There are over 0.7 million Hindus in the United Kingdom.

History

Hinduism has been in the United Kingdom since the 19th century. Early Hindus in the United Kingdom were invariably students. Hinduism recieved widespread attention in the Victorian era largely due to the work of Theosophical Society and emergence of the new field, Indology. Before India's Independence in 1947, Hindu migration to the United Kingdom was minsucle and largely temporary. But after independence, the economic conditions of 1960's compelled many Indians to immigrate to the United Kingdom in search of greener pastures. The fact that Indians, as Commonwealth citizens, didn't require a visa to enter or live in the United Kingdom also helped. In the 1970s Idi Amin's explusion of Gujarati Hindus (who were British Overseas Citizens) from Uganda brought another wave of Hindu immigrants to the United Kingdom. Initially, Hindu immigration into the United Kingdom was limited to Punjabi and Gujarati Hindus, but, by 2000, small Hindu communities of every ethnicity could be found in the UK. The United Kingdom is also host to a large immigrant communitiy of Sri Lankan Hindus who are mostly Tamils.

Culture

Assimilation

By and large, Hindus have assimilated into the British culture. They are generally well-off, and are projected as a model minority.

Centres of



Hinduism in the United Kingdom

Although small Hindu communities exist in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, British Hindus are largely concentrated in England, particularly Midlands and South East England. London suburbs of Hounslow, Southall, Hendon, and Wembley boast of a large Hindu population. Leicester is touted to be the first Hindu-Sikh majority city in the United Kingdom by 2010.

See also

• Neasden Temple