Hinduism in France
Encyclopedia
The Hindu community in France
consists of some long-time residents and many recent immigrants. Although Hinduism
does not constitute a large proportion of the population it appears to be growing rapidly; the current Hindu population of France is 121,312 or 0.2% of the nation's population, up from an estimated 50,000 in 1993.
It is the third largest in Europe, after those of the United Kingdom
and Italy
.
, Alexandra David-Néel
, Paul Gauguin
, René Guénon
, Jules Michelet
, Mirra Richard, Romain Rolland
, Satprem
, Paul Verlaine
, and Voltaire
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
consists of some long-time residents and many recent immigrants. Although Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
does not constitute a large proportion of the population it appears to be growing rapidly; the current Hindu population of France is 121,312 or 0.2% of the nation's population, up from an estimated 50,000 in 1993.
It is the third largest in Europe, after those of the United Kingdom
Hinduism in the United Kingdom
Hinduism was the religion of 558,342 people in the United Kingdom according to the 2001 census but an estimate in a British newspaper in 2007 has put the figure as high as 1.5 Million....
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Notable French Hindus
- Vikash Dhorasoo, a member of the French Football World Cup squad in 2006. He is an ethnic Mauritian East Indian from the town of Le HavreLe HavreLe Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
. - Alain DanielouAlain DaniélouAlain Daniélou was a French historian, intellectual, musicologist, Indologist, and a noted Western convert to and expert on Shaivite Hinduism.-Life:...
, a French historian, intellectual, musicologist, Indologist and noted Western convert to Shaivite Hinduism. - Arnaud DesjardinsArnaud DesjardinsArnaud Desjardins , was a producer at the Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française from 1952 to 1974, and was one of the first high profile practitioners of Eastern religion in France...
, French journalist, film maker, main disciple of Swami Prajnanpad.
Influence of Hinduism in France
French people who were Hindus or were influenced by Hinduism include Victor CousinVictor Cousin
Victor Cousin was a French philosopher. He was a proponent of Scottish Common Sense Realism and had an important influence on French educational policy.-Early life:...
, Alexandra David-Néel
Alexandra David-Néel
Alexandra David-Néel born Louise Eugénie Alexandrine Marie David was a Belgian-French explorer, spiritualist, Buddhist and writer, most known for her visit to Lhasa, Tibet, in 1924, when it was forbidden to foreigners...
, Paul Gauguin
Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...
, René Guénon
René Guénon
René Guénon , also known as Shaykh `Abd al-Wahid Yahya was a French author and intellectual who remains an influential figure in the domain of metaphysics, having written on topics ranging from metaphysics, sacred science and traditional studies to symbolism and initiation.In his writings, he...
, Jules Michelet
Jules Michelet
Jules Michelet was a French historian. He was born in Paris to a family with Huguenot traditions.-Early life:His father was a master printer, not very prosperous, and Jules assisted him in the actual work of the press...
, Mirra Richard, Romain Rolland
Romain Rolland
Romain Rolland was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915.-Biography:...
, Satprem
Satprem
Satprem was a French author and an important disciple of The Mother.-Life and work:Satprem was born Bernard Enginger in Paris and had a seafaring childhood and youth in Brittany. During World War II he was a member of the French Resistance. He was arrested by the Gestapo in late 1943 and spent one...
, Paul Verlaine
Paul Verlaine
Paul-Marie Verlaine was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry.-Early life:...
, and Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
.
Hinduism in French overseas territories
- Hinduism in GuadeloupeHinduism in Guadeloupe-History of Guadeloupe:Guadeloupe, an island in the Atlantic Ocean and a French Department, had traditionally been a bone of contention between the French and the British. The British occupied it from 1759 to 1763. In 1763, it was restored to France in exchange for all French rights to Canada. It...
- Hinduism in MartiniqueHinduism in MartiniqueThe history of Hinduism in Martinique sort of began with the importation of Indian laborers in the mid-19th century, and, although Hindus now comprise only 0.5% of the population, the religion is still practiced on the island today....
- Hinduism in French GuianaHinduism in French GuianaHinduism is a minority religion in French Guiana.The abolition of slavery by France in 1848 created a crisis in its three colonies in the Caribbean – French Guinea, Guadeloupe and Martinique...
- Hinduism in ReunionHinduism in RéunionHindus in Réunion constitute a small part of the island's population. The island of Réunion is said to be host to approximately 250,000 Indian descendants as of 1991...