Hinduism in Afghanistan
 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 30-40 (2021)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Larger diaspora inIndia,Germany,United States,United Kingdom,andCanada[2] | |
| Religions | |
| Hinduism[3] | |
| Languages | |
| Dari,Pashto,Hindko,Punjabi,Sindhi,andHindustani(Urdu-Hindi) |
| Part ofa seriesof articles on |
| Religion in Afghanistan |
|---|
 |
| Majority |
| Sunni Islam |
| Minority |
| Historic/Extinct |
| Controversy |
Hinduism in Afghanistanis practiced by a tiny minority ofAfghans,about 30-40 individuals as of 2021,[1][4][5]who live mostly in the cities ofKabulandJalalabad.Afghan Hindus are ethnicallyPashtun,[6]Hindkowan(Hindki),Punjabi,orSindhiand primarily speakDari,Pashto,Hindko,Punjabi,Sindhi,andHindustani(Hindi-Urdu).
Before theIslamic conquest of Afghanistan,the Afghan people were multi-religious.[7]Religious persecution,discrimination,andforced conversionof Hindus in Afghanistan perpetrated byMuslims,has caused the AfghanHindus,along withBuddhistandSikhpopulation, to dwindle from Afghanistan.[8]
Background[edit]
Apart from the Hindkowans, theIndo-Aryannative inhabitants of the region, includingPashayiandNuristanis,were also known to be followers of a sect ofAncient Hinduism,mixed with tribal cultural identities.[9][10][11][12][13]Pashtuns,the majority ethnic group in Afghanistan (officially, no ethnic census ever made), have a component ofVedicancestors from thePakthas.[14][15]
"The Pakthas, Bhalanases, Vishanins, Alinas, and Sivas were the five frontier tribes. The Pakthas lived in the hills from which the Kruma originates. Zimmer locates them in present-day eastern Afghanistan, identifying them with the modernPakthun."[16]
Gandhara,a region encompassing the South-east of Afghanistan, was also a center ofHinduismsince the time of theVedic Period(c. 1500– c. 1200 BCE),[17][18]along withBuddhism.[19]Later forms ofHinduismwere also prevalent in this south-eastern region of the country during theTurk shahis,withKhair Khaneh,aBrahmanicaltemple being excavated inKabuland a statue ofGardez Ganeshabeing found inPaktia province.[20]Most of the remains, including marble statuettes, date to the 7th–8th century, during the time of theTurk Shahi.[21][22][23]The statue of Ganesha from Gardez is now attributed to the period ofTurk Shahisin the 7-8th century CE, rather than to their successors theHindu Shahis(9th-10th century) as has also been suggested.[24]The dating is essentially based on stylistic analysis, as the statue displays great iconographical and stylistic similarities with the works of the Buddhist monastery ofFondukistan,which is also dated to the same period.[24]Hinduism further flourished under the rule ofHindu Shahis,but went into sharp decline with the advent ofIslamthrough theGhaznavids,who defeated the Shahis. Nonetheless, it continued as a significant minority in Afghanistan until the 21st century, when its number of followers fell to a few hundred.[25][26][27]
History[edit]
| Hinduism by country |
|---|
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| Full list |
Prehistory and ancient period (3300–550 BCE)[edit]
By roughly 2000–1500 BCE,Indo-Aryaninhabitants of the region (mainly in the eastern parts of present-day Afghanistan) were adherents ofHinduism.Notable among these were theGandharisandKambojas.[9]ThePashayiandNuristanisare present day examples of these Indo-Aryan Vedic people.[29][30][31][32][33]
Persian, Greek, and Mauryan periods (550–150 BCE)[edit]
Most historians maintain that Afghanistan was inhabited by ancientAriansfollowed by theAchaemenidbefore the arrival ofAlexander the Greatand hisGreekarmy in 330 BC. It became part of theSeleucid Empireafter the departure of Alexander three years later. In 305 BCE, the Seleucid Empire lost control of the territory south of theHinduKush to the Indian Emperor "Sandrocottus" as a result of theSeleucid-Mauryan War.
Alexander took these away from theAriansand established settlements of his own, butSeleucus Nicatorgave them toSandrocottus(Chandragupta), upon terms of intermarriage and of receiving in exchange 500 elephants.[34]
— Strabo,64 BCE–24 CE
Classical period (150 BCE–650 CE)[edit]
When the Chinese travelersFaxian,Song Yun,andXuanzangexplored Afghanistan between the 5th and 7th centuries CE, they wrote numeroustraveloguesin which reliable information on Afghanistan was stored. They stated thatBuddhismwas practiced in different parts between theAmu Darya(Oxus River) in the north and theIndus River.[35]However, they did not mention much about Hinduism although Song Yun did state that theHephthaliterulers did not recognize Buddhism but "preached pseudo gods and killed animals for their meat".[35]
Turk & Kabul Shahi, Zunbil dynasty (650–850 CE)[edit]
Before theIslamic conquest of Afghanistan,the territory was a religious sediment ofZoroastrianism,Zunbils,HinduismandBuddhism.It was inhabited by various peoples, includingPersians,Khalaj,Turks,andPashtuns.[citation needed]Parts of the territory South ofHindu kushwere ruled by theZunbils,offspringof the southern-Hephthalite. The eastern parts (Kabulistan) were controlled by theTurk Shahis.
The Zunbil and Kabul Shahis were connected with theIndian subcontinentthrough common Buddhism andZunreligions. The Zunbil kings worshipped asun godby the name ofZun,from which they derived their name. André Wink writes that "the cult of Zun was primarilyHindu,not Buddhist or Zoroastrian "; nonetheless he still mentions them having parallels with Tibetan Buddhism and Zoroastrianism in their rituals.[36][37]
The Kabul Shahi ruled north of the Zunbil territory, which includedKabulistanandGandahara.The Arabs reached Kabul in 653–654 CE whenAbdur Rahman bin Samara,along with 6,000 Arab Muslims, penetrated the Zunbil territory and made their way to the shrine ofZuninZamindawar,which was believed to be located about five kilometres (three miles) south ofMusa Qalain today'sHelmand Provinceof Afghanistan. The General of the Arab army "broke of a hand of the idol and plucked out therubieswhich were its eyes in order to persuade the Marzbān of Sīstān of the god's worthlessness. "[38]
Though the early Arab invaders spread the message of Islam, they were not able to rule for long. Hence, many contemporary ethnic groups in Afghanistan, including thePashtuns,Kalash,Pashayi,NuristanisandHindkowanscontinued to practice Hinduism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism. The Kabul Shahis decided to build a giant wall around the city to prevent more Arab invasions, and this wall is still visible today.[39]
Hindu Shahi (850–1000 CE)[edit]
Willem Vogelsangin his 2002 book writes: "During the 8th and 9th centuries AD the eastern terroritries of modern Afghanistan were still in the hands of non-Muslim rulers. The Muslims tended to regard them as Indians (Hindus), although many of the local rulers and people 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 linked to theIndian sub-continent.Most of them were either Hindus or Buddhists. "[40]
In 870 AD theSaffaridsfrom medievalZaranj,located at the Nad-e Ali site of modern-day Iran (not to be confused with the similarly named modern city ofZaranjin Afghanistan),[41]conquered most of Afghanistan, establishing Muslim governors throughout the land. It is reported that Muslims and non-Muslims still lived side by side before the arrival of theGhaznavidsin the 10th century.
"Kábul has acastlecelebrated for its strength, accessible only by one road. In it there areMusulmáns,and it has a town, in which are infidels fromHind."[42]
— Istahkrí,921 AD
The first confirmed mention of aHinduin Afghanistan appears in the 982 ADḤudūd al-ʿĀlam,where it speaks of a king in "Ninhar" (Nangarhar), who shows a public display of conversion to Islam, even though he had over 30 wives, which are described as "Muslim,Afghan,and Hindu "wives.[43]These names were often used as geographical terms. For example,Hindu(orHindustani) has been historically used as ageographicalterm to describe someone who was native from the region known asHindustan(Indian subcontinent), andAfghanas someone who was native from a region calledAfghanistan.[44]
Decline (1000–1800 CE)[edit]
WhenSultanMahmud of Ghaznibegan crossing theIndus Riverinto Hindustan (land of Hindus) in the 10th century, the Ghaznavid Muslims began bringing Hindu slaves to what is now Afghanistan.Martin Ewansin his 2002 book writes:
Even then a Hindu dynasty the Hindu Shahis, heldGandharaand the eastern borders. From the tenth century onwards as Persian language and culture continued to spread into Afghanistan, the focus of power shifted toGhazni,where aTurkicdynasty, who started by ruling the town for the Samanid dynasty ofBokhara,proceeded to create an empire in their own right. The greatest of the Ghaznavids wasMahmudwho 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. "[46]
Al-Idirisitestifies 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.[47]The Ghaznavid military incursions assured the domination ofSunni Islamin what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan. Various historical sources such as Martin Ewans, E.J. Brill and Farishta have recorded the introduction of Islam to Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan to the conquests of and Mahmud:
The Arabs advanced throughSistanand 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 theHindushahis,heldGandharaand eastern borders. From the tenth century onwards as Persian language and culture continued to spread into Afghanistan, the focus of power shifted toGhazni,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 Gandhara, made no fewer than seventeen raids into northwestern India and succeeded in conquering territory stretching from the Caspian Sea to Varanasi. Bokhara and Samarkand also came under his rule.[48]He encouraged mass conversions to Islam, of Indians as well as Afghans, looted Hindu temples and carried off immense booty, earning for himself, depending on the viewpoint of the observer, the titles of 'Image-breaker' or 'scourge of India'.[48]
Mahmud used his plundered wealth to finance his armies which included mercenaries. The Indian soldiers, presumably Hindus, who were one of the components of the army with their commander calledsipahsalar-i-Hinduwanlived in their quarter of Ghazna practicing their own religion. Indian soldiers under their commander Suvendhray remained loyal to Mahmud. They were also used against a Turkic rebel, with the command given to a Hindu named Tilak according toBaihaki.[49]
In his war onPeshawarand Waihind saysal-Utbi,Mahmud acquired 500,000 slaves that included children and girls. Men were sold as slaves to even common merchants. The amount of slaves captured in Nardin plummeted their price and male slaves were even bought by common merchants. After raidingThanesar,he acquired 200,000 slaves.[50]
The renowned 14th-century Moroccan Muslim scholarIbn Battutaremarked that theHindu Kushmeant the "slayer of Indians", because slaves brought fromIndiawho had to pass through there died in large numbers due to the extreme cold and quantity of snow.[51]
The Ghaznavid Empire was further expanded by theGhurids.During theKhalji dynasty,there was also free movement between people from India and Afghanistan. It continued this way until theMughalsfollowed by theSurisand theDurranis.
Modern period[edit]
The main ethnic groups in Afghanistan which practice Hinduism today are thePunjabisandSindhiswho are believed to have come along withSikhsas merchants to Afghanistan in the 19th century.[52]Till the collapse of theDemocratic Republic of Afghanistan,there were several thousand Hindus living in the country but today their number is only about 1,000.[53]Most of the others immigrated to India, theEuropean Union,North Americaor elsewhere.[4]
Afghan Hindus and Afghan Sikhs often share places of worship. Along with the Sikhs, they are all collectively known asHindki.[citation needed]Linguistic demographics among the Hindu community are diverse and generally follow regional origins: those hailing from Punjab generally speakPunjabi,Sindhis speakSindhi,and the northern and southern dialects ofHindko.The local Hindu community in Afghanistan is mostly based in the city ofKabul.The2002 loya jirgahad two seats reserved for Hindus[54]and formerPresidentHamid Karzai's economic advisor, Sham Lal Bhatija was an Afghan Hindu.[55]
During theTaliban1996 to late 2001 rule, Hindus were forced to wear yellow badges in public to identify themselves as non-Muslims. Hindu women were forced to wearburqas,a measure which was claimed to "protect" them from harassment. This was part of the Taliban's plan to segregate "un-Islamic" and "idolatrous" communities from Islamic ones.[56]
The decree was condemned by the Indian and U.S. governments as a violation of religious freedom. Widespread protests against the Taliban regime broke out inBhopal,India. In the United States,Abraham Foxman,chairman of theAnti-Defamation League,compared the decree to the practices ofNazi Germany,whereJewswere required to wear labels identifying them as such.[57]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.[58][59][60]
Since the 1990s, many Afghan Hindus have fled the country, seeking asylum in countries such asIndia,Germanyand United States.[61]
In July 2013, the Afghan parliament refused to reserve seats for the minority group as a bill reserving seats for the mentioned was voted against. The bill by the then presidentHamid Karzai,had tribal people and "women" as "vulnerable groups" who got reservation, but not religious minorities as per the religious equality article in the constitution.[62]
Notable people[edit]
- Atma Ram– Afghan Minister and Author.
- Niranjan Das- Afghan politician
- Celina Jaitley– Indian Bollywood actress born to an Indian father,ColonelV. K. Jaitly and an Afghan Hindu mother, Meeta Jaitly, who was also from Kabul and was a nurse in theIndian Army.[63][64][65]
- Annet Mahendru– American actress born in Kabul to a Punjabi Indian father, Ghanshan "Ken" Mahendru, whose family had emigrated to Afghanistan from Delhi and a Russian mother, Olga.[66][67][68]
Diaspora[edit]
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 80,000 - 280,000[4][69][70][71](c. 1980) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| India, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia | |
 India | 15,000-16,000[3] |
 Germany | 7,000-10,000[72] |
 United States | 3,000[73] |
 United Kingdom | 1,600[74] |
| Languages | |
| Hindko(native),English,Hindi,Punjabi,Pashto(older generation),Dari(older generation) | |
As both populations are frequently merged in historic and contemporary estimations, the population ratio between Afghan Sikhs and Hindus is estimated to be 60:40 according to historian Inderjeet Singh.[a]
With a wide range of population approximations in the absence of official census data and with much of the community concentrated in the provinces of Kabul, Nangarhar, Ghazni, and Kandahar, the Afghan Hindu population was estimated to be between 80,000 and 280,000 in the 1970s,[4][69][b][70][71][c]as per estimates by historian Inderjeet Singh, Ehsan Shayegan with the Porsesh Research and Studies Organisation and Rawail Singh, an Afghan Sikh civil rights activist.
In the time of 1980's after theAfghan civil war 1979the population of Hindus and Sikh fell at a very fast rate due toTaliban's rise to powerand religious persecution and discrimination and they migrated fromAfghanistanto other countries,[75]The continue rise ofIslamizationandTaliban insurgencyalso contributed in the diaspora.[76]The decline was seen mostly inPashtuns-dominated areas, due toPashtunistanandPashtun nationalism,[77]with the Afghan Hindu population declining to 3,000 by 2009.[69]
As per the 2017 data, more than 99% of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus have left the country in the last 3 decades.[71]Many of Afghan Hindus and Sikhs have been settled inGermany,France,United States,Australia,India,Belgium,theNetherlandsand other nations.[4]
The Afghan Hindu population declined to approximately 50 in 2020.[4]Later, following theFall of Kabulin 2021, theGovernment of Indiaevacuated manySikhsandHindusout of the country due to theTaliban takeover.As a result, only oneHindu priestremains in the nation today, also acting asTemple guard.[78]
Demographics[edit]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 180,000 | — |
| 2005 | 79,521 | −55.8% |
| 2010 | 10,700 | −86.5% |
| 2020 | 50 | −99.5% |
| Source:[d][79][80][81] | ||
| Year | Percent | Increase |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1.6% | |
| 2005 | 0.35% | -1.25% |
| 2010 | 0.04% | -0.31 |
| 2020 | 0.04% | - |
Ancient Hindu temples[edit]
| Place | Description | Other information | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polusha | Bhima Devi (Durga) and temple of Maheshvera | Visited byXuanzang | [82] |
| Sakawand | Temple dedicated toSurya | [83][84] | |
| Asamai Temple | The Asamai temple is at the foothills of the central Kabul hillKoh-e Asamai | [85] | |
| Bhairo Temple | Shor Bazaar | [86] | |
| Mangaldwar Mandir | [87] |
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^According to Singh, there were at least 2 lakh Sikhs and Hindus (in a 60:40 ratio) in Afghanistan until the 1970s.[4]
- ^“In the 70s, there were around 700,000 Hindus and Sikhs, and now they are estimated to be less than 7,000,” Shayegan says.[69]
- ^“An investigation by TOLOnews reveals that the Sikh and Hindu population number was 220,000 in the 1980's.[71]
- ^As both populations are frequently merged in historic and contemporary estimations, the population ratio between Afghan Sikhs and Hindus is estimated to be 60:40 according to historian Inderjeet Singh.[4]The 1980 estimate is derived from this population ratio, using the average of the estimated population range of 80,000 to 280,000 from the era, taken from the preceding source, along with the three following sources.[69][70][71]
References[edit]
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Speaking to The Indian Express over the phone from Kabul, Gurnam Singh, president of the Gurdwara Dashmesh Pita Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji Singh Sabha Karte Parwan, said around 300 people — 280 Sikhs and 30-40 Hindus — have taken shelter at the gurdwara since the Taliban started taking over provinces of Afghanistan.
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The friends from Peshawar would speak of Hindu and Sikh Pashtuns who had migrated to India. In the tribal areas – the no man's land between Afghanistan and Pakistan – quite a few Hindus stayed on and were protected by the tribal codes. The same was true in Afghanistan itself (till the mujahidin and the Taliban arrived).
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- ^Minahan, James B. (10 February 2014).Ethnic Groups of North, East, and Central Asia: An Encyclopedia.ABC-CLIO. p. 217.ISBN9781610690188.
Historically, north and east Afghanistan was considered part of the Indian cultural and religious sphere. Early accounts of the region mention the Pashayi as living in a region producing rice and sugarcane, with many wooded areas. Many of the people of the region were Buddhists, though small groups of Hindus and others with tribal religions were noted.
- ^Weekes, Richard V. (1984).Muslim peoples: a world ethnographic survey.Greenwood Publishing Group.p.601.ISBN9780313233920.
- ^Khanam, R. (2005).Encyclopaedic ethnography of Middle-East and Central Asia.Global Vision Publishing House. p. 631.ISBN9788182200654.
- ^"The Pashayi of Afghanistan".Bethany World Prayer Center. 1997.Retrieved11 April2019.
Before their conversion to Islam, the Pashayi followed a religion that was probably a corrupt form of Hinduism and Buddhism. Today, they are Sunni (orthodox) Muslims of the Hanafite sect.
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External links[edit]
