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 ...

is a minority religion in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. There are 24,414 Indians in South Korea, most of whom are Hindus. Through

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

, it has also had an indirect impact on certain aspects of traditional Korean thought. The

Four Heavenly Kings The Four Heavenly Kings are four Buddhist gods, each of whom is believed to watch over one cardinal direction of the world. In Chinese mythology, they are known collectively as the "Fēng Tiáo Yǔ Shùn" () or "Sìdà Tiānwáng" (). In the a ...

that can be seen in Korean Buddhist temples originated from the Lokapālas. Also Skanda, Daeyejeok Geumgang, Sakra and

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...

were worshipped.

North Korea

There are 586 Indians (most of them are embassy workers) in North Korea, most of whom are Hindus.

South Korea

There are many Hindu temples in the Seoul region, like the

Sri Radha Shyamasundar Mandir Sri Radha Shyamasundar Mandir is a Hindu temple located in Haebangchon, Seoul, South Korea. The temple opens each morning and evening at specific darshan times. Special programs are also held on Sundays, such as free children's Bal Vikas classes (w ...

and the

Sri Sri Radha Krishna temple Sri Sri Radha Krishna temple is one of the most important Hindu temples in South Korea. It belongs to the Vaishnavite ISKCON movement. The temple is located in the Uijeongbu city of Gyeonggi Province. It holds many lecture seminars and Yoga classe ...

, located on Seoul's outskirts, approximately 2 hours from the city centre.

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

is home to a small number of expats, including students and engineers, from countries such as

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 ...

and

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

many of whom are

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 ...

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

has also gained increasing popularity in recent years. Sri Radha Shyamasundar Mandir is open daily, at specific times in the morning and evening. The temple offers various services to the mostly expat Hindu community, including children's classes, religious courses, festivals and ceremonies, such as weddings, as well as groceries for vegetarians. Though

is mostly secular and

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, the range of religious beliefs displayed is quite broad. While

Korean Shamanism Korean shamanism or Mu-ism is a religion from Korea. In the Korean language, alternative terms for the tradition are ''musok'' () and ''mugyo'' (무교, 巫敎). Scholars of religion have classified it as a folk religion. There is no central auth ...

shares some similarities with Hinduism, most religious people adhere to either Buddhism or Christianity, and there remains a strong

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...

presence. The

Rath Yatra Ratha Yatra (), or Chariot festival, is any public procession in a chariot. The term particularly refers to the annual Ratha Yatra in Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and other East Indian states, particularly the Odia festival that involve a ...

was celebrated for the first time on the banks of the famous Han River in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, organized by the Seoul Sanatan Temple.

List of Hindu temples in South Korea

, in Central Seoul *

ISKCON The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktive ...

movement, in

Uijeongbu Uijeongbu () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Overview Uijeongbu is located north of the Korean capital Seoul; it lies inside a Defile (geography), defile, with mountains on two sides, and com ...

20 km away on outskirt of Seoul * Sri Lakshmi Narayanan Temple, in Metropolitan Seoul *

Himalayan Meditation and Yoga Sadhana Mandir Himalayan Meditation and Yoga Sadhana Mandir is a Hindu temple located in the Seocho district of Seoul metropolitan city. It is an affiliate center of Association of Himalayan Yoga Meditation Societies International organisation in South Korea. The ...

, in

Seocho Seocho District () is one of the 25 '' gu'' (local government districts) which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Seocho is generally referred to as a part of Greater Gangnam Area, along with Gangnam District. As of 2022, Seocho District ra ...

in Seoul

Hinduism by country Hinduism has approximately 1.2 billion adherents worldwide (15-16% of the world's population). Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world behind Christianity (31.5%) and Islam (23.3%).List of Hindu empires and dynasties Indian empires rose to power following the birth of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism in the Indian subcontinent. The period of the Gupta Empire under Samudragupta is sometimes attributed to as the Golden Age of India. List The following list enumera ...

Buddhism in Korea Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what its early practitioners saw as inconsistencies within the Mahayana Buddhist traditions that they received from foreign countries. To address this, the ...

* Hinduism in China *

Hinduism in Japan Hinduism is a minority religion in Japan, which is followed by nearly 451,678 people as per 2022. Most of the Hindus in Japan are from India and Nepal. Cultural Although Hinduism is a little-practiced religion in Japan, it has still had a sign ...

Indians in Korea A commemorative Rs. 25.00 postage stamp on Princess Suriratna (Queen Heo Hwang-ok ) was issued by India in 2019. A commemorative Rs. 5.00 postage stamp on Queen Heo Hwang-ok (Princess Suriratna) was issued by India in 2019. Indians in Korea c ...

Koreans in India There is a small Korean community in India, consisting largely of South Korean expatriate professionals and their families, as well as some missionaries and international students at Indian universities. Migration history In 526 CE, Korea monk ...

Memorial of Heo Hwang-ok, Ayodhya A commemorative Rs. 25.00 postage stamp on Princess Suriratna (Queen Heo Hwang-ok) was issued by India in 2019. A commemorative Rs. 5.00 postage stamp on Queen Heo Hwang-ok (Princess Suriratna) was issued by India in 2019. A memorial of the ...

Notes

References

External links