Indians in Poland
Encyclopedia
The Indian community in Poland consist of migrants from India
to Poland
and their locally born descendants. There are approximately 3,500 Indians in Poland.
opted for a free-market economy in 1989 and joined the European Union
in 2004.
' in Warsaw
as a large number of the community are based there while there others based in Łódź and Pabianice
. There are 22 Indian restaurants in Warsaw
while there 20 more throughout Poland.
The Indian Association of Poland is a one organization which brings all Indians and Polish people together by organizing various cultural events in Poland. Every month Bollywood Nights are organized in Warsaw as well as in other cities and this is a link which brings Indian and Polish communities together.
has spread to Poland
through ISKCON missionaries since 1976. The first Polish Hindu temple was established in 1980 in Czarnów, Lower Silesian Voivodeship
(New Shantipur Temple in Czarnów). A new Hindu Temple named the Hindu Bhavan was constructed in Warsaw. The Indian community hopes that the temple sensitizes the community's youth towards Indian tradition and customs as well as to use the new place of worship as a tool to integrate with Polish society.
There are about 12 Sikh families in Warsaw. The city's Sikh Gurdwara
the only Sikh shrine in the whole of Eastern Europe
and it is the place where both Sikhs and Sindhis come together to celebrate Baisakhi.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and their locally born descendants. There are approximately 3,500 Indians in Poland.
Migration History
Indians started migrating to Poland in the late 80’s and early 90’s when the political situation changed and new opportunities started to emerge. Most of them are businessmen who migrated to cash on the economic boom after WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
opted for a free-market economy in 1989 and joined the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
in 2004.
Culture
The Indian community in Poland is entrepreneurial and law abiding community. They have their own 'Little IndiaLittle India
Little India may refer to:* India Square, a neighborhood in Jersey City, New Jersey also called Little India or Little Bombay* Little India , an ethnic enclave of Indian expatriates.* Little India , periodical started in 1991...
' in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
as a large number of the community are based there while there others based in Łódź and Pabianice
Pabianice
Pabianice is a town in central Poland with 69 648 inhabitants . Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the capital of Pabianice County...
. There are 22 Indian restaurants in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
while there 20 more throughout Poland.
The Indian Association of Poland is a one organization which brings all Indians and Polish people together by organizing various cultural events in Poland. Every month Bollywood Nights are organized in Warsaw as well as in other cities and this is a link which brings Indian and Polish communities together.
Religion
Hindus and Sikhs form the majority of the Indian community. HinduismHinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
has spread to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
through ISKCON missionaries since 1976. The first Polish Hindu temple was established in 1980 in Czarnów, Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Czarnów, Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Czarnów is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kamienna Góra, within Kamienna Góra County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany....
(New Shantipur Temple in Czarnów). A new Hindu Temple named the Hindu Bhavan was constructed in Warsaw. The Indian community hopes that the temple sensitizes the community's youth towards Indian tradition and customs as well as to use the new place of worship as a tool to integrate with Polish society.
There are about 12 Sikh families in Warsaw. The city's Sikh Gurdwara
Gurdwara
A Gurdwara , meaning the Gateway to the Guru, is the place of worship for Sikhs, the followers of Sikhism. A Gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib ....
the only Sikh shrine in the whole of Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and it is the place where both Sikhs and Sindhis come together to celebrate Baisakhi.