors from what is today called India. And you can be born in Nepal and being denied entry to an Indian temple simply cause your not a main stream Indian.

[dhruva023]

usually, this kind of things happens in south india most of the time.
just some temple don't allow, it doesnt mean hinduism is limited to india.
bali is hindu. even mexico found some murtis of Bhagavan Ganesh.

[devotee]

Namaste ICU,

But those are desis none the less. People from the former British colonial India. Most of them have ancestors from what is today called India. And you can be born in Nepal and being denied entry to an Indian temple simply cause your not a main stream Indian.

I appreciate your feelings. Some people give this feeling that you have to be born in a Hindu family to be a Hindu which is not correct & which have no scripture's support. Hinduism is not an "-ism" & there are no hard & fast rules here except some basic common understanding. Anybody has freedom to adopt any religion & worship God in any form or name. No faith or God can be anyone's property ! So, if some people are doing this in the name of religion, it is wrong.

Just for record, Nepal is the only Hindu Nation in the world & they (Nepalese) are never decriminated against on the issue of entry to a temple etc. even by "hard-core" Hindu temple-managements.

Arya Samaj has been involved in conversion of many people to Hinduism & it is getting wide acceptance in today's Hindu society. Hindu society today doesn't believe normally in any descrimination of people in this manner. However, you can't change every person in a day ! There are many Hindu temples where even the so-called lower caste people of Hindu religion were not permitted entry earlier but now it is permitted. Similarly, there were some temples where entry of women was restricted whether Hindu or not. However, these things are becoming things of the past in today's world which is welcome sign.

I think this attitude of stopping entry to Hindu Temples has Historical reasons. The Hindu temples were under brutal attack from the Islamic invadors from 11th century upto 17th century. This led to a sense of insecurity in the minds of the Hindus towards their places of worship & there was naturally a sense of anger towards the Non-Hindus in general because of the attack. So, this was but natural for them to adopt such attitude at that time. In fact, there was a strong detest towards the word "foreign". Anybody who used to go to foreign faced the threat of being banished from the Hindu society. The unmarried girls were not safe in those times & so early marriage of children started in Hindus which was not in their tradition. You have to understand the trauma faced by the Hindus under the Islamic rulers like Aurangjeb to understand some of the peculiar traditions in Hindu society. However, time has changed & things are changing for better.

OM

[I_C_U]

I appreciate your feelings. Some people give this feeling that you have to be born in a Hindu family to be a Hindu which is not correct & which have no scripture's support.

There are some that believe that you have to be born in the republic of India to be a Hindu too.

Just for record, Nepal is the only Hindu Nation in the world & they (Nepalese) are never decriminated against on the issue of entry to a temple etc. even by "hard-core" Hindu temple-managements.

If you read that article 9 Indonesians where denied entry cause they where not Indians.

Arya Samaj has been involved in conversion of many people to Hinduism & it is getting wide acceptance in today's Hindu society. Hindu society today doesn't believe normally in any descrimination of people in this manner. However, you can't change every person in a day ! There are many Hindu temples where even the so-called lower caste people of Hindu religion were not permitted entry earlier but now it is permitted. Similarly, there were some temples where entry of women was restricted whether Hindu or not. However, these things are becoming things of the past in today's world which is welcome sign.

I hope so, wouldn't want to be denied entry.

I think this attitude of stopping entry to Hindu Temples has Historical reasons. The Hindu temples were under brutal attack from the Islamic invadors from 11th century upto 17th century.

Who wasn't? Islam destroyed many temples and religions all over the world.

However, time has changed & things are changing for better.

OM

Good to hear.

[Arjuna]

Similarly, there were some temples where entry of women was restricted whether Hindu or not.

Any example apart from Sabarimala (where young women aren't allowed)? Just interesting.