Hinduism is a minority religion practised by 0.3% of the population of Botswana. The practice of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

is concentrated in and around

Gaborone Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census. Gaboron ...

and

Selebi-Phikwe Selebi-Phikwe (also spelt ''Selibe Phikwe'') is a mining town located in the Central District of Botswana. It had a population of 42,488 in 2022. The town is an administrative district, separate from the surrounding Central District. Mining ...

. The community of

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

s began to form in the early 20th century with the beginning of immigration from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

to Botswana. Most Hindus in Botswana are of

n descent.

Demographics

The 2001 census of Botswana listed approximately 3,000 Hindus. Members of Hindu community estimated that these figures significantly understated their respective numbers. The 2011 census stated about 3353 Hindus in Botswana. Among these 3230 are non-migrants and 123 are migrants. Hinduism constituted 0.3% of the total population of Botswana in 2001 which remain constant in 2011 census. Hinduism constituted 0.3% of the Non-migrant population and 0.1% of the migrant population.

Temples

As of January 2016, there are five Hindu temples in Botswana, including the Sai Temple and ISKCON Temple in Gaborone. With the growth of the community, a number of region-based community associations have sprung up. There is already a Hindu temple in Gaborone, and another in

. A gurudwara is also been built in the capital city. Plans have been made for the construction of a Swaminarayan temple, a Sai Baba Centre, a Venkateswara Temple and an ISKCON Centre at various sites in Botswana.Indian Diaspora
The following are the major Hindu temples in Botswana: * ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), Gaborone *

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

Temple, Selebi-Phikwe * The Hindu Hall, Gaborone * Sri Balaji Temple, Block 8, Gaborone

ISKCON BOTSWANA Krishna Balaram Mandir, Gaborone

The ISKCON Botswana temple is situated in Gaborone West Phase 2, opposite Baobab Primary School. It is a magnificent temple orange and maroon in colour that has attracted many people from all parts of the country to see its magnificent art work that can be seen on the outside and especially on the inside. It is the home of Sri Sri Kirishna & Balarama.

The Hindu Hall, Gaborone

The Hindu Hall in Gaborone is situated behind the "Caltex" filling station, located in the area adjacent to the "Maru-a-Pula Robots" (traffic lights). All the major Hindu festivals (

Maha Shivaratri Maha Shivaratri (IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. In every month of the luni-solar Hindu ca ...

Rama Navami Rama Navami () is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birthday of Rama, the seventh avatar of the deity Vishnu. people from different parts of Jharkhand attended the world famous international Hazaribagh procession organized in the city every ...

Dussehra Vijayadashami ( sa, विजयदशमी, Vijayadaśamī, translit-std=IAST), also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu ...

, Diwali etc.) are observed in this temple. At the entrance to the Hindu Hall, is located the 'Navagraha Temple', with the deities of the 9 planets. Immediately adjoining thereto, is the 'Lord Shiva Temple' with a 'Shiva Lingam' at the centre, which is surrounded on the sides by the idols of Lord Subrahmanya, Goddess Mother Parvati, and Lord Ganesha. On the inside of the wall of the Shiva Temple, there is a small cavern, which couches one idol of Lord Shiva, Mother Parvati, with Lord Baby Ganesh and Lord Baby Subrahmanya on their laps. There is also a 'Nandi' facing the Shiva Lingam. Inside there is a big hall from which the temple draws its name. Upon the dais, there are idols of Lord Rama, Mother Sita, Lakshmana and Lord Hanuman. There is also an idol of Lord Shiva.

Sri Balaji Temple, Block 8, Gaborone

The Botswana Hindu Charities Trust built the Sri Balaji Temple in Gaborone in the classical Dravidian architectural style. The temple is one of its kind in the Southern African region and become a cultural attraction in Gaborone, after earning the people's admiration for the architectural and the sculptural beauty. The temple has cost over Rs. 2

crores A crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes ten million (10,000,000 or 107 in scientific notation) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. It is written as 1,00,00,000 with the local 2,2,3 style of digit group separators (one lakh is e ...

to build. The temple has 10 sanctum sanctora to house Lord Balaji and his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi as the presiding deity, Lord Ganesha, Lord Anjaneya (Hanuman), Lord Shiva, Mata Vaishnodevi, Lord Ayyapa, Lord Muruga and the Navagrahas. All Mulavar Vigrahas and Utsav Murthies were imported from India. The doors for the Maha Mandap and the Rajagopuram were imported from Kerala. The doors of Maha Mandap depict the scenes from Krishna Leela whereas the doors of Raja Gopuram depict the Dasa Avathars.

References

External links

Hinduism in Botswana as reported in The Hindu

Hindu Temples in Botswana

Should Batswana embrace cremation as new culture ? 7 August, 2001

Indian Associations in Botswana
{{Hinduism in Africa

Religion in Botswana