Overview of the role and impact of Hinduism in the Pakistani province of Punjab
Hinduism is a minority religion in
Punjab province of Pakistan followed by about 0.2% of its population. Punjab has the second largest number of Hindus in Pakistan after
Sindh .
[2] Hinduism is followed mainly in the Southern Punjab districts of
Rahim Yar Khan and
Bahawalpur .
[3]
Hinduism has a strong historical presence in Punjab with many
mandirs ,
shrines (
samadhis ), alongside various religious traditions and texts that were developed in the region. According to the 1941 census,
Punjabi Hindus constituted approximately 13.7 percent of the population in the region that comprises the contemporary state of
Punjab, Pakistan .
[a] With violence and
religious cleansing accompanying the
partition of India in 1947, the vast majority departed the region en masse , primarily migrating eastward to
Delhi and the
region of Punjab that would fall on the eastern side of the
Radcliffe Line , in the contemporary
Indian states of
Punjab ,
Haryana , and
Himachal Pradesh .
History
One of the
Amb Temples constructed between the 7th and 9th centuries.
Hindu Population History
Punjab, Pakistan Year
Pop.
±% p.a. 1881 1,449,913 — 1901 1,944,363 +1.48% 1911 1,645,758 −1.65% 1921 1,797,141 +0.88% 1931 1,957,878 +0.86% 1941 2,373,466 +1.94% 1951 33,052 −34.78% 1998 116,410 +2.72% 2017 211,641 +3.20% Source:
[b]
[c]
[d]
[e]
[f]
[a]
[13] : 12–21
[14]
[15]
Census of India ,
Census of Pakistan
Ancient era
Hinduism is the oldest recorded religion practiced by the
Punjabi people .
[16] The
Rig Veda , the oldest and most sacred Hindu text, is believed to have been composed in the
Punjab region of modern-day Pakistan (and India) on the banks of the
Indus River around 1500 BCE.
[17] The
Punjab region also features heavily in the
Mahabharata .
[18]
[19] According to Hindu religious texts, Multan was founded by the Hindu sage
Kashyapa
[20] and also asserts Multan as the capital of the
Trigarta Kingdom ruled by the
Katoch dynasty at the time of the
Kurukshetra War that is central the Hindu epic poem, the
Mahabharata .
[21]
[22]
[23]
Historically, the
Punjabi Hindus and
Saraiki Hindus followed mainly a Brahminical form of
Hinduism .
[24] The
Prahladpuri Temple in Multan is believed to be constructed by
Prahlada in honor of
Narasimha .
[25] Most of the
Hindus in
Punjab once also had also influence of
Sikhism on their culture and lifestyle.
Nanakpanthis are the
Hindus who follows the teaching of
Sikh guru ,
Guru Nanak .
[26]
Colonial era
By the early 20th century, Western Punjab (present-day
Punjab, Pakistan ) had a
Punjabi Muslim majority population (primarily supporting the
Muslim League and
Pakistan Movement ) but also included significant Punjabi Hindu and Punjabi Sikh minority populations.
According to the 1941 census, Punjabi Hindus constituted approximately 13.7 percent of the population in the region that comprises the contemporary state of
Punjab, Pakistan , numbering around 2.4 million persons.
[a] Following the
partition of Punjab , according to the
1951 census , the Hindu population declined to 33,052 persons or 0.2 percent due to
religious cleansing violence alongside
large-scale mass migration and
population transfer to
East Punjab, India and
Delhi in the violent events of
partition of India .
[13] : 12–21
With the formation of independent Pakistan and India during the
partition of India in 1947, approximately 3 million
Punjabi Hindus migrated to India.
[27]
[28]
[29]
Geographical distribution
Hindu Khatri man,
Lahore circa 1859-1869
Hindu
Arora Storekeeper,
Lahore , circa 1862–72
Rattan Chand temple,
Lahore , 1880
Hindu
Shivite temple,
Lahore , 1914
Colonial Era
Hindus in the
administrative divisions that compose the contemporary
Punjab, Pakistan region (1881–1941)
District or
Princely State
1881
[4]
[5]
[6]
[30]
1901
[7] : 34
[31] : 62
1911
[8] : 27
[9] : 27
1921
[10] : 29
1931
[11] : 277
1941
[12] : 42
Pop.
%
Pop.
%
Pop.
%
Pop.
%
Pop.
%
Pop.
%
Sialkot District
299,311
29.57%
302,012
27.86%
242,325
24.74%
217,912
23.24%
206,421
21.07%
231,319
19.43%
Lahore District
193,319
20.92%
276,375
23.78%
217,609
21%
255,690
22.6%
259,725
18.84%
284,689
16.79%
Gujranwala District
127,322
20.64%
169,594
22.41%
176,075
19.07%
101,566
16.29%
92,764
12.6%
108,115
11.85%
Multan District
112,001
20.29%
133,560
18.79%
126,603
15.54%
134,013
15.05%
182,029
15.49%
249,872
16.83%
Shakargarh Tehsil
[g]
109,241
49.77%
111,819
47.69%
93,052
44.22%
90,645
42.59%
101,318
40.96%
116,553
39.98%
Bahawalpur State
91,272
15.92%
114,670
15.91%
109,548
14.03%
114,621
14.67%
149,454
15.18%
174,408
13%
Rawalpindi District
86,162
10.5%
86,269
9.27%
48,449
8.84%
57,185
10.05%
59,485
9.38%
82,478
10.5%
Montgomery District
83,974
19.69%
109,945
23.72%
66,803
12.48%
94,791
13.28%
136,783
13.68%
210,966
15.87%
Gujrat District
72,450
10.51%
69,346
9.24%
49,430
6.63%
62,529
7.59%
73,356
7.95%
84,643
7.66%
Jhang District
64,892
16.42%
79,650
21.03%
73,426
14.24%
85,339
14.96%
102,990
15.49%
129,889
15.81%
Jhelum District
60,949
10.34%
51,801
8.72%
34,261
6.7%
34,837
7.3%
36,068
6.67%
40,888
6.49%
Shahpur District
59,026
14%
68,489
13.06%
72,695
10.58%
82,182
11.42%
90,561
11.02%
102,172
10.23%
Dera Ghazi Khan District
46,697
12.85%
57,815
12.27%
56,485
11.3%
56,346
12.01%
57,217
11.65%
67,407
11.59%
Muzaffargarh District
43,297
12.79%
52,221
12.87%
68,158
11.97%
69,878
12.29%
72,577
12.27%
90,643
12.72%
Lyallpur District
[h]
—
—
210,459
26.58%
154,603
18.03%
181,488
18.53%
173,344
15.06%
204,059
14.61%
Mianwali District
—
—
50,202
11.82%
36,326
10.64%
45,974
12.83%
49,794
12.1%
62,814
12.41%
Biloch Trans–Frontier Tract
—
—
136
0.56%
169
0.59%
180
0.67%
173
0.58%
160
0.4%
Attock District
[i]
—
—
—
—
19,741
3.8%
26,184
5.11%
31,932
5.47%
43,209
6.39%
Sheikhupura District
[j]
—
—
—
—
—
—
85,781
16.4%
81,887
11.75%
89,182
10.46%
Total Hindus
1,449,913
18.26%
1,944,363
18.65%
1,645,758
14.82%
1,797,141
15.12%
1,957,878
13.94%
2,373,466
13.68%
Total Population
7,942,399
100%
10,427,765
100%
11,104,585
100%
11,888,985
100%
14,040,798
100%
17,350,103
100%
Modern era
According to the
2017 Census , Hinduism is followed by 0.19% of the population or about 2 lakh people including 11,000 scheduled caste Hindus.
[2] However according to the
Pakistan Hindu Council , there are 349,230 Hindus in Punjab.
[32]
According to estimates in religious minorities in Pakistan's elections, there are above 50,000 or more in 11 districts in Pakistan. All of these are in Sindh except the
Rahim Yar Khan District in Punjab and is the only district in
Punjab with more than 2% of its population as
Hindu .
[33]
About 90% of the Hindus in Punjab province lives in
Rahim Yar Khan and
Bahawalpur .
[34]
Districts of Punjab
Percentage of Hindus
Population
Rahim Yar Khan
3.12%
150,002
Bahawalpur
1.12%
41,094
Other districts
-
20,545
Hindus in Punjab is mainly concentrated in the Southern Punjab districts. According to a study, the majority (86.5%) of the scheduled caste Hindus in Southern Punjab have experienced discrimination. The study found that majority (91.5%) of the respondents in
Rahimyar Khan districts believed that political parties are not giving importance to them.
[35] In Central Punjab, the population of Hindus are very low, so many of the Hindus have married Sikhs and vice versa. Intermarriages between the Hindus and Sikh community are very common there.
[36] The
Forced conversion of Hindu girls are a problem faced by the Hindu community. According to a report by Minority Rights Commission, the number of forced conversions and forced marriages increasing in South Punjab, particularly the
Rahim Yar Khan District and adjacent areas.
[37]
The Hindu marriages in Punjab are registered under the
Hindu marriage act of 2017 .
[38]
[39]
Politics
Punjab Assembly has eight reserved seats for non-Muslims and most of them are Christians.
[33] In 1997, the Seth Bharta Ram became the first Hindu to be elected to the minority reserved seat in
Punjab Provincial assembly . It was only after 16 years, another Hindu member
Kanji Ram was elected to the provincial assembly.
[40]
[41] Currently there are no Hindu member in the
17th Punjab provincial assembly .
Hindus form a significant electoral role in the assembly seats of
Rahim Yar Khan District .
[33]
Temples
There are many temples in the
Punjab and mainly of them served as a worship place for multi-religious community. The notable of them includes:
See also
Notes
^
a
b
c 1941 figure taken from
census data by combining the total population of all
districts (
Lahore ,
Sialkot ,
Gujranwala ,
Sheikhupura ,
Gujrat ,
Shahpur ,
Jhelum ,
Rawalpindi ,
Attock ,
Mianwali ,
Montgomery ,
Lyallpur ,
Jhang ,
Multan ,
Muzaffargargh ,
Dera Ghazi Khan ), one
tehsil (
Shakargarh – then part of
Gurdaspur District ), one
princely state (
Bahawalpur ), and one tract (Biloch Trans–Frontier) in Punjab Province, British India that ultimately fell on the western side of the
Radcliffe Line . See 1941 census data here:
[12] : 42 Immediately following the
partition of India in 1947 , these districts and tract would ultimately make up the subdivision of West Punjab, which also later included
Bahawalpur . The state that makes up this region in the contemporary era is
Punjab, Pakistan .
^ 1881 figure taken from
census data by combining the total population of all
districts (
Lahore ,
Sialkot ,
Gujranwala ,
Gujrat ,
Shahpur ,
Jhelum ,
Rawalpindi ,
Montgomery ,
Jhang ,
Multan ,
Muzaffargargh ,
Dera Ghazi Khan ), one
tehsil (
Shakargarh – then part of
Gurdaspur District ), and one
princely state (
Bahawalpur ) in Punjab Province, British India that ultimately fell on the western side of the
Radcliffe Line . See 1881 census data here:
[4]
[5]
[6] Immediately following the partition of India in 1947, these districts and tract would ultimately make up the subdivision of West Punjab, which also later included
Bahawalpur . The state that makes up this region in the contemporary era is
Punjab, Pakistan .
^ 1901 figure taken from
census data by combining the total population of all
districts (
Lahore ,
Sialkot ,
Gujranwala ,
Gujrat ,
Shahpur ,
Jhelum ,
Rawalpindi ,
Mianwali ,
Montgomery ,
Lyallpur (inscribed as the
Chenab Colony on the 1901 census),
Jhang ,
Multan ,
Muzaffargargh ,
Dera Ghazi Khan ), one
tehsil (
Shakargarh – then part of
Gurdaspur District ), one
princely state (
Bahawalpur ), and one tract (Biloch Trans–Frontier) in Punjab Province, British India that ultimately fell on the western side of the
Radcliffe Line . See 1901 census data here:
[7] : 34 Immediately following the partition of India in 1947, these districts and tract would ultimately make up the subdivision of West Punjab, which also later included
Bahawalpur . The state that makes up this region in the contemporary era is
Punjab, Pakistan .
^ 1911 figure taken from
census data by combining the total population of all
districts (
Lahore ,
Sialkot ,
Gujranwala ,
Gujrat ,
Shahpur ,
Jhelum ,
Rawalpindi ,
Attock ,
Mianwali ,
Montgomery ,
Lyallpur ,
Jhang ,
Multan ,
Muzaffargargh ,
Dera Ghazi Khan ), one
tehsil (
Shakargarh – then part of
Gurdaspur District ), one
princely state (
Bahawalpur ), and one tract (Biloch Trans–Frontier) in Punjab Province, British India that ultimately fell on the western side of the
Radcliffe Line . See 1911 census data here:
[8] : 27
[9] : 27 Immediately following the
partition of India in 1947 , these districts and tract would ultimately make up the subdivision of West Punjab, which also later included
Bahawalpur . The state that makes up this region in the contemporary era is
Punjab, Pakistan .
^ 1921 figure taken from
census data by combining the total population of all
districts (
Lahore ,
Sialkot ,
Gujranwala ,
Sheikhupura ,
Gujrat ,
Shahpur ,
Jhelum ,
Rawalpindi ,
Attock ,
Mianwali ,
Montgomery ,
Lyallpur ,
Jhang ,
Multan ,
Muzaffargargh ,
Dera Ghazi Khan ), one
tehsil (
Shakargarh – then part of
Gurdaspur District ), one
princely state (
Bahawalpur ), and one tract (Biloch Trans–Frontier) in Punjab Province, British India that ultimately fell on the western side of the
Radcliffe Line . See 1921 census data here:
[10] : 29 Immediately following the
partition of India in 1947 , these districts and tract would ultimately make up the subdivision of West Punjab, which also later included
Bahawalpur . The state that makes up this region in the contemporary era is
Punjab, Pakistan .
^ 1931 figure taken from
census data by combining the total population of all
districts (
Lahore ,
Sialkot ,
Gujranwala ,
Sheikhupura ,
Gujrat ,
Shahpur ,
Jhelum ,
Rawalpindi ,
Attock ,
Mianwali ,
Montgomery ,
Lyallpur ,
Jhang ,
Multan ,
Muzaffargargh ,
Dera Ghazi Khan ), one
tehsil (
Shakargarh – then part of
Gurdaspur District ), one
princely state (
Bahawalpur ), and one tract (Biloch Trans–Frontier) in Punjab Province, British India that ultimately fell on the western side of the
Radcliffe Line . See 1931 census data here:
[11] : 277 Immediately following the
partition of India in 1947 , these districts and tract would ultimately make up the subdivision of West Punjab, which also later included
Bahawalpur . The state that makes up this region in the contemporary era is
Punjab, Pakistan .
^ Part of
Gurdaspur District which was awarded to Pakistan as part of the
Radcliffe Line .
^ District formerly inscribed as the
Chenab Colony on the 1901 census, later renamed to
Lyallpur District , created between
Jhang District ,
Gujranwala District ,
Lahore District ,
Montgomery District , and
Multan District to account for the large population increase in the region, primarily due to the
Chenab Canal Colony .
^ District created in 1904 by taking
Talagang Tehsil from
Jhelum District and
Pindi Gheb ,
Fateh Jang and
Attock Tehsils from
Rawalpindi District .
^ District created between
Gujranwala District ,
Sialkot District ,
Amritsar District ,
Lahore District ,
Montgomery District , and
Lyallpur District in 1920 to account for the large population increase in the region, primarily due to the
Chenab Canal Colony .
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External links